Bunny Fever

     How many petting zoo's have I taken my kids to?  It's hypothetical, really, because there have been so many.  It's interesting though, both Elijah and Lydia have been kindly ambivalent to the baby goats, the geese, the llama, the donkey, and ducks.  They'll pet them, feed them and without prodding, move on out so the next line of kids can check out the animals.  I found out yesterday that farm animals are more Lanie's speed.
   
       LSA preschool was supposed to take a field trip to the Rodeo this week so all the kids could experience the sights, sounds and smells.  Lydia took this same trip last year.  But, they didn't get their school field trip request in time, so instead, they brought a tiny petting zoo to the school.  Not quite the same if you ask me, but so it goes.  Before we left for school yesterday morning, I convinced Lanie that she should wear jeans.  This was a monumental decision for her since skirts and leggings are her usual cold weather attire.  I was pleased as punch that she put them on and even wore her pink kikkers.  Never been prouder.

      The past few weeks, as we talk more and more about the Dream House and just new homes in general, Lanie has requested a barn with a horse.  And a whole bunch of kittens.  I reminded her how much responsibility it is to have animals, but it hasn't phased her.  She has a response for everything.  "We'll just clean up the poop, mommy.  It's easy."

        At this petting zoo yesterday, Lanie fell in love with the rabbits.  Long-eared, fluffy rabbits.  And she chased them around the enclosure the way she chases Luna and Radley.  And the rabbits weren't any more friendly to her then they are. But now she's begging for rabbits.  Do I tell her that I had two rabbits when I was a kid.  They were named Elvira and Bobby-Sue (Can you tell we were really big into the Oak Ridge Boys at the time.)  And Kenny also had a rabbit as a kid, named Flopsy.  Both of us recall that the rabbits weren't very nice, they left lots of pellets, the cages were hard to clean, and we didn't spend much time with them after the initial - "Oh, you have a bunny.  That's cute."  
But, Lanie is nothing, if not persistent, so I assume her request won't end especially with bunny season in full swing. And I've found I bend easily when it comes to kids and animals.  So please,  if you have any experience owning a rabbit, share some details, good or bad.  And sooner rather than later because an Easter bunny on Easter is just about enough cute to make me do it.

Upward Farewell

        Basketball season is over!  At least for our little Upward kids.  This means that my 8 week commitment of coaching little girls in cheerleading has also come to an end.  And I'm so glad.  Don't get me wrong, I loved the little girls I got to meet and teach, but I'm not so sure it was a volunteer position quite in my wheel house.  The cheer part, yes. But the part that involves herding eight little 4 and 5-year-old girls like they were cats, not so much.  At any given moment during a practice or game, you could spot one or two girls sitting on the ground just too tired to go on (that was usually my daughter), another running around in the back of the stage trying to hide, another yelling through her megaphone backwards, and still another who needed a water break every few minutes.  It was comical, truly.  Of course there were times when they listened and cheered beautifully, just not all at the same time.  But they were so cute trying, what's a cheer coach to do?  The other volunteer who worked with me who (gulp) has five children of her own, and I decided just to laugh through our exasperation, all of the time.  Definitely a learning experience.  And Lanie has already shared with me that next year, she just wants to watch.  I don't Cheerleading is in her wheel house either. :-)

                   












To celebrate the end of the season, the UpWard commissioners set up a chance for the entire Upward group to attend a Rice University basketball game.  Some of the cheerleaders performed at halftime.  Not Lanie, she didn't want to.  The highlight, though incredibly short-lived for the amount of set-up,  was half-time when the coaches' kids got to create the tunnel for the players and slap hands. Too bad no in our family follows Rice basketball or it may have held even more weight.
         We stuck around and chatted with friends we only see during the season, but couldn't hold out for the whole game.  We left when Rice was trailing Tulane by 25 points.  Not a nail-biter at all but a nice ending to our two months of busy basketball Saturdays.

Now, I'm ready to sleep in and enjoy the ride of Spring activities. I tell you, There is just al-ways something.

Pre-game primping

When They Grow Up

       I love this picture I saw right outside Lanie's classroom.  It's not her class.  I don't really know the kids.  But I love this idea.  If it were mine I'd be Pinteresting (see how I turned a noun into a verb) it right now.  But it's not so I'll just share it here instead of with thousands eager teachers looking for a cute craft idea. 

