Do you hear the people sing?

This year at school, when I take my first graders to lunch, my “old” first graders are already eating in the cafeteria.  So, I often stop and check in with them.

We as a class had nicknamed one girl, “The Chicken Lady.”  Chicken Lady Girl was an expert on chickens and hatching chicks because her family is into it all.  At the end of last year, her mother sent me some fertilized eggs so I could try and hatch some new chicks for my farm.

Chicken Lady Girl:  Mrs. M.  My mom wanted me to ask you how the eggs turned out?  Did any hatch?

Me:  Oh, yes!  I have so many chickens now!

Chicken Lady Girl is all proud and happy and takes a bite out of her sandwich.

Me:  Yesterday, I was looking in the pig pen and I even saw one of the hens that I hatched hanging out with the pigs!  She was walking on the pigs backs and eating all the food around them!  I wonder if she will stay with the pigs or go back and live with the chickens?

Chicken Lady Girl and kids near her are all amazed and interested and would like a picture of this hen, and I tell them I will try.

When I got home, the white hen was no longer with the pigs, so that was a bummer.  I really wanted to show them a picture!  A bit later I saw the same hen, but now she was with the cows.  I snapped a picture and wrote a little story about this white hen in an email to my old class and attached the picture.  Their new teacher read it to them and showed them the picture.

A day or so later, Mac popped into my room.  Do you remember Mac from last year?  Do you?  Do you?

He has grown up!  He does not twirl and walk into walls!  He is still precious to my heart!

I had given Mac a bag of books to read at home, and he had forgotten to return them.

Mac:  Mrs. M?  My mom wanted me to bring you back these books.

Me:  Oh, thank you!  How are you?  You look like a big second grader now!

Mac beams with pride.  Because he is a big second grader now.

Mac:  Mrs. M?  Can you send more pictures and stories about that white hen?  The one that lived with the pigs and now lives with the cows?

Me:  I will!

And then he looked around my classroom and told me it looked like our old first grade classroom and he calmly walked back to class.

And I love him.  And I will now be stalking the white hen for content.

***

I am way into showtunes right now.  I like them for two reasons.

1.  They are just simply fun to sing along with!
2. They absolutely annoy my teen children!

Currently, I am enjoying all things Hello, Dolly! and Les Miserables.   And it is playing around the clock.

LD:  Mom.  Sometimes I question your taste in music.

I greatly annoyed Hadley the other day.  It was fun!  She was miffed because I asked her to do something.  You know how I be.  Naggy and such.  Asking kids to pick up after themselves.  The nerve.

Anyways.  I had my ear pod things in and was belting out Hello, Dolly! at the time and Reader, you would not believe the look of complete annoyance on that child’s face.  It was priceless.  And I did not stop.

Speaking of Hadley, exciting things are coming to be.

Kason, her boyfriend, is finally finished with basic training for the Coast Guard and she will get to see him soon.  Before he left, they had talked about her going to Cape May to see him graduate, and decided she wouldn’t because he would be home soon after and it might be expensive.  But his kind parents invited her along anyways, yet, she declined.

Well.  Time passed and Hadley was very Sadley and she asked me if we could look into going.  So.  Long story short-Hadley and I are taking off soon to *surprise* Kason and see him graduate.  We will be with him and his family for the rest of the trip and get to see a baseball game and all sorts of fun things.

He finally got to call her and he was asking her to please try and come.  She told him she couldn’t-so he isn’t expecting her and it is all very exciting.

Do I feel like a third wheel?

Yes.  Yes, I do.