Father's Day Getaway

Saturday morning, we loaded up the car in pouring rain and headed north for Indianapolis; a short overnight trip with Grandpa and Grandma Karen, and your aunts, uncles, and cousins. We were excited (and a little anxious) as we pulled away. This would be your first trip since last summer and we were curious to see how toddler bodies were going to handle the jammed-pack schedule, with probably no naps, and sleeping in a new strange place and bed.

You did not nap as we hoped during the two hour drive up, but were happy to be traveling. When you started to get a little fussy, some Mickey Mouse tunes seemed to do the trick.

As soon as we arrived in Indy, we met one of daddy's old college roommates for lunch. There was some slight miscommunication between which restaurant, which meant we ended up waiting a little longer for them. You boys did phenomenal! No nap, sitting in a carseat for 2 hours and then another 2 hours at a restaurant and there were no tears or meltdowns. You may have gotten a little squirmy towards the end, but we were so impressed.

From there, it was straight to the hotel where we were greeted by Grandpa and Aunt Callie. We barely had time to get out of the car before we were already down in the pool swimming! Ryan, our water bug, you did not love it at first. I don't know if it was the loud noises and echoes of an indoor pool, or lack of nap, but once you warmed up to it, we couldn't get you boys out of the water. You were even trying to "swim," kicking your legs, blowing bubbles, and dipping your heads under water.

After about a two hour swim, it was upstairs to get ready for dinner.  Back in the strollers for a walk downtown and out to eat with eight adults and seven children (6 of which were 2 and under!). I must say, considering no one had a nap that day, all 7 kiddos did amazing! We were all probably exhausted and in zombie like states, but there were no tears or fussing from anyone!

After another short walk downtown, we finally got back upstairs around 8:30 (an hour past bedtime, with no naps...surely you'd pass right out. Right? Wrong!). You boys wanted nothing to do with your pack n plays and just wanted us to hold you. After about a forty-five minute fight, you finally fell asleep. However, wake up call came much too early. At 4:44, we heard "Hi! Hi Mama!" coming from you, Ryan. We knew the second we sat up, it would be over. So we tried not to move, but eventually you spotted us and our day began!

After a long morning, 9:30 finally arrived and we could head to the museum. We were curious if there would be much for you boys to enjoy there (all we knew was the Louisville Science Center, which isn't toddler friendly). We were so pleasantly surprised! Every exhibit was hands-on with games, toys, and activities for you to explore. There was an entire exhibit dedicated to kiddos 5 and under. You loved running around in there, playing, and exploring!

It was a jam packed day and weekend, but such a wonderful quick getaway. It was fun to spend some time with Daddy's family and have some nice quiet family time too. I loved getting to celebrate Father's Day this way. We are so blessed by your Daddy and all he does for our family. He has never been a person to do something half-heartedly, so I knew he wouldn't approach parenthood that way either. But each day he amazes me more with how hands-on he is, how loving, and wonderful a role model he is to your boys. You have big footsteps to follow, but I know you two will also grow up to be wonderful men.

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It's Day One

We prayed and prayed for the opportunity for me to have more time at home, yet as I said goodbye to my students on Friday and my staff and teammates yesterday, I was an emotional wreck. I knew this was the best decision and was such an incredible opportunity for our family. But in the moment, all I could think about was how this could very well be my last class of students. I know I will one day go back to work full-time, but that doesn't mean I'd be in a classroom again.

There's just something about being with the same 20-30 kids every day for, most of their day, for an entire school year. The relationships and bonds you build are so important and will hopefully impact them for the rest of their lives. I cried as "my children" sobbed on me Friday, "I love you Mrs. Curran," "Thank you for loving us all equally, even when we weren't good," "You were like a second mom to me. Thank you for being someone I could trust." Their words were so sincere and powerful. The final five minutes of that last day were just beautiful and many special moments were shared with all of my students.

Then Monday, I said goodbye to my 4th grade team. I am beyond fortunate that I will still be at the same school, but as we said goodbye, we knew next year would be different. I wouldn't be there everyday. I wouldn't be swapping stories about how to handle different student situations. Our relationships are bound to change.

I drove away from Harmony with watery eyes, knowing the next time I returned, I would not be a teacher. I drove away from the building where my career began. And as I drove, saddened to be saying goodbye, a song was playing in the background, "It's day one of the rest of my life. I'm marching on to the beat of a brand new drum. Yeah, here I come. The future has begun. Day one"

It's day one! No, this was not an easy decision, but this was the right decision; it was what my heart and soul needed. My sadness passed and I realized how fortunate our family is that I will be able to take advantage of this new opportunity. Being a mom is not always easy. We have to make tough decisions. Working moms often wish they could be at home, feeling conflicted for not putting 100% of our attention on our children. Stay-at-home moms long for that adult interaction you get at a workplace. It is so difficult to find a balance. Regardless of our situations, we all have one thing in common -- we want what is best for our children and families and will do whatever it takes to provide that. I am thankful that this "day one of the rest of my life" begins today. I am so excited for our family's future!

Be Kinder than Necessary

Today was the last day of school. My last day of teaching for at least the next year, maybe longer. As I prepared to say goodbye to my kiddos at school, we finished one of our favorite read alouds of the year. In our book, the main character was graduating fifth grade. These were the words his principal spoke to them:

“Be kinder than necessary. What a marvelous line, isn’t it? Kinder than necessary. Because it’s not enough to be kind. One should be kinder than needed. Why I love that line, that concept, is that it reminds me that we carry with us the very choice of kindness. Such a simple thing. A nice word of encouragement given when needed. An act of friendship. A passing smile…children, what I want to impact to you today is an understanding of the value of that simple thing called kindness. And that’s all I want to leave you with today. If every single person in this room made it a rule that wherever you are, whenever you can, you will try to act a little kinder than is necessary – the world really would be a better place. And if you do this, if you act just a little kinder than is necessary, someone else, somewhere, someday may recognize in you, in every single one of you, the face of God.”

As I read these words, I couldn't help but get choked up. I looked out at the sweet 20-some faces staring back at me. I saw their futures -- would some grow to be professionals? Artists? Doctors or nurses? What would they be like in high school? Would they get caught up in poor decision making? I wanted to pour all my experiences and knowledge into their heads and save them from the pain the world can cause.

I saw some of my students tearing up with me, while others asked, "Why are you crying, Mrs. Curran?"

I smiled and said, "Because those words were so beautiful. Did you hear what Mr. Tushman just said? He was speaking to all of us. He told us, that if we are kinder than we need to be, you will show someone the face of God. You will show them what it means to be loved by God. That's a lot of power we all posses if we are kinder than necessary."

I hope my students truly heard these words with their hearts today. This was a lesson I tried to teach all year and the fact that our book articulated it so beautifully was just moving. I hope if I taught them anything in their 4th grade year, I taught them the importance of loving one another. Of loving everyone. I hope as they face life, somewhere in the back of their minds, they might remember a teacher, many years ago, who taught us to be kinder than necessary. I hope you, my boys, will learn that lesson too. It's not an easy one. It's one I have to work on every single day. But if we are kinder than necessary, no matter what the circumstance, we have the chance to shine Christ's light. Let’s all be a little kinder than necessary so that the world will see the face of God in us.

Summer Lovin'

There may still be five days left of work for me, but we have definitely started celebrating summer  here!