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Toes

He often folds his toes under when he’s eating or explaining something. I’ve tried to do it and I just can’t seem to get my toes to curl in quite the same way. He also rubs his big toe and crosses it over the next toe (does it have a name too?) as he’s enjoying a tasty snack or good conversation.

For some reason this goes on the never-ending list of things that I love about Barry – his flexible toes.

For years now I’ve watched them twist and turn and each time he does it, without a second thought, I find myself laughing quietly. For he isn’t aware of what his toes are doing.

And now as I feed Maggie I have started to notice that her toes curl and crunch in the same way. Everyone says that Maggie looks like me, but I can point to her toes and say that she’s got her father’s toes – without a doubt.

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Sydney and Maggie: An Update

Maggie and Syd are slowly becoming friends, but we wonder if their friendship will be short-lived since Maggie has yet to learn the art of petting Sydney without grabbing and tugging. At this point, Syd is constant entertainment for Maggie and for the most part Sydney is willing to go along with Maggie’s sudden interest.

What Maggie hasn’t figured out yet is that Sydney does not like getting woken up. At all. If Maggie is too rough or too loud, Sydney just quietly gets up and walks away.

And we’re stuck with an upset baby on our hands. Thanks, Syd.

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Lump

This will my first September without a First Day of School since I was in preschool. I’ll let you in on a little secret, I’m a bit sad not to be sitting on pins and needles wondering how my class will mesh together.  I’ll get over it, but I’ve never known a Fall not filled with backpacks and books. Right now education is kind of in a dark, poor place – counting copies, limited field trips, HUGE class sizes…

I hope for all my friends starting school that they can, as we talked about last year, be the light in the darkness for their students. Teach them to love learning.

Maggie and I were reading a David Shannon book the other day and I realized that I’m going to miss doing the Author Studies with my students. I loved it when my students would connect books we were reading to the idea that they too could write multiple stories themselves.

It was at that moment that I found a lump had appeared in my throat full of sadness. I was able to swallow it down because I’m pretty sure that I’ll find myself in the classrooms of my friends volunteering my services from time to time. Seeing the lightbulb go off when a student figures something out is too good of an experience to pass up completely. Plus, I figure I can have my First Day of School anytime I want.