joy in popsicles

i tossed and I turned last night.

i got up.

i laid back down.

but the excitement just couldn't seem to leave my body till about 4am.

then at 6am I was up again waiting on my alarm to go off in 15 minutes.

christmas morning is really the only thing I can compare it too.

the joy of knowing you get to spend the whole day with some of the coolest kids around is worth a sleepless - I can't wait - night. 

i picked out the red one.

one of the five shirts I 'get to wear'.

i put on the gifted shoes that aren't really shoes. 

and ran back up our apartment stairs to get my sunglasses. 

Can't forget the sunglasses!

the bananas were cut in half.

cereal was poured. 

everything was in order, now all we needed were kids!

as they pulled up we threw the football around.

i can catch way better than I can throw - i'm just being honest.

some familiar faces. some new faces. 

all middle school. gosh I wish I were as cool as middle schoolers! 

some things will never change. like my love for basketball.

or when you get picked third from last in pick up (surely not cause I am a girl... I blamed it on the shoe choice) I had two baskets and some steals - and cause I know you care so much three turnovers and a block. Not bad for what I was up against - NBA (middle school) offense these days is tough!

other adults had to tell me it was time for lunch - which I quickly informed them the next shot won.

our team lost. but we had some mad teamwork. our handles just need some work. 

something you learn about these kids real quick - they keep going and going and hardly eat anything. 

some of them never stop eating - but it's rare and they are mad picky. 

boxed school lunches never made anyone jump for joy, 

but there are people who would die to have what's inside them. 

our kids... they have been eating these boxed lunches all year. I don't blame them one bit. 

one of our boys didn't eat breakfast or lunch. so I asked him if he had a choice of an orange or banana what he would choose - orange it was. 

He devoured it. 

So I made a deal that if he wasn't going to eat the boxed lunch he needed to find me and eat the fruit I brought for the day. There is no way I am letting him go over 8 hours without eating while he is in my care. 

got over my fear of drowning for about an hour and managed to slide into 3ft of water seven times with the kids before my eyes were burning from chlorine. small victories right?

here's to the long summer days spent with kids that find joy in popsicles,

bad tan lines,

being sore after one day,

and praying the rain away just a little bit longer - even if it messes with your "twenty-something" plans later that night... cause a pool with seventeen middle schoolers is way better than those anyway!

sigh. tomorrow the babies are gonna be here. and the excitement starts all over again.