A Dream Come True

*Sorry for the cell phone pics.  Love the Droid X but the pictures are just lacking!*

Soccer practice was canceled this evening but it was just too nice to stay in.  Rebecca wanted to ride her bike, Emily wanted to play, and the dog wanted to get out and run.  After getting bored in the cul-de-sac, I packed them all up and let them play/ride at the closest elementary school.

 It's always been a fascination of the girls to see inside a public school.  They have been inside a church/school but not a public school.  They usually play there throughout the summer months when the building is closed and rooms are packed away.  It's not uncommon to find them looking in the windows of all the schools we play at.

 Notice the jump rope around Emily's waist?  :o)

I told them secretively to try the door handles.  One was open.  After we saw a lady and her daughter go in, we put the dog in the car and went in.  Now, you just can't realize the importance of this to Emily.  Prior to putting the dog away, Emily went in, ran around the little area by the front door, thinking it was all very exciting to be inside a real school.  It was funny watching them be sneaky and waiting for me to pull her out of there.  So, we went inside and toured the cafeteria, looked in the media room, and some classrooms including the room that I volunteered in while a senior in high school.  Rebecca didn't like being in there and wanted to leave quickly.  She felt like she was intruding without permission.  Well, yep, we were but if anything, they would just ask us to leave.  Emily could have stayed in there for hours!

 Em absolutely LOVED looking at all the bulletin boards in the hallway.  She read everyone that we saw.  It's amazing that almost every room had a poster of No Bullying outside of the door.  Sad that that is such an issue.

 An empty bulletin that appears just to be made for her.

 In the fifth grade hallway, the talent in the artwork is pretty amazing.  Above, Emily is reading another No Bullying poster.

Emily is standing in the doorway of a 5th grade room.  I wouldn't let them enter the room, that just seemed wrong.  Rebecca was feeling guilty about being in there without permission that she refused to let me take her picture and wanted to get out as soon as possible.It didn't help matters that there was a custodian a few rooms down, keeping an eye on us.

Emily's smile really does tell all.  It has been a dream of hers to just see what the inside of a school is like.  I have asked around and found that the schools will give us a tour after school hours.  Well, that doesn't give them the full experience of chaos of a school. 

*Just to inform you- the girls have no desire to attend school.  They are just curious of the unknown.  I was glad that after all this time, I was able to fulfill a dream for Emily, even if it was spontaneous.