Meghan

Tomorrow is Meghan's 4th birthday. I know she has only been in our lives this short period of time, but every day I thank God for the blessing she has been in our life. It's hard for me to look back and remember what life was like before she was around. Sometimes I find myself just watching her as she plays in her own little world and many times I find myself welling up with tears because I am so grateful that God has blessed me with the privilege of being Meghan's mother. Now I have a better understanding of how my parents felt about me and my siblings and how much they love and adore us. Meghan is an amazing little girl. Here are some of the things I love most about her:

1. Even at 4 years of age, she is considerate and always thinking of others. Whenever Meghan asks for something, she always asks for another one for Audrey. She always remembers to say "please" and "thank you" even without being prompted to do so. When there are times that I am having a hard day, or may be not feeling well, Meghan tries her best to find ways to make me happy. It may be by coloring me a picture, singing me a song, or even playing with Audrey to distract her because "Mommy is a little bit sad," she says. She is so thoughtful.
2. Meghan is full of love. She is always going around telling us that she loves us and that she loves her sister too. It's not just the "I love you, Mom," but it is truly sincere. It's interesting to see that she does know what love means to her and that she knows how to express and show it to those around her. She's one of those kids whose eyes twinkle not out of maliciousness, but out of the love she has to share. Meghan is always looking out for her sister and tries her best to take care of her the best she can. They are great buddies. It's precious to watch the two of them play together and to tell each other that they love each other.
3. Meghan is a great storyteller. She loves to be told stories and she enjoys re-telling stories to anyone who listens. Just the other day she was telling me and Jason the story of "The Three Little Pigs," and she even went so far as making all the little voices for each of the characters. She was hilarious! We couldn't stop laughing.
4. Meghan is my little buddy. We love to go run errands together. Just the two of us. I remember how much I looked forward to having "date night" with my mom, so I know how much Meghan must enjoy spending time with just the two of us. One of my favorite things to do is to sit and cuddle with her. Of course our cuddling sessions quickly turn into "tickle time" instead. She is so irresistibly tickle-able. I can't help myself. That little giggle of hers is so hard for me to resist.
5. Meghan is so smart. She is always coming home from daycare with something new she has learned. It amazes me sometimes when I hear the things she has learned. One time while driving home from daycare, she started singing the song, "Jonah Didn't Listen," in Spanish! I couldn't believe my ears! She had sung that song numerous times at home, but then all of a sudden she started singing it in Spanish. That was totally cool. It is so exciting being able to share with the excitement of learning new things. I think that part of that is because learning is pretty exciting for me already considering the fact that I'm a teacher.

Here's some of my favorite pictures of her:

Meghan was born on her due date. That doesn't happen often. She was so precious.

Meghan's first Halloween. I love this picture of her.

Meghan loves hats. There's something about putting on a hat and feeling like you are a totally different person.

This has to be one of my most favorite pictures of her. I love how the setting sun made her little curls just sparkle. This was one of my favorite trips with the girls and how we had so much fun just relaxing and enjoying our time together as a family.

Meghan and Audrey are great buddies. I hope they learn to appreciate how lucky they are to have a best friend in a sister. I know I do.

Meghan is such a happy little girl. We are so blessed.

I love my Meghan so much. My birthday prayer for her is that she will continue to grow and learn more about the love God has for each and every one of us. May she continue to be blessed with good health and that she will one day hear God's calling in her life and that she will willingly follow His plan. I love you, Meghan and Happy Birthday.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

One of my favorite projects I have come up with for my 7th grade reading class is making a quilt. After reading, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, I give my students some squares of fabric I had previously cut out and have them draw a picture that illustrates a scene from the book. I enjoy seeing what sorts of things students are able to come up with that represent the story.

If any of you are familiar with the original story, it is rather violent as Robert Louis Stevenson was inspired to write this story because he was living in London during the time of the well-known serial killer, "Jack the Ripper". I think it's kinda funny that I have asked a bunch of middle school students to illustrate these violent scenes from the story, and then to put it into a nice and pretty quilt.

The nice thing is that we finish reading the book right before Christmas break, so that leaves me two whole weeks to get it done. I don't need all that time, but is sure is nice to have the time if I need it. Once the quilt is completed, I donate it to the school where we auction it off to raise money for these students when they go on their class trip in 8th grade. Thankfully for me, no one stepped forward and bought the quilt last year. Now I have that memento from my first year of teaching. I am pretty proud of the one we have made this year, so hopefully we should be able to make some money off of it. Here's what it looks like:I really like the pictures that have "Bugs Bunny" in them because I was able to find the "Bugs Bunny" version which I showed to the class. Here's an up-close look at a couple of them:

In the midst of all these cute pictures that represent the "Bugs Bunny" version, there is one of the most violent ones like this:Apparently, this is supposed to be Mr. Hyde lying in a pool of his own blood with some nasty blue stuff seeping out of his mouth. When I get pictures like this, it makes me wonder what sorts of things these kids are being exposed to at home. I guess it's not my place to judge, but I can't help it sometimes.

As you can see, all three of these students chose to draw Mr. Hyde with a green face. I find that interesting. Maybe they see him as an early form of the Hulk or something, or maybe the "Bugs Bunny" version had some sort of influence on it as Mr. Hyde is depicted with long arms that drag on the floor with green skin.

What a fun project this has turned out to be. I hope to find a reason to do something like this with my classes each year. I have discovered that students enjoy doing these sorts of things, and they seem to remember the story and the experience better when it is creative and enjoyable.