Simple Life

The other day we were swinging after school. There's a little plastic swing set tucked behind our center with concrete/tile-ish floors and walls surrounding it and just enough space for a toddler to go "really high".
Though I try not to let my mind go there, sometimes I find myself wishing for green grass and space to run and climb for our little girl and every other child here. Just as I caught myself going down this not so helpful path, sweet words from this darling girl, reminded me of the privilege of this place and our lives here.

"Mommy are we at the park?"

 I'm amazed at how this little 2 year old teaches me. "Out of the mouths of babes..." She doesn't have to say much, and it's not even so much what she says as how she says it: twinkling eyes, sweet smile, a tone that says there's nowhere else I'd rather be...

"Yes, honey, we are at the park!"

And I'm so happy to be here with you. Grateful for this swing set, grateful for simplicity and grateful for your little thankful heart...may God continue to make it grow and grow and grow and continue to grow mine too.

Mr. Taxi Man

Part of our life here is taking a taxi to language school. After two weeks, we've come to this conclusion:

Taxi drivers are a lot like a box of chocolates. Ya never know whatcha gonna get!

Our first week of school we went extra early with two of our classmates for our first go at commuting by taxi. There seem to be very few, if any, guidelines here for driving so we were all surprised (but somehow not too surprised) when the taxi driver said he could not take all four of us because of the police. OK, so our friends exited the taxi, and we were off...
Dan sat in the front trying out his Arabic, and our seemingly scrupulous taxi man began to let loose his sanguine side. Before I knew it, the car started swerving and jerking. All the while the taxi man was looking at Dan, smiling, and talking to him. It took me a few seconds to register the fact that he was purposely swerving...not only swerving but pretending to hit people and other cars! Each time he swerved toward another, he busted up laughing. He even leaned in to give Dan several high fives. We sort of laughed nervously, but I'm sure our eyes were as big as saucers...
Needless to say, we survived. To his credit, the people and cars here do seem accustomed to having to dodge one another, and Mr. Taxi man took us straight to school with time to spare. Perhaps best of all, he somehow managed to make our first day of Arabic class seem a bit less intimidating.

Here we are happy to be alive for our ride home :)

31 weeks and the quintessence of pregnant...

It all started at the beginning of week 31 when I declared to our friends that the Moose Tracks ice cream in our freezer was FrOsT BiT and they might want to try another option. From then on it seems this week has been a series of events that confirm that we are at the height of this journey called pregnancy...impulse buys, less brains, more body, and many, many laughs!

Next came my first nesting purchase: the ExTenDaSauRuS:

This is the type of thing my husband usually brings home, and I roll my eyes and laugh,

but there was no stopping me when I saw this baby. I just couldn't help myself. Goodbye unreachable dust, cobwebs, etc.

This week also marked the first week of school. I have to say going to school with my sweet baby girl makes it so much more fun.

Thinking I had more than enough room to scooch by this poor boy in my class, I definitely underestimated my GiRtH. Before I knew it my belly was crashing into this poor boy. Of course all of the kids watching were giggling, and the whole class burst into laughter while I declared to said embarrassed fifth grader, "You've just been BeLliEd!"

Us on the first day of school.

Then there was the day I was grocery shopping at Caputo's and the chocolate covered CaNnoLiS just happened to be screaming at me from the bakery case. Needless to say I was done for:

Perhaps the most exemplary moment occurred at our dinner out at Chick-fil-A. Of course I was ravenous, but for some reason I couldn't seem to bring myself to get anything but those itsy, bitsy chicken nuggets. They're just too good to pass up so naturally when my dear husband left to go get a cup of water and Chick-fil-A sauce, I snuck a significant BiTe of his spicy chicken sandwich. Lucky for me my dear husband is often in some sort of dream land and suspected nothing when he returned. I thought I was in the clear until the end of our meal when this dear, sweet lady approached our table:

Dear, sweet lady: When are you due? You're just too cute.

Me: Aww, thanks. October 21st.

Dear, sweet lady: Yah, my husband and I were just sitting over there cracking up when he left, and you took a big bite of his sandwhich. I said to my husband, "Oh NO she DiDn"T"!

Dan: (very confused, not connecting the dots as to what dear, sweet lady is talking about)

Me: (cracking up at this point because clearly I've been caught)

Dan: (look of shock realizing the crime committed against him.)

Dear, sweet lady to Dan: Now you be nice to her and give her whatever she wants!

I still can't believe I got BuSteD. Unbelievable. Hysterical.

Basically Dan summed it up well when on the last day of week 31 he nonchalantly confessed, "I keep expecting the non-pregnant version of you to show up."

