Ups and Downs

There was a Valentine's Day party at school today, so I went in with Kaylee with our cupcakes and my camera. My job today was to take photos of the various classrooms with the kids doing whatever they were doing (and the parents have all signed photo releases, yes). I couldn't stay for their party because that was at the end of the day, but I at least got some shots of the various classes and kids just playing or working, and I stayed and helped for awhile. While I was there, Kaylee asked me to help her with her work, and of course I refused. Can't blame a girl for trying. ;) Here she is reading after she finished a math page.

The little girl I told you about came in to school today, and I was there when she arrived, and her classmates hugged her and called her name and were happy to see her, and it brightened her face. The parents and school admin people are rallying around and attempting to set up a way to help take care of her, which may I add is part of the defining difference between it and a public school (not that they don't do their best). There are a lot of questions to be answered and a lot of problems to overcome, and she may well end up in foster care. One of the teachers came in today and said "My husband will tell you himself that he has no heart, and he almost cried last night when I told him about her story." Obviously I've left many details out for privacy, but this child is so young and still so sweet to have gone through what she has, and I just wish she could catch a break.

We had chili at airport lunch today, and by lunch time I was tired and kind of bummed out from the morning, but a little time with nothing serious going on helped wake me up and cheer up a bit. When I left there, I went to the other airport and flew Nathan over to Muncie so he could pick up his airplane. We had the music going and it was just a really nice flight over. We were there for a little while, and when it was time to leave I went in front of him and tried to beat him home. That's kind of funny since my airplane does 135 knots and his does something like 335 knots. ;) When I got back to Kokomo, the pattern was "full". There were two planes trying to take off in formation and do a low pass over the runway, a King Air doing VOR checks by doing low passes over the various runways, another guy who took off out of there, me in the 172RG and Nathan in the Cheyenne. When I landed (by sneaking in amongst the traffic so I didn't have to go on another cross-country in the pattern again), there was a pretty good crowd over at Nathan's hangars, too. Steve came over and helped me put away the RG, Chuck was running up his Citabria, Jonathan and Steve C. and Ty were working on various airplanes in there, the Cheyenne was out, the Cub was out, the Citabria was out, the fuel truck was there. There was Life on the Ramp! It is a downright gorgeous day in aviation land, and by the time I left to pick up Kaylee, I kind of didn't feel like leaving. It would have been a great day to pull various things out and just fly...if only various things were available to go do that with yet. :) Soon enough, soon enough.

When I picked up Kaylee, she said "I thought Daddy was picking me up, because he's always late." I said "Nope, we just both had something come up and thought you wouldn't mind playing in extended care for an hour." In fact she was mad when I got there, wasn't ready to leave yet. Her next words were "Let me guess-you had a flight?" Yup. :) She just smiled...

Then she asked me "who would pick me up if you and daddy died?" Ugh. I know where that question came from. I told her that we have a whole lot of family and friends who would be happy to come get her. Then she said "What if they ALL died?" I said "that can't happen." She insisted and said "WHAT if it DID? What would happen to me?" So I told her that in the statistical practical impossibility that everybody we knew all died at once but she didn't, there was a group for Children's Services who would send someone to come take care of her and make sure she was safe until they could get hold of someone who could take care of her for good. She paused and said "What if everyone in the world died but me?" I said "Then you'd have to figure out how to survive on your own." Silence. "I think I'd wet my pants." I told her that it would be okay if she did at that point, because nobody would make fun of her for it. Silence for a second and then she started laughing as she got it, and got off on another body function rabbit trail, and that was the end of that one. At least my drives to school and home are never dull. ;)

Tonight she was supposed to have her first practice towards Sparks-A-Rama, an Awanas team competition. There are three practices, and then they compete against three other schools for a championship. The first year she did it, her team won first place, and she was so pumped. Last year she couldn't do it because we were gone over the event. This year though she's looking forward to it again though. Unfortunately we got there only to be turned away at the door. The gym was being used by a softball team tonight instead, so we were told to come back next week. Kaylee was kind of annoyed, but she'll get over it. ;)

Kick-back Friday, here we come!