Valentine's festivities are in full force around these parts.
Sarah is off school for a long four-day weekend (does this child ever have a full week of school anymore...not since Christmas it seems!). Today, she had her Valentine's party. Her school allows the kids to order flowers for each other every year to raise money for classroom funds. They can order for four people, attach a note and select a color that represents their intent: white-friendship, pink-like, red-love. Sarah sent white ones to a couple of her girlfriends, a pink one to her teacher and a red one for that someone special that I won't name because she can read now and will kill me if I talk about "him" on my blog, LOL.
I will say this, the "someone" is new. Her old "someone" special from kindergarten is not in that position of honor any longer, which sort of breaks my heart actually. His name, which I have named here before, is Andy, and she and he were thick as thieves for more than a year. She LOVED him...and it caused her a bit of difficulty in school since she basically had no control of herself when he was around, and vice versa. Over time, they had to be kept apart, literally, due to their not so positive influence on each other in terms of misbehaving and being wild. And then came the new boy to the class...who shall remain unnamed until I get the all clear from Sarah to say his name. Last year, she sent Andy that red carnation. This year...the new boy received it.
Well, I didn't think much of any of this...until I received an email from Andy's mother the other day out of the blue telling me that Andy had insisted that she buy Sarah a stuffed pair of monkeys hugging each other for Valentine's Day. Sarah had told me that she'd informed sweet Andy that they were no longer an item...just friends now. In a very understandable six-year-old boy way, he said "ok". So this display of affection from him was a bit of a surprise for me...and Sarah. I told her that he'd gotten her something, but didn't say what, and asked if she wanted to get him something. She said no. SARAH!!!
Needless to say she came around and did end up getting him a little something...a big box of chocolates (his favorite) and a toy motorcycle. Today when she checked her sugar before lunch it was low. When this happens before lunch they allow her to go ahead of the class to the cafeteria so she can eat and get her sugar up, taking a friend with her for safety. Today she chose Andy. The nurse told me and I got a big ole lump in my throat. She'd honored her old flame very sweetly and I was proud of her.
When she got home she told me about it all...his gift, her gift, their hug and vow to always be best friends (sniff, sniff). I asked her about picking him for lunch to walk with her...over her new love and she said, "I thought about it...(boy that is unnamed) wanted me to pick him, but I said in my head, nope, I'm choosing my Andy! So I told him, grab your hand sanitizer and your lunchbox kid, you're coming with me!" She said as they were leaving the room he told her to hold on a second and went back, opened up her chocolate gift and grabbed one and put it into his pocket to eat after lunch. She liked that alot. So did I.,
I swear at times I love that child so much I wanna just scream it out the window to the world!
On the preschool front, Ruby loves Avery...the SWEETEST toe-headed little boy that I tell people all the time I would want to clone if I'd ever had a boy myself. Avery has loved Ruby since they started preschool together...hugging her and yelling her name as soon as he sees her each day. She's been reluctant to match is affection, though she clearly loves him too. Yesterday I asked her who her Valentine is. She said, "Well, you know it's Avery." I said, "Really? I thought you didn't love him back?" She said, "Well, he loves me and he's nice and likes candy...and he plays Star Wars with me. I kill him...then he kills me...and then we laugh and get back up to life and chase each other. It's fun. We love it."
I swear at times I love that child so much I wanna just scream it out the window to the world!
I'm not sure, but I think I will remember these first loves of theirs more than they will. Seeing them expand their little hearts to love other people...even boy people...just makes me so happy. Oh, the joys and heartaches they have coming to them. Such a mixed blessing, but isn't that what love is?
