A Most Lovely Long Weekend

       It was MEA this week, meaning that I had Thursday and Friday off from school. Such a lovely long weekend. It has included breakfast out with My Love, white chocolate macadamia nut cookies, visits with friends, quite a few movies, knitting, and butchering chickens.
      So far, one of the best parts of it was on Thursday. Last week I had my 20 week ultrasound, but Little Mr. Williams wasn't being cooperative and so they didn't get any good images of his heart. So, they called me back in. Since I was there anyway I asked the ultrasound tech if I could have any of the profile pictures she got since they didn't really get a good one last time. She got the required heart pictures and then just began taking fun pictures for me. Once again I was blown away to watch my little guy, in all his tiny perfection, wiggle and move. Such a miracle. He is pretty adorable if I do say so myself.

My personal favorite, sucking his thumb. 

 Snuggling with his hand up by his face

 Little toes

Little legs and feet

 Profile

And the weekend still has one day to go. HURRAY!!! Happy Saturday. 

"A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events and outcomes. It is a catalyst and it sparks extraordinary results." ~Wade Boggs

The Circle of Goodness

      Yesterday I had parent teacher conferences. So, I typed up the kids' report cards, pulled a couple chairs up to my desk and settled in for a day of chatting with parents. And it was a wonderful day. I work at a small school so I only had 8 conferences and I knew most of the parents.
       Afterwards as I was thinking back over the day and things parents had said, I realized that parent teacher conferences are as much for me as they are for the parents. I shared with parents their child's grades and how they were doing in my classroom and they shared back words of encouragement for me.
       When a parent brought me a cup of tea because she thought of me while she was picking up her own Caribou on the way to the conference, I felt loved.
       When a parent came in a told me that they appreciate me and that I truly am having an impact on their kid, it reminded me of what an important job I have.
      When a parent came in for their conference and afterwards asks me how I was doing and if there is anything in my life I would like prayer for, not school stuff just my life stuff, I felt blessed and cared about.
       So it's a circle. I shared and they shared right back. And that is how life should be, a circle of goodness. Happy Friday. 
     

"If you are a leader, you should never forget that everyone needs encouragement. And everyone who receives it - young or old, successful or less-than-successful, unknown or famous - is changed by it."

~John C. Maxwell