       I had more than just the cute factor of the artwork in mind when I started this post.  I love what it says.  If you can't read the chalkboards the kids are holding, this is it:

     "When we grow up . . ."  

Followed by a picture of each kid holding a chalkboard with their future career.  Here they are:

cheerleader, 

teacher, 

doctor, 

mom, 

cowboy, 

ninja, 

bus driver, 

artist, 

mom, 

engineer, 

pilot, 

teacher, 

doctor, 

and dentist.  

       The end says, "LSA graduating class of 2025."  It's so clever.  I wonder how the parent of the future ninja feels?  And I wonder how many of those 4-year-olds want to do the same thing their parents do (besides the ninja, of course).  I always enjoy those stories when a career path was passed down from generation to generation.  For instance, my son's teacher has been teaching 3rd grade for over 40 years. Her husband is a Lutheran high school teacher, I used to teach with him.  They had 4 children and all 4 went to the same Concordia Lutheran college, the same as me.  And now, those 4 kids are grown up with their own children, and yes, they are all Lutheran teachers and 3/4 are married to Lutheran teachers.  It's amazing, really, that this incredible, difficult, rewarding and yet low-paying vocation could be passed down to every person in a family.  It says so much to me about how influential parents can be.  If you love your career, certainly your kids will sense that and likewise, if it makes you miserable, that won't go unnoticed either.  

         And I've been thinking a lot about that.  What do I want my kids to see or remember about me or Kenny when it comes to time spent with work?  For Kenny, hopefully they'll always remember that he was around.  He was right there when they got home - sure his door was closed from time to time with interviews, but like a good boss, he keeps an open door policy most of the time.  With me returning to work (which by the way, I got the green light today -- fingerprints were seen!), I pray that the kids see the joy in me that I get to be apart of something bigger than I am; that I get to serve in a different capacity than I do at home or at church.
     I'll be honest though, I think their realization of this may be a slow climb.  This morning I told the kids that I was going to pick up my School ID and "isn't it exciting - mom gets to work now!"
      Lydia is the only one who responded.  "But you already work at home."
      "What do I do at home?" I asked curiously.
      "Oh, clean stuff."
       "Oh."
While I appreciate that Lydia feels cleaning our house is a full-time job (really it is, I just don't do it),  I hope that maybe with a little more responsibility on my plate, she'll appreciate hard work as well.  Again, it might not be right away. But maybe when she's older, if school libraries aren't completely extinct, she'll by influenced by me and walk in my footsteps.  Or maybe she'll be a teacher, or an artist, or a dentist, or a pilot.  Really they're all fine, as long she opts out of Ninja school.

My little buddy, Addie

I am so behind on writing about my weekend.  I can't seem to find the time, or make enough time.  True writers get up early, they devote themselves to this great craft called "writing."  Luckily, my career path is to just read people's writings and make them available in a library, so I think I'm pretty much at home with my amateur blogging status of a couple of times a week.  But, oh how I respect those who commit to the daily grind.  But all of that is just my way of explaining why I don't always have new material.  Sometimes it's because I have nothing to say, and sometimes it's because I don't have the right picture to aptly explain the blogging moment.

Today though, I have a sweet picture of my two-year-old friend Addie.  Her birthday party is one of the  many events we went to this weekend.  It was a toddler party done well.  Her mom did great job with her theme: Minnie Mouse ears,  Minnie mouse cupcakes,  good snacks and it was at the Little Gym so she didn't even have to clean her house.  What a brilliant idea it was to start holding parties outside the home.  Was it maybe in the 70's when that idea took off?  I can only recall Showbiz Pizza and McDonald's allowing birthday parties, but now every imaginable place has a party room.  I suppose there is a little part of me who misses those non-fuss, non-themed ice cream and cake kitchen parties with a room full of streamers and balloons and some pin the tail on the donkey for entertainment, but it's certainly a sign of the times that we busy mom's take advantage and pay some young teenage employee to run our party and clean up our mess.

