Growing Up and Growing Down

Oh, blissful day, abandoning myself and all else to the celebration of Sam, today turning seven.

I made popovers and fruit parfaits with custard (in wine glasses!) for breakfast, surprising the children with a breakfast guest from down the street. Then I took them to school and decided to stay.

I spent the entire day mostly with Sam and some with Trin doing everything they do. I even played Wall Ball at recess and impressed their group of friends by outing the fellow currently undefeated (well, I am an adult, even though I am also somebody's mom). "She doesn't really know how to play," Trinidad told his friends apologetically, "but somehow she's still pretty good at it."

My favorite quotes of the day, gathered from a variety of 1st-3rd graders:

Gym teacher: ....So you were chasing the boys instead of racing the boys, and that is not what I asked you to do.
Girl: Well, I actually WAS racing the boys.
Gym teacher: It sure looked like chasing.
Girl: Um. Yes. I did chase them, but that was to get them to run faster. So I could race them.

Sam's teacher: We are having a problem on the playground with people arguing the Ref's call during wall ball. What are we going to do about it?
(The students have a conversation, come up with a plan to have someone pulled from the game for 3 days if they argue more than 2 times/week, then the teacher asks them to vote in an attempt for consensus. 2 thumbs point down.)
Teacher (to a thumb downer): So, I'm trying to understand this better. Are you concerned about this decision because you are someone who argues with the Refs?
Boy: No.
Teacher: No?
Boy: No. They argue with me!!

Boy on the playground: We're rockstars!
Me: Yeah?
Boy: Yeah! He's Prince, he's Michael Jackson, and I'm Elvis Presley. (All assume radical air guitar positions.)
Me (to self): Dang, I'm not as behind as I thought I was!


We played Wall Ball after school for awhile, then the children took me to a toystore where they planned to buy Legos with their savings. I annoyed Trinidad and amused Sam by attacking them with stuffed animals until they both giggled. Then I played with the Jack in the Boxes as they looked at me sideways with a gleam in their eye. I am so glad they are growing up so that I can properly grow down.