A bully and lessons

Well, as a teacher, I hate to label kids as bullies, but Hannah technically has one in her class at Mother's day out.  So, at 4 years old we have begun to teach Hannah a life long lesson on dealing with bullies.  We all deal with them.  Whether they are 4, 16, 30, or 77 you encounter them at any and every age.  The important thing for us is to teach Hannah how best to deal with them.  Maybe I will even learn a lesson or two in the process.
Last week at school she had a run in with this kid (not her first and probably not her last) which ended with her being shoved off a climbing toy outside.  The difficulty then was the conversation about how we are called to love this child.  In Hannah's mind, this kid is unlovely, unkind, selfish, and unfriendly.  If I am honest though, I think some of these things about this child too.  But, are we all not these things at some time or another?  We are called to love this child.  We are called to befriend this child.  We are called to act selflessly toward this child.  We are called to turn the other cheek.  We are called to pray for this child and share Jesus' love with him.
Hannah talks often about this child and it is mostly to tell me about the trouble they encountered that day or how unkind he was.  I take these opportunities to share with Hannah that we need to love and pray for this boy.  I remind her that we need to never delight in someone else's trouble.  Insert my lesson for the day here...
This morning, we picked up a good friend's son who is in Hannah's class.  He and Hannah have become quite good friends (since they are in Mother's day out, Sunday school, and Wed night activities together!).  As we were waiting to go in to their class, this little boy mentioned that he doesn't like playing with the class bully.  He then went on to tell me that he doesn't like playing with him because he is mean to Hannah and others.  After I got over the fact that it is so sweet that he looks out for my sweet Hannah, I told both him and Hannah that we needed to stop and pray for this child who so struggles at school.  They both agreed and we had a sweet time of prayer together.  This Mom and 2 four year olds are having to learn hard lessons about loving the unlovely.
I need this lesson as much or more than Hannah does.  So, we are praying that God will help us all!

Sweet Ballerina

Hannah started ballet classes last week at a local church here in Waco.  I was so excited when the opportunity came available and we got a spot on the waiting list.  The classes cost $5 per semester...what a steal!  But, more importantly, they teach the kids about loving Jesus.  We just had our second class today and Hannah seems to be loving it.  She really seems to be enjoying dance and so we will see if this is something she sticks with.  But, for now, we are just enjoying the opportunity for her to do something she enjoys.

I am so blessed to be a Mommy to this ballet loving girl who's heart is developing into a joyful, loving, beautiful creation!

School and homework

Our sweet Hannah started 4 year old Mother's Day Out last week.  She is having the time of her life there.  She has seemed to love every minute of it.  She goes twice a week from 9am-2:30pm.  It is plenty of time for her to get time away in a learning environment while I get a bit of a mommy break too.  However, I would be lying if I said that I felt great about leaving her.  To be honest, I felt like I was missing my right arm for the first few days.  But, at this point, Hannah needs the interaction time with other kids and teachers so this is a great deal for us. 
Were was our sweet girl on her first day.

 And, on the FIRST day she was assigned homework!  I guess this is a sign of things to come in life.  She was given a blank posterboard and was given instructions to write her name, and include pictures of family, hobbies, toys, friends, etc.  So, I was determined not to make this a mommy project (which seems easy since 4 year olds are not much for poster making!) and I think we succeded.  We found some pictures of our family, Hannah, and the grandparents (minus Grandpa Jim...note to self...get a picture of Gramma, Grandpa, and Hannah this Thanksgiving!!!).  We couldn't find a picture of Molly, so Jason drew one.  Then, with spelling help, Hannah proceeded to write all the names on the poster.  She even drew a picture of our house.  I was so proud of her and her first homework assignment.  This will definitely be something I keep around for her to see later in life.  What a treasure!

 And, the ever important daily report!  We talk to Hannah about the importance of loving her classmates, making new friends, treating them kindly, listening and obeying her teachers, and finding joy in learning.  But, without fail, she prays fervantly that God will help her get all smiley faces.  I am still thankful for the things she is learning though and thankful for our sweet Hannah!