Oh, my tangents.  They are everywhere.  So back to Addie.  She's a little girl after my own heart.  Because our families do so much together, we get to see both Addie and her sister Ella a lot.  And while Ella will scamper off with my girls, Addie is my little buddy.  Most kids know me as Elijah or Lydia or Lanie's mom who is always telling us no, or not to scream so loud, or to close that back door, or I'm that one VBS teacher or that one lady who reads to us sometimes in the library. I'm pretty much a non-character for these preschool and elementary kids.  Most of my kid's friends who come over aren't really looking to sit down at the kitchen table and talk about their day with me.  I'm waiting for that age though because while some parents are "always a kid at heart" and like to play dodgeball, I'm relational and like to ask questions.  Maybe down the road, one of their friends will just love coming over because talking to Lydia's mom is soooo interesting.  Doubt it.  But I can hope.

Again, back to Addie. She is the one little person who Will actually hang out with me. And while she can be a pill to her parents, her ornery and busy behavior is endearing to me.  Besides my 3 kids, there is finally a little one who I can pick up and who doesn't scream like mad to go back to her mom. She'll take my hand and give me a silly smile.  I love it.  I know, it doesn't take much for me.  So for dear little Addie, we wish you a Happy Birthday and for your parents, a less stressful 2nd year.

A lot of Minnie's and one Mickey, post party

Seems Like Old Times

Author’s Note:  I reread these ramblings that I have been writing off and on all day since this morning and realize I have two disconnected stories.  Sorry about that, but am too tired now to change anything or fix it.     

Part One:

      I feel like I say this a lot, but our weekend was super busy.  It was so full of activity and harsh warnings that went like this: "You're getting to do everything you dream this weekend - I don't want to hear any attitude, no complaining.  Not – at - all."  It always seems that those days when there are so many fun events planned, one after another, that require my kids to be up late, playing with friends, eating out - that they can be at their worst.  Of course in my mind, they should be nothing but appreciative and grateful for all the kid-friendly plans we've made. Instead, they often get whiny and forget how amazing it was that each play-date or church function or sleep-over or birthday party lined up perfectly that we could attend it all.  And this doesn't always happen.  Sometimes I do just say no.  We don't make it to everything.  This weekend, we did our best to make it all happen. 

      I think that's why yesterday, President's Day, and a day off of school, was desperately needed.  Elijah, who likes to wake up at 6:30am on a weekend, slept til 8am.  Crazy.  After two nights up past midnight (I told you he had the time of his life), he definitely needed it.  And the girls needed it.  They needed downtime just to play.  And I needed it.  I thought that I would have a chance to take care of all those piles of papers and organize that closet while the kids played with all their downtime.  Instead E wanted Lydia to play ball and Lanie wanted Lydia to play Barbies.  Poor thing.  I feel sorry for my middle child who wants to please everyone.  To even it out, I played ball which lasted a total of 20 minutes before I suggested a ride to the park.  It was a beautiful day.  And we’ve had several of them in a row.  We are so blessed down here in the south. 

        Our park trip ended when during hide and seek, Elijah found a pile of roly polies.  You’d think the kids found gold.  They were thrilled to catch them and then wrangle their bikes & scooters home with handfuls of these crawly things. It became quite a to-do as we created habitats for them and gave them family roles.  There was mama roly poly, baby roly poly, big sister roly poly, you get the picture.  Apparently though, after peeking into all the glass jars just now, roly polies were not intended to live that way.  Out to the grass they go. 

Part Two:

        To make our day even better, I gathered a bagful of lunch items and got the kids in the truck (which is unfortunate because the van had a bad tire.)  Three kids in the back of a truck is not very fun.  But we made our 45 minute jaunt to see our best friends, The Hergenraders.  We don’t get to see them enough but when we do, it’s like visiting family.  We love their home with my dream tall trees and forest-y backyard and kids that fill their cul-de-sac.  I always feel like I’ve stepped into my perfect idea of what growing up would be before everyone got scared to let their kids run around outside alone for fear of stranger danger.  The best part of the day though was when everyone came inside and all 7 kids found something quiet to do.  Some watched a movie, and the others sat in their art room creating and Tina and I did what we rarely get to do.  We sat on a couch and talked. Even at Indigo Girls playing in the background.  As roommates in college, we went on regular walks through our small Nebraska town, always late at night completely unafraid, talking and venting.  I have so many fond memories of those walks. So many tough talks.  So many times we laughed till our sides hurt.  So much clarity. 

Just Look at these woods.