Thanks babe. I think it's going to be awhile until she returns. In fact, it's hard for me to believe she really ever existed. I guess we'll just have to keep laughing at the preggo version until the non-pregnant one decides to make a come back. : )

Fun Five

For pretty much every special occasion Dan and I have a tradition of getting at least two cards to honor the event...one serious and one FuNnY.

This year when I was picking out my FuN card, one particular card ScReAmEd, "I'm the one!!" It was the PeRfeCt card...At the same time, I thought to myself, "If Dan sees this one, he won't be able to resist!"

And guess what? I was right about both things. Amazingly enough Dan did get the same card...

...and it was the PeRfeCt card because I'm definitely loving this man...

...until I CrOaK :)

The End

Back to Normal...

Whew...The ISATs (our state assessments) are FiNaLly over! This is what I came back to after lunch on Friday:

These are the little things my 28 DaRliNgS do that just bring a smile to my face and warm my heart. Can you tell they were happy to be DoNe? They did a terrific job, and I'm so very proud of them no matter what the outcome :)

Go here to see us celebrating with a ViCtoRy DaNcE...just promise not to judge me for not keeping up with my classroom blog...it's a work in progress.

At any rate, I'm so glad to be back to NoRmAl...well, as normal as you can get in a fifth grade classroom for the MoNdaY following Daylight Savings Time and leading up to Spring Break...Four more days to go!!

Too Late

I was just about ready to do a True Confessions entry on how my Christmas tree was still up and how I had AbSoLuTeLy no intention of taking it down anytime soon...how plugging the tree in and seeing its cozy, warm glow makes getting up at the DreAdFuL hour of six a.m. a little less painful, etc....



When much to my SuRpRiSe my love met me at the door on Tuesday, our tree in hand, hauling it to be disposed of in a location that shall remain UnDiScLoSeD (I'll simply say that I am a rule follower...Mr. Bailey is not ;)). It should also be noted that the tree was still wrapped in LiGhTs while it was headed for destruction! The scene was quite hilarious...scads of pine needles and ornaments everywhere...I must have said something to the effect of "No! I can't believe it's over...our tree, our beautiful tree!" about ten times...

I so wish I had a picture of Dan carrying our light adorned tree out of this place...such DeTeRmInAtiOn!

At any rate...after all of that I'm afraid I still have a true confession to make...

We haven't sat on our couch all week... I just can't bring myself to pack up those lovely ornaments...

Kids say the funniest things...

FrIdaY afternoon, our amazing ThiRd GrAdE BuDdiEs were making their weekly visit. The BuDdiEs were hard at work finishing up their How To books...you know, How to Make a PBJ, How to Make a Paper Airplane, etc. My FiFtH GrAdErS were supposed to be leading their third grade buddies in the effort.

As I walked around the room to ensure that everyone was on task, I stopped at a table of four boys working together on their book...well, one boy was working on the book while the others were being SuPpOrTivE observers :).

In an attempt to EnCouRaGe a TeAm effort, I simply said, "The whole group is supposed to be working on the book. Why are ThReE of you just watching G do all the work?"

Their response: "We're taking turns coloring the book 'cuz we already stapled the pages together."

My response: A PuZzLeD look followed by...."That's why you're supposed to StApLe it once it's FiNiSheD so that each of you can work on a page instead of just one person working on OnE page while everyone else sits and does NoThiNg".

Their response: Completely PuZzleD...

My response: A look of DiSbEliEf because no one in the group has thought to solve this problem by taking out the staples and passing out the pages so that everyone can be On-TaSk and the project can be completed in an efficient manner.

I calmly take the book from G and begin pulling out the staples by HaNd because I'm HaPhaZarD like that.

Their response: Utter AmAzeMenT. Seriously...You would have thought I'd just made something VaNisH into thin air...

One of the students who appeared to be the most puzzled KriNklEd his face as if seriously PoNdeRinG the matter and said in a high pitched tone of utter PeRplExiTy...

How'd you do that Mrs. Bailey?....
Did you have trainin' to do that or somethin'?

My Response: Of course I ErUpTeD into laughter at the thought of me and every other teacher in the WoRLd receiving training on how to pull staples out of paper by hand...as if this is some high-level SkIlL that all teachers must show competence in before being crowned with the HoNoR of teaching these little ones.

Through the LaUgHteR I replied, "Actually, no, I didn't get training in this. Believe it or not I just figured it out on my own."

CoNfuSioN still on his face, the student replied, "oh" and began working on his part of the book.

In these sMalL MoMeNts I'm ReMiNdeD of the great JoY found in what I do. I'm EnCouRaGed that even though my job can sometimes seem ChAoTiC, out of control, and OvErwHeLmInG to me, my clientele still think I'm a HiGhLy QuAliFieD GeNiUs, and I'll take that any day....even if it is just for tearing staples out of a book by hand.