Praying for your child's class

This is just an idea that I wanted to share in case anyone else wants to use it.
This is one way that you can pray for your child's class with him.

I asked the teachers for permission to take pictures of each student in Austin's class.
Then, I printed them and put them in a cute little album that I bought at Michael's for about $5. It is a little styrofoam album that he decorated himself.

Then, every night we talk about his day and then flip through the book and pick one person for Austin to pray for. He loves looking through the album at his friends and practicing saying their names.

Have I told you lately that I love Austin's school?

and so does he:)

Austin's friend, Truxton

Logan

Did I mention this is a class full of 2-3 year old boys?

Not at all Egocentric...

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.
Philippians 2:3

Here are just some examples of our recent conversations at home...

me: Who does Mommy love?
Austin: (screaming) AUSTIN!
he signs for more...
me: Who does Granny love?
Austin: AUSTIN!
me: Who does Daddy love?
Austin: AUSTIN!
still signing for more
I go through all Aunts and Uncles, cousins and grandparents
he still signs for more

me: Everybody, sweetie, Everybody loves Austin!
Austin: smiles and lays his head down for nap time.

WE all want to know we are loved, don't we!

I have been working with Austin on the letters in his name. This was our conversation today.

Can you tell me the letters in your name, Austin?

A-U-S-T-U-V-W-X-Y-Z!!! and then he screams AUSTIN!

Well, that was a good try... let's look at the letters and try again...

A-U-S-T-I-N-Z!!! AUSTIN!!!

That was great, AJ, but there is no Z on the end of your name. Do you want to try again?

A-U-S-T-I-N!! AUSTIN!!!

Very good, buddy, that's your name!

Over an hour later, we were reading a book together called "Fun Farm."

Before I opened the book, I asked Austin if he saw any letters on the cover that he knew.

F-U-N F-A-R-M (he screamed!)

Do you know what that says, sweetie?

AUSTIN!!! (he screamed!)

Oh, well

"Lord, it is so easy to think that this world revolves around us! At the age of two, Austin already knows that he wants to be loved and he wants to talk about Austin! Please help him to come to an understand at a very young age that our lives revolve around YOU and YOUR GLORY. I ask that you would give Austin great sympathy and compassion for those around him, even in his little two year old class. I pray that you would help me to model a life lived for others rather than for myself."

Thoughts from a Preschool Teacher...

Psalm 127:3
Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him.


Our class learning the i sound for "itchy"How could I not love teaching?

Painting with egg yolks after reading green eggs and ham
short e sound

Last week, we were studying the short u sound - umbrella!

As I have been reading all my friends blogs lately, I have realized that many are sending their children away to preschool (many for the first time). I wanted to share some thoughts that might help both parents and teachers alike!

Please pack a change of clothes... One of my requests as a preschool teacher is that parents always pack a change of clothes in their child's book bag. You would be amazed at the responses I receive. My precious has never had an accident in her life. Little prince hasn't had an accident in over two years... I am so excited for princess and little prince. You would be amazed, however, at the number of children who don't want to come in from the playground in order to take a potty break and end up having their first accident in twelve years. Sometimes, we just need a change of clothes because there are 11 other children in the room, someone spills their juice at snack, it lands in your child's lap, and they don't want to be wet for the rest of the day.

I love what I do, and I would love to talk to you about it! I would love for you to ask me for my email address, phone number, etc. so that we can talk about school. I am a preschool teacher because I absolutely LOVE hanging out with your child all day. Typically, however, the beginning and end of school are the most hectic times of day and it is difficult for me to talk while I have 12 children jumping off tables in the back of the room.

I am putting this in here because I am not only a teacher, I am the mother of a preschooler and need to hear it... the most important one today...

Please try not to take things personally! Personal story, the other day when I picked up Austin, the teacher told me, "he startled me during nap time he was farting so loudly." Instead of laughing with the teacher and say, "That's my boy! He takes after his dad!" I started worrying the whole way home... Do I not feed Austin appropriately? Does she think that our family has bad manners? How can I teach Austin not to fart during a nap? Do I need to change his entire diet? I was taking it so personally. It is not personal!!!

I hope that this helps a little. I will try to add other "teacher tips" in days to come!

Happy Thoughts!

I haven't updated my blog in several days. I have oodles of pictures just sitting on my camera - but my camera is in my car, and I am in bed. Yes, bed! On Saturday, I came down with a fever and today I am still in bed. I can't talk! I have completely lost my voice...

Yesterday, I was so frustrated with feeling rotten, that I walked into the kitchen with tears rolling down my cheeks. Austin (who was attempting to open the refrigerator doors by himself) looked up at me and saw my tears. I squatted down so I was at face level and he said,
"mama, don't cry!" Be SO Happy!"

I think that he has overheard me tell the story several times that my favorite words of his are "I'm so Happy!"

So, today as I lay in bed, I can't talk, but I can write - and write I will, and I will think about all the reasons that I have to be SO Happy! After all, I have a little one listening to everything that I say!

So, here are some of my favorite pictures of all time. We were living in a tiny (900 sq. ft) apartment. I had my couch pushed in front of the fireplace so we would actually have room to move (breaking ALL decorating rules), but we were having so much fun.

How can you not love a baby dressed up as a dog!

Enjoy, and today make the decision to be Oh, SO happy!

Can you tell I'm procrastinating?

So, I need to work on my paper, but Austin and I just had another funny conversation.

I am working on a paper about Soren Kierkegaard. Austin just saw a picture of him on my computer and said, "Who's that, mum?"

"His name is Soren, Austin."

"Oh, cool mum! Hi Swimmin" (as he waved to my computer!)

Watch out Michael Phelps - my son has a one track mind!

I am SO happy!

A few of our favorite things.

This is a typical conversation at our house these days...

"Austin, will you put your school bus away?"

"Yeah, mum"

"Did you mean to say, Yes, m'am?"

"Yeah, mum"

We have no idea where he picked it up, but he always says "yeah, mum" and "no, mum." It actually makes us laugh now when we hear it, and it has become one of my favorite quirks about Austin.

While he definitely has his moments of frustration, anger, etc., Austin is typically just a happy, laid back child. The other day, he was throwing a fit because I buckled his seat belt for him (instead of letting him do it himself!) I was trying to get going instead of waiting the 20 minutes that it takes him to figure out his seatbelt and buckle it... (you understand)

Anyway, he was crying and crying in the backseat and I was trying to distract him.

"Austin, would you like a granola bar?"
"Yeah, mum."
"Did you mean to say, yes m'am?"
"Yeah, mum."

A few minutes later I turned around in my seat to see how Austin was doing. He looked at me with all seriousness and said.

"I am SO happy, mum!"

What priceless words to hear from your two year old.

A Bible Lesson

These pictures are upside down and hard to see, but I have a paper due tomorrow on Soren Kierkegaard, so I am trying to post more quickly than normal!

On Sunday, Austin and I were spending some time talking about Bible stories when we had a very cute moment.

We started by working through a sticker book about the story of Jonah. We talked about how Jonah had to go into the water when he didn't listen to God.

Austin loved the pictures and story so much that he wanted to do another story when we were done. I quickly turned to the story of David and Goliath and started explaining to Austin that David went out to fight Goliath. Austin, holding the sticker of David started saying....

"No, mama! No, mama!"

I replied, "What Austin, you don't want David to fight Goliath?"

No, mama! Austin cried! He wants to go swimming!

So, that is how David ended up in the ocean with Jonah!