       At one point in the day, Tina had to go and check on her 2-year-old who is amazingly quite easy to leave alone when there are so many sets of eyes to watch him.  I told her oldest daughter Catie who was crafting with Lydia that her mom and I used to chat like this all the time.  Catie said, with a smirk, “did you talk about your crushes?”  Well, yes, yes we did and so much more.  I love that our daughters get to witness our friendship 21 years later.  It may not be as frequent, but it is just as endearing now as it was then. And we still get to vent, to gain clarity in situations that now involve kids, school and jobs, and yes we still talk about our crushes, they’ve merely graduated to husbands. 

While at the park, we were rained out so the kids were singing  in the rain. 

     

Fingerprint Frustration, New Job & Change

 
     I've been rejected by the FBI.  My fingerprints, that is. I received an email from the Texas Education     Agency that I would have to give it another go.  So, I did.  Now I'm waiting for any good results.  Isn't it crazy that your fingerprints can be rejected?  The fingerprint lady (I don't know what to call her officially) but she told me that it's common in women, as they age (thanks!).   We often lose our fingerprints due to Clorox cleaners, exfoliation, hand sanitizers, etc.  Who knew?  And to think I believed it beneficial to keep things clean.
      I went home and googled "lost fingerprints and women" and was sent to sites about things that happen to the elderly (that's nice) and it's common with basket weavers and lumberjacks and seamstresses.  An Agatha Christie novel about  a basket-making murderer would be quite harrowing. (I won't take credit for the idea, read it on my fingerprint site.)
     And if you're wondering why I was getting my fingerprints, it wasn't just for fun.  Here's my chance to share that I finally got a job. Yea, me!  It doesn't start until March but if all goes as planned, and right now, that plan may be changing, but if my second set of digital prints actually show the needed ridges, then I will now be the librarian at Jackson Intermediate, a 7th and 8th grade school with 90% students on free or reduced lunch. What a difference from teaching at Lutheran South Academy.
     I  will only be a long-term substitute because the principal was generous enough to let me work MWF so I can stay home with Lanie on Tuesday and Thursday.  When I went in for the interview, I thought it was for next school year but they needed someone that day, full-time.  I wrestled with what to do, for many days, going to trusted friends with their advice and praying with them.  God seemed to open more and more windows especially when I got the green light that they would hire me part-time for now.
     Our Normal will have to change.  The mornings will be different on MWF, more work for Kenny, although he already does the gist of it, waking kids up and getting breakfast.  He'll have to also learn how to make a pony-tail, and braid and tie the right color ribbon in the girls' hair.   Certainly we'll work it out and a new Normal will become common.  I have been praying that my love of working in a library surpasses any difficulties we may have with the home adjustments.  Will you pray that for me too?  And even though I love to change the furniture in my house around all the time, I'm not as great at the big changes.  I love this quote that I used to have tacked in my college dorm room close to my own hole-y, Linus-like blanket.

It’s not so much that we’re afraid of change or so in love with the old ways, but it’s that place in between that we fear. It’s like being between trapezes. It’s Linus when his blanket is in the dryer. There’s nothing to hold on to.  -- Marilyn Ferguson  

         Of course, if my fingerprints never show, and they have to do a manual back-ground check that can take up to 5 months,  I won't have to worry about any of this change.  But, I have this gut feeling God's calling me to it, fingerprints or not.  

   

Roll Out the Barrel - a restaurant review

     While my parents were here, we did A LOT of stuff.   It started on Friday when we watched Elijah's 3rd grade class give chapel and he read the Blessing at the end.  We cheered at 3 basketball games, toured our dream house which I had to sadly admit to the realtor that this just wasn't our time, went to church and watched a community theatre production of A Little Princess which at intermission Lydia admitted she didn't know what was going on.  And it ended on Monday after a day of Valentine shopping for the kids.  All this going and coming left little time to eat at home so what do you do when you've got family in town?  You go out to eat.  

