Yesterday, a guy asked me to move into his apartment with him.

His name is Aiden, he is four years old, and I am in love. ;) Even though I know I've mentioned this before, I really wanted to reiterate how much I love my job, what happiness it brings me, and how I feel about my kids. Aiden is a completely new blessing: he just started coming a few weeks ago, and has already decided that I am his very favorite teacher. His mom says he talks about me all the time (it's awesome when you realize that not only do you remember them, but they also remember you!). Yesterday, he was having a hard day, and wanted to do absolutely nothing but sit in my lap. In the afternoon, I was in charge of the art area and also of timing the kids' turns at the computer, so Aiden got really good at hopping up every ten minutes and informing the child at the computer that it was time to switch. :)

Just to show you how absolutely precious and wonderful my children are, here are some ridiculous and silly things they said while we were talking yesterday:

Ferran: My daddy works at Northwestern!
Me: Really? That's awesome. Alice, where does your daddy work?
Alice: In a tall building.

Jovan: I can't go outside, 'cause I'm allergic to snowflakes.

Me: Faith, can your sister play the violin?
Faith: Sometimes.

The most heartrending things happened yesterday as well, though. Apparently Ferran's parents are divorced, and every month they fight over who will pay tuition for Ferran to continue to come to school. According to the director, Ferran had already been coming for two weeks without paying, and unless his parents paid, could not continue to come to school any longer. So, at the end of the day, Ferran asked me if I knew "the news" about tomorrow: whether he could come back or not. He was so sad, it absolutely broke me heart. The fact that the parents' arguement was affecting his life so directly and dramatically just seemed.. horrible.

Also, we have a wonderful girl, Jade, who has recently moved into a foster home. All day yesterday, she was absolutely certain that her mommy was going to come pick her up. "My mommy's going to come get me after nap," she told me again and again. Regular pick up time is between 4:30 and 5:30. A handful of children from the entire school stay until 6. As the time moved on, closer and closer to 5:30, Jade kept saying, "My mommy's coming soon! My mommy's coming soon!" And no one came. We moved to the other building, with the "late" children, and she started asking, "Jackie, where's my mommy?" Five minutes before six, a teenage boy walked in, apparently her babysitter at her foster home. Jade went into hysterics, screaming that no, her mommy told her on the phone she was going to come pick her up, no she didn't want to go home with Roy... eventually he took her away, but the difficulties in her life touched and saddened mine.

I guess my work makes me appreciate my incredible and irreplaceable childhood, my wonderful parents, and my full and very happy life. It makes me appreciate the little things in life (like running around with excitement because there's a ladybug in the classroom.. or learning to draw a heart and thinking it's the most incredible thing ever) and enjoy myself every minute.

I LOVE YOU, GROUP E! :)