For the lack of anything better to do...

Let me introduce my wonderful kiddies to you:

James -- this is my boy who gets quoted most. He is 3 years old, half-Chinese, very smart, and very funny. He has a tendency to sing songs that he only knows the first line of and then makes up the rest in sounds of "boop beep bah" with the sunniest smile on his face. He is a bit of a cry baby and often says "But I wanted to have it!" and can drive me nuts, but he has improved and does listen when you sit down and talk to him one on one.

Nicholas -- I remember when I met him on my first day, I think. He was sick so he wasn't taking a nap. He loves to bounce around and act like a rock star and often makes growling noises and says "arrrrgh!!!" He is going through some problems right now ever since he stopped taking a nap. He thinks it means he's a big boy and he has turned into a little hot shot. The other day he and James were clogging up the toilet with paper towels and I gave him a little lecture on what it means to be a big boy. He can have a bad temper, but generally he's a nice kid and he's loved by all the other kids. (When he was sick for a week, the kids couldn't stop asking about him. Whenever they arrive, their first question is, "Where's Nick?")

Shahan -- He's a very big four-year-old. He is basically a gangster-wanna-be who calls Nick "bro" and talks about his "bling bling" and brags about how he is getting "5 little puppy dogs" for his birthday. He gets mad very easily, doesn't listen very well, and cries a lot. He used to drive me nuts, but I've gotten to like him a lot more in spite of it all. =)

Bryan -- He's my little Filipino boy. He has a pretty strong accent and tends to use some Filipino English like "I like to have this." He used to be a big pushover, but now he's becoming quite makulit. He comes up with the funniest things and is so energetic. Unlike many 3 year olds, you can actually hold a sensible conversation with him. His obsession is whales. He has definitely begun to express himself more and take things from kids and put up a fuss when they take things from him.

Justin -- This kid goes nuts. He is 2 or 3 and runs around screaming and yelling and acting just plain insane. He is very good at remembering names. He also refers to himself in the third person and says, "Bus coming" every morning. (He goes to another school and gets picked up by the bus after lunch.) He is very bad with sharing and screams and howls when he wants something. When asked what is wrong, he often says "Justin's!"

Ethan -- He just had his last day yesterday. He only comes for the summer. He is 4 and talks pretty well. He has huge blue eyes and often thinks he knows more than everybody. He is quite full of himself and goes around saying, "EXCUUUUSE ME! I said STOP THAT! You're going in time out!" and then he'll come up to me and say, "Um.. EXCUUSE me but I don't like what they're doing." He constantly refers to Veggie Tales and his "Crash" book. In spite of his huge ego, I will miss him. He always gives me hugs when he leaves.

Brandon -- This kid doesn't come very often. He has beautiful curls and he doesn't talk very much. He's pretty cute too.

Bedros -- Trish calls me his girlfriend. Bedros is my screamy boy who SCREAMS non-stop at times. His screams can either be happy or angry. Often in his happiest moments, his scream is very chirpy, accompanied by an adorable smile and odd sounds like "dagish da! da!" He runs up to me to sit on my lap, constantly calling me "Mama!" He is 2 and can't talk yet, but I think I'll miss his strange language when he does learn how to talk. He gets a picture cuz it's a cute picture

Timothy -- He's never there, but he's older.

Richard -- He left, but he was there when I started. He's a pretty cute kid and got along really well with Willow.

PJ -- the oldest of all the kids. He went through a phase when he constantly used "rubbish" in place of "nonsense." He also would throw in thees and thous wherever he thought they fit (and they usually didn't). He is quite full of himself and his new line is "Aren't I swell!" He drives me nuts, but somehow we get along.

Kassie -- She has beautiful long hair. She's pretty mature for 7. She sometimes whines and gets mad when she doesn't get her way, but somehow she still loves me and wants me to stay forever. She can drive me mad when she gets into her "I know what I'm doing" moods, but I love her just the same.

Taylor -- She's Kassie's best friend. She is very big on fairness and often likes to argue with me, "But Miss Becky that's not fair that she gets to do it and I don't." I have learned to love her just as much as Kassie and watching light dawn on her face as I helped her with her piano lesson and hear her say, "OH!!! That's so easy! THANK YOU, MISS BECKY!!!" was just great.

Willow and Allana -- These two left for the summer because their mom is a school teacher. They are both really cute kids. Allana is very motherly and very mature. Willow is motherly, but she acts so much younger than Allana even though she is older. Both girls are very sweet and it was Willow who told Richard and Shahan that they'd have to fight for her because they both liked her.

Natalie -- She's Richard's sister. She is simply a handful. She never listens and finds every way to get around rules. In spite of it all, she was hysterically funny.

Nicole -- She only comes for summer. Although only 5, she's going into 1st grade. She is very mature and acts like she's 7. She giggles a lot and is pretty responsible.

Hannah -- She's new. She's Korean and she's 7 but tries to act like she's 14. She is all into the lives of celebrities and she is often very mischievous. I'm learning how to crack down on her and not treat her like Kassie and Taylor who are more mature and responsible.

Parisa -- This girl is funny. She puts everything in her mouth. She also doesn't get along well in big groups, but with one-on-one, she's incredibly talkative and constantly asks "What's this for? What are you doing? Who's is that? Why?" When she doesn't want to do something, she whines and blinks her eyes and says, "I'm tiiiired." She is hard to get to sleep at naptime because she pulls her eyes open and crawls around trying to stay awake. Rubbing her back is ineffective because she's ticklish everywhere. The only way to get her to sleep is to stroke her hair.

Kelssie -- This is the little stinker. She screams and yells constantly and says "NO WAY! LEAVE ME ALONE! I WANT BABA!" She can be really sweet, but if she doesn't get what she wants, she goes ballistic, screaming, kicking, yelling, crying. I have had to succumb to the art of distraction with her just because she takes up too much time.

Arianna -- She's the oldest of the twins. She has very bright eyes and is developing a sense of humor. She often does the talking for her sister. She's taller, a better eater, more adventurous, and more active. But she can be incredibly stubborn as well, although not as bad as her sister.

Morgan -- She's the other twin. She is a very poor eater, more prone to staring into space and ignoring you, refuses to talk when upset, gets very upset about bugs, and is very easily frustrated. She can be very funny and giggly with her sister, but she's also more moody and has a way of tipping her head and saying "Uh uh" that is positively annoying.

Samantha -- She's Bedros's sister. She's 4 and big for her age. She is very responsible and a big helper. She makes me laugh and talks about how she's a good little girl and a big helper. Praise makes her so happy and she tries very hard to please. She takes very good care of Bedros and greets him with "Hello my big boy!" when he wakes up from his nap. Opposite from Bedros, she eats a lot!