      When my mom and dad come to town, we stick to a few basic restaurants - mostly Tex Mex.  If you knew my dad, Tex, you would understand that he's not a fan of "trying new things" but loves the comfort of knowing what to expect.  And I respect that seeing that I am a bit seeped in tradition myself.  But this visit, we wanted to take them to King's Biergarten, touted as #1 German Restaurant in the nation where it's "Octoberfest all year round!" If you live nearby - are a Pearlander, a Friendswoodite, or a Houstonian - make some time to visit and go on the weekend and sit outside (and if it's cold, there are heaters.)  I've never been to Germany but with a dad who is 100%, who loves beer, the polka, and who met my mom while in Germany (funny thing, they were both from Texas), King's Biergarten seemed like the perfect place to go that wasn't Tex Mex but wouldn't be too out of the box.  And it didn't disappoint.  While we ate our bratwurst and strudel, we sung out to Roll Out the Barrel and introduced the kids to "Zicke, zacke, zicke, zacke, hoi, hoi, hoi" a toast all good beer and root beer drinkers alike need to know.  
    If you've never been - make an effort to go and embrace this place that in its small 3000 feet of space combine my dad's Favorite Things - no, not raindrops on roses or Edelweiss, but good German food, drink and music with a Texas flair.  I've said it in other posts (also about German restaurants) and I'll say it again:  It is sehr gut mein freund. 
German for:  Very good, my friend. 

A little boisterous with the "hoi hoi hoi's"

Oh those Valentines!

       Last week, I went to the zoo with some friends and all together, we had eleven children 4-years-old or under.  By the end of the day, in some way or another, every one of us had a chance to vent some in-the-moment kid frustration.  One mom was discouraged because her new baby isn't sleeping well, another because her daughter gets so whiny when she can't do something perfect the first try, another because her almost two-year-old won't sit still and is always climbing, and then there's mine who visited the bathroom a half dozen times (but I will say without any accidents, thank you very much.)  But it's funny - there's always something.  Each kid has their own quirks, we parents just want to be assured by friends that the quirkiness is completely Normal.  If not, that envy can rear its ugly head.
 
       You can be in envy of a friend whose child goes to sleep with merely a kiss goodnight and lights out while you rub backs and sing songs till their eyes are fluttering (that's me) but that parent you envy has to deal with other issues. Maybe they envy that your kid doesn't have to be prodded to do homework, or that your kid loves roller coasters, or that your kid will eat broccoli.  There's always something.

       Or at least you tell yourself that.  Or I told myself that tonight as I sat with Lanie as she wrote her name sixteen times on her Valentine cards.  I wouldn't call it torture, but it wasn't exactly a party.  We started the process last week and got as far as writing her name twice, before she completely gave up.  She's  not sure if she should write E-L-A-I-N-E (like she learned last year) or L-A-N-I-E which is easier than L-a-n-i-e which her teacher instructs her to write.  She's bewildered, and to top it off won't listen to me when I tell her how to hold a pencil.  Stubborn, spirited girl.  And she finds a million things to do instead of writing - petting the cat, putting the slinky down the stairs, picking up her pen she dropped again.

       But tonight I was prepared - I had bribes up my sleeve.  Write two valentine's and get a bowl of strawberries, two more and some juice, three more and an Oreo, and you get the picture.  And you know what?  It worked.  She finished her Dress-Up Paper Doll Valentines, even adding some sparkle stickers.  She was so proud of herself.  She asked me if other kids were writing their Valentine's tonight.  I told her that, Yes, there probably was a girl or boy somewhere who was also signing her or his name to a classroom full of Valentines.  And maybe that parent knows how I feel and struggled with patience tonight like I did, or maybe they watched their preschooler zip through their stack of Angry Bird or Tinkerbell cards without a single moment of distraction.   Whichever kid you have or had if you're past all that name-writing business, I'm labeling both as Normal.  And we'll make a deal.  I won't envy your conscientious student if you don't envy my spirited one. Because there's always something.

Friday Funny

After I wrote about 80's fashion last week, I got this blurb from a friend that seems like the perfect Friday funny.  If you were born in the 70's, or if you've heard of Diana Ross, MC Hammer or Vanilla Ice, this will make perfect sense.

So have a wonderful weekend.  I intend to.  My parents are here, Yea, so we'll have dinner at the Biergarten, more cheerleaders for the basketball games on Saturday, a night out sans babysitting fees, extra hands to build a shelf (my dad), a pedicure partner (my mom), and a big crew to go visit my dream house on Sunday.  (Yes, I called the realtor.  I couldn't help myself.  I have to see the inside before it's sold off to some very happy family.  Be quiet, I know it's crazy.)

Hammer Time!

Caviar Dream

A few things about this house:

1.  It's located 5 minutes from the kids' school
2.  It has my dream porch
3.  It's Not in a subdivision so no HOA fees
4.  It has a big backyard and as a bonus, a pool
5.  It has gorgeous, tall old trees

A few more things about this house:

1.  I have been driving down this street for 5 years, pining for this porch, these trees, this house
2.  This house is now FOR SALE

The reality:
As Kenny likes to say, it's my caviar dream with our hot dog budget.

