I love cute people.

Since the snow had melted in Nebraska, it was time for me to plan a trip.  I owed my friend, Joyce Starr, a visit. I had anticipated frequent travel to the Omaha airport since my daughter and her family live very close and the ATL/OMA flights seem strangely uncrowded,  (This is the time that I knock on wood) but winter scared me. Spring brought warmer temps and new courage. It was promising to be a glorious Friday as I drove out of town leaving my responsibilities behind. I felt slightly guilty but was able to contain the feeling by convincing myself that I was serving other loved ones. (Mostly I was serving myself.) The day didn't disappoint. Travel went as planned (that never happens) and Joyce and her husband, Rich, picked me up, curbside.  They proceeded to spoil me with delicious food, including a stop at the chocolate factory, kindness and the great feeling of being with life-long friends.

In the evening, Joseph, Eliza and Hyrum came to join the party as did the Starr girls. The house felt full and joyful. Morning dawned with Joseph shopping for and fixing a delicious crepe breakfast for Joyce's birthday. There were a lot of cute people at the table, Hyrum was a runaway favorite, but for me, the cutest thing that was said was when Eliza was ruminating over rolls she had tried to make that hadn't risen all the way. Rich stepped in, "You've mentioned that event a couple of times. I want you to take that thought, put it in a bag, twirl it, and throw it in the trash." Thanks for that excellent advice.

That afternoon we went to Eliza and Joseph's house.  Driving around in the back seat with Hyrum allowed me to try out a song I'd learned for subbing.

On the second day, if I stopped singing, Hyrum would wave his authoritative little one-year-old hand so I would know to continue.  Not only is he cute, he has some impressive skills.  He can walk forward, but backward also if approached by a person that looks like they would be grabbing him for tickles or hugs.  He drinks from a cup and here's the amazing part....can put it down on the table without spilling. This unbiased Grandma was amazed.

As if this weekend of cuteness wasn't enough, on Monday and Tuesday I substituted in a Kindergarten class.  Okay, mother alert: Kindergartners are reading! Don't even think about sending your child to school without preparation in phonics and creative writing. I did spend some time writing words on a yellow sticky in response to the plentiful "How do you spell.....?" questions, but no more "letter-a-week and at the end of the year we'll dress like zebras." One boy was reading a "Magic Treehouse" book. He was not the norm, but still, wowie.

What they do still have in kindergarten, however is "nap time." And it's long--one hour.  Granted, kindergarten is all day, and about 5 little cuties slept. (Their moms probably wonder why their kids won't go to bed at night.) I walked around taking a survey as to how the nap was coming. This is what I found; one finger wiggler, one leg-crossed foot tapper, one child yawning and playing with the hinges on the cupboard.  Once student  watching the teacher, (definitely up to something) one fixing his glasses, one  hiding under her sleep mat who actually fell asleep eventually. One child had wrapped and velcroed his nap mat around his head. There is supposed to be no socializing, but two children discovered that even though their heads were at opposite ends of the room, if they lifted their middles, they could look under their legs and make eye contact.  I was impressed with their ingenuity so took a while to tell them to lie down. It felt like one of the longest hours of my life, so I can imagine how they felt, but an hour of silence definitely makes science looks good.

A very important part of public education is lining up and walking in a quiet line through the hall.  I'm always looking for tips as to how to succeed in this area. These kindergartners demonstrated a fantastic line-up strategy. When they're in line they raise their hands.  When every student has raised his hands, the teacher says, "One, two, three, four." The children put their hands down to their sides and call back, "five, six, seven, eight, we are quiet, we are straight!" I also learned about two excellent read-aloud books,. "The Book w/No Pictures" by Novak and "The Day the Crayons Quit" by Daywall. Very good reads. You're welcome.

And here are some cute things they said:  A little girl trying to line up, but full of exciting news shared "If you come tomorrow you'll see my dress. Guess what? My dress will be red." One little boy was trying to get psyched for his writing assignment, "So, let's put a name on this paper." We were learning about capacity in math and quarts and pints were mentioned. The light went on in one little guy's mind, "Like Chinese food!" At the end of the day the car riders were helping me clean up the room. One of my helpers said, "Let's have the strong one put the chairs on the desks. That's me."

So cute.