Weekend with Buster

So this was a huge therapeutic thing for our sweet Yaya. She got to be “Star Student,” for a week.  Making this poster, thrilled Yaya. It was hung up on a wall in her classroom the entire week. I would like to point out that she picked what she wanted on her poster. Choosing the pictures herself she came up with:

1. In the kids area of the Birmingham Museum of Art

2. A sassy picture of her that I love

3. Her new Avengers comforter she got for Christmas

4. Her brother

5. Coming down a slide with her mouth open and arms up (my favorite)

6. Eric & I

7. The whole family dressed as characters from Frozen, she was Sven, the reindeer…

8. All three siblings

9. Her sister

10. All of her Imanginext Batman, Avengers, Justice League stuff

11. All of her lovies

12. Her new book display

13. Her 3 favorite shirts: Girl superheros, Tranformers Bumblee vs. Stinger, Her Hulk Yaya shirt from her 4th birthday.

I feel like I could write volumes just on her picture choices but I’m just gonna let it all hang out there.

Also, she was the line leader and teacher’s helper all week long. However, the pinnacle of the week was taking home “Buster.” Buster was a bear that Ms. Sheri, her teacher, purchased some eleven years ago in the floral department of a Winn Dixie that no longer exists. Since that time Buster has been going home with 12 children each year for 11 years. They sleep with Buster, eat with Buster, do everything with Buster. I am not ashamed to say that the thought of Buster and how dirty and germ ridden he must be really grosses me out. But Yaya doesn’t consider such things and she was pumped about Buster’s visit. In addition to the bear you also get two books to read with him and a black and white school journal to write about Busters “adventures” with you. As I perused the pages I saw Buster with Santa, Buster at Ikea in Atlanta, Buster doing several other cool things. Our “cool thing” was speech with Ms. Laura. Apparently, in 11 years Buster has never gone to speech so it was a first for Buster. He even played a game and won! For the majority of our weekend Buster just did life with us. He woke up and went to the potty. He snuggled with Daddy and he played a lot of Legos. Lastly, he went to church with us. I made a picture collage (see below) and put it in the book and wrote a snippet about our weekend together.  

What was fascinating and actually helped me get over the grossness of Buster, was how Yaya took care of him. She took this job very seriously and she tended to him all day. I would see her randomly throughout the day just sitting with Buster cuddling him. When we rode in the car he had to be in his own seatbelt. And at night he slept right by her side. She has never done caretaking like this before, it was so age appropriate for her! It was wonderful to see her behaving relaxed and enjoying taking care of Buster. Needless to say, she was pretty bummed about having to take him back.  However, her Buster picture collage was a huge hit with her classmates and that was fun for her. I was able to tell Ms. Sheri how important this was to Yaya and for Yaya. I was informed she will get Buster one more time… meaning the bear goes home with 12 children each year twice! Ewwww! Awesome! I’m not telling Yaya about it because she will ask me everyday for the next three and a half months, (she gets him end of April), when she will be able to bring him home next. I also swore Ms. Sheri to secrecy too. Until the next Buster post I will be sanitizing our home.