Kid Comments:
Lanie: "Can we move in the house, Mommy?  I'll give you all my money."
Lydia:  "Please can we get the house?  That tree would make a great tree house."
Elijah:  "Ya know mom, we could go to like those Bingo places or buy those lotto tickets.  Olivia's mom made like fifty dollars or something at one."

I love, love, love this house.  It's almost as if the builders snuck into my drawer and found my house of dreams wish list.  I'm so glad it exists.
If only . . .

Accidental Mardi Gras

     Over the weekend we were invited to Galveston to eat dinner and go to the beach with our friends, the Bremers and the Greers who have two daughters each.  After a beautiful Saturday afternoon we packed our warm clothes, some car snacks, and for Elijah's sake, picked up a friend for him and headed to the island.  So naive we were.  As we drove across the bridge we were welcomed by banners and signs about This parade and This party and This festival.  Totally forgot it was Mardi Gras.  I mean, I knew it was soon since Ash Wednesday is so close and the King's cakes are all over the place, but I forgot  the 12 days of partying that goes along with it before Fat Tuesday.  Luckily, our restaurant on the sea wall was a cinch to get to, had easy parking and was a front row spot to the Krewe of Gambrinus parade.  What luck!  For the next hour the kids ran in to eat and out to catch beads.   And by kids, I mean me and Elijah.  I don't know what it is about our collector spirits, but I wanted to catch those shiny purple, gold and green oversized necklaces as much as he did.  Something about the catch, the find and wearing the treasure for all to see.  Most of the night I had to be the parent and "give up" those darn, plastic beads to the kids around me who didn't have a neck full.  But it's always an inner battle.  It's like the cherry in a Sonic Lime-Aid.  I love that fruit.  I buy the drink specifically for the one, or if I'm lucky, two cherries.   But as soon as I open my styrofoam cup to dip my hand in to fetch it, I always hear a little voice, "Mama, can I have the cherry?"  Sure, kid, why not?  Forget my small desires. (I'm mostly kidding.)
It's tough to be a parent, or at least a self-less one.  I'm not that good at it yet, but I'm working on it.  One Mardi Gras bead at a time.

Bragging on "Just Good Kids"

           Yesterday I was talking to a mom of 5 and she was bemoaning how their life has moved from the front yard playing with neighbors to coordinating schedules with her husband so that their school-age kids can make it to softball practice, dance class & karate.  And she said what I thought -- there are so so many choices for kids today when it comes to activities and so many unique ones from Archery lessons to Chess Club to Lego-making classes that we want to be able to say YES to the ones our kids may have their hearts set on and do our best to make it work.  Making it work sometimes means, for her, driving 45 minutes to get her daughter to play practice only to rush back to get her other other daughter to an All-Star Softball practice.  

          We don't have her hectic schedule, or that many kids, so I don't know that I'll ever truly understand her dilemma but she said something else that has stuck with me.  Her kids are great at what they do, and so far one child has always gotten the lead role and another has always been one of the "better" players on the team and another is in GT classes but hear her comment: "I hate that people see only their activities.  I'm proud of their accomplishments, really I am, but no ever posts on Facebook that my kid went to Bible study, church and youth group this week.  Or my kid memorized 10 Bible passages and is trying to read the whole Bible or my kids are really kind to each other and trying to help the neighbor next door make friends."  And while I'm only a ghost on Facebook, I can see her point.

        So that long introduction is only to tell you that today I am going to brag on my good-character kids.  I tend to be a bit critical (people tell me this) so I'm going to wash any unpleasant criticism away and refrain from jokes at the expense of my kids and share that all 3 Ward kids received the Outback SteakHouse Student of the Month (Lydia in October, Elijah in December and Lanie today, for January) which rewards (nope, not great grades) but kids who "show positive character traits (obedient, useful, truthful, big hearted, attitude, cheerful and kindness.)"   Now I could make cracks about which Ward kid demonstrates which character trait when and ponder why I don't see these fantastic behaviors all the time at home, but that would not fit with the vein of this post which is just to say plainly, I'm so proud of my kids and love that their efforts in school don't go unnoticed.