First School Field Trip

(First off, I want to thank all of you who left comments on my wallpaper post.  I really think I get it now!  We were going about decorating all wrong in the past, choosing paint colors and then trying to match stuff to the paint.  We should have been picking room accessories that we loved, and picking paint colors to match those.  I mean, I don't think they'll be inviting me onto Extreme Makeover : Home Edition anytime soon, but I am optimistically hopeful I can make the dining room look great.  THANK YOU!)

Today was Dylan's first school field trip.  I signed up to be a chaperone weeks ago.  I have to admit, after signing up I had a flash back to some rainy, cold, miserable fall field trips I went on when I taught preschool, and had a bit of a "WTH did I just do that?" moment.  In the paperwork, we were told that we would be in charge of one child besides our own.  I was picturing them giving me a little girl with blond hair, whose head spun in circles while she spit fire.  I was picturing her and Dylan jumping on my cold, exhausted body, lying in a puddle of rain, crying "WHY?  WHY DID I SIGN UP FOR THIS?!"  But, then I snapped out of it.

Turns out, my kid was harder to handle than the one they gave me.  (The $20 spot I slipped the teachers when they were making their selection helped).  First, he put his feet up on the seat during the "Pumpkin and Gourd Presentation", getting mud all over the seat and the kid I was in charge of.  Then, I had to tell him repeatedly "We can go soon", during the presentation (which WAS ridiculously boring), as he asked loudly "WHEN IS THIS GONNA BE OVER?"  Then, he made me go in the foul port-a-potty because he had to poop.  He spilled his entire bowl of peaches on the table during lunch, after dumping some of his crackers on the floor.  Plus, he was the only kid who got hurt and caused a scene. (Totally not his fault, but still.  He was on the swings and some girl pushed the swing next to him sideways so it hit into his head).

We got to ride on a bus to the farm, which he was excited about.  After the ridiculously boring presentation, we went on a hayride, picked out a pumpkin, went through a corn maze, went in a teepee, and played in a pirate ship play structure.  Then, we got back on the bus to ride to a playground, where we also had lunch.  

I joke, but I am really glad I have a job that enables me to go to things like this.   I'm glad I got to hear him laugh as he ran through the corn maze.  I'm glad I got to see his smile when he saw me get on the bus and come over to sit with him.  I'm glad I got to marvel at how adorable he looked when he fell asleep on the bus on the way back to school.  I'm glad I got to share his first field trip with him.

(If I didn't have this rule where I don't post photos of other people's kids unless they say it's okay, I would post all the shots I took of Dylan and the kid I was in charge of.  Just picture Dylan with a look on his face that says, "Mom, you are SO embarrassing!", and the other kid with a look on his face that says, "Does this lady ever quit?  Why did you put me with her?  What about that $20 I spotted the teachers?")