Bickmore Buzz August 21, 2016

Hello there!

It has been a busy, busy month! I was sick last weekend with a cold. I felt better on Monday and Tuesday and by Wednesday the congestion moved down into my lungs giving me a cough. It's not too bad though. Some of my students have been coughing and sneezing so it's definitely going around.

We've done some fun things. Last weekend we saw Pete's Dragon. We loved it! Friday night we went swimming at a fancy pool about 3 miles away. I love swimming under the stars. It was a salt water pool so the boys were shocked when they jumped in and the water tasted salty on their lips.

Isaac started school on Friday. He is teaching Digital Hybrid Lab on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The Dean of the Fine Arts asked Isaac to teach a course with him--Arts and the Economy--on Tuesday nights. He is going to defend his dissertation proposal at the end of September. His robot team won another $5,000 from the Edson family. He's been discussing with his team about how to spend the funds.

Will and Van are adjusting to school. The P.E. Coach told me on Friday how much she loves teaching Van in P.E. She said that they were playing a game of tag where the tagger gets to hold a pool noodle. Van was it and she said he was SO excited to hold the pool noodle. He was running around with a huge smile on his face. He was barely tagging anyone, just thrilled to be holding the noodle. 

She also told me that another boy named Nathaniel, was holding Van's face in his hands and playing with his cheeks. Van didn't even care. Then Nathaniel kissed Van right on the lips and Van smiled. I could just picture Van while she was sharing all of this with me and it made my day.

Our dear Mr. Merrill, who has been serving the Carminati staff for over 20 years is no longer volunteering. His last day was Tuesday. Our principal told us Thursday after school. I walked back into my classroom and picked up my can of pencils. That's when it hit me that I won't get to see Mr. Merrill each morning at 8:00 am come into my room with a smile on his face greeting me, "How are you today?" picking up my can of pencils to sharpen for me. I started crying and cried all the way to the work room where he sharpened the pencils for us. It was the first time I sharpened my pencils in 2 years. William's teacher, Katie Breed, was crying too and so we mourned and talked about it for a little bit. We are going to miss him so much. He was my ray of sunshine. He'll be turning 91 years old next month. Last year, his family threw a surprise 90th birthday party for him. Tons of Carminati people were there to celebrate with him. I thought about getting a plaque and displaying it in the workroom "This workroom is dedicated to Mr. Keith Merrill for his years of fast and friendly service to the Carminati staff." Some of the other teachers love the idea too.

Overheard at our house:

• Van today said, "Mom, I don't want to be a missionary anymore. I want to be a ninja."
• We were talking about addiction because Will asked what addicted meant. I explained it to them. Van said, "I'm addicted to saying 'I love you.'" which is totally true.
• The boys had their dental appointment on Tuesday (no cavities!) The dentist asked Isaac if Van grinds his teeth. Isaac said that he does. Then the dentist said, "The reason is because his teeth don't have a natural resting place and so at night Van grinds his teeth to find a resting place where they feel comfortable." Later that day, Van told me, "My teeth don't know where to go to sleep." 
• I was exhausted after church today. William put his arm around me and said, "Mom, why don't you go take a nap. That will help you feel better." 
• Tonight during family prayer, William said in his prayer, "I'm thankful for my parents and for all that they do for us. They are such nice parents and we feel so lucky to have them." I thanked William for that. I got after them a LOT today so that was sweet of him to give me that reassurance.

Isaac made shoulder bags for the boys--rope and pockets from a pair of cargo shorts.

Last weekend the first grade team got together and made aprons. We love having the extra pockets!

Gladys and Socksy, our neighbor's dogs. I love that Gladys so much! I'm not usually fond of dogs, but I could pet and hold Gladys all day. She's the white one.

This is a project William did at school.

Here we are with Mr. Merrill at his 90th birthday celebration last year. He is my inspiration!