The Bi-Weekly Visit

Every other Saturday I volunteer at Children's Memorial Hospital here in Chicago. I've been doing this for about a year and it's one of the best things I could have done. I specifically work in the Brown Family Life Center, which is a huge playroom filled with everything and anything the kids could ask for including other kids who are eager to play with their peers. The kids are funny, innocent, and amazingly brave in spite of their ailments. They also say the most hilarious things. Snippets of today's conversations:

Me: How old are you Kaitlyn?
Kaitlyn: Two.
Alex (Kaitlyn's bro): No she's three.
Kaitlyn: My birthday's in TWO minutes!
Me: Really?
Kaitlyn: nods authoritatively

Hasam (age 4): We're going to play Fighting Animals. Is your animal a girl or boy?
Me: Mine is a girl.
Hasam: Ok, take this for your Mother's Day! (Proceeds to beat the crap out of my
poor tiny dinosaur and then throws it really hard into a the toy bin)
Ha! She's dead.
Me: Ummm ok...

Me: We're going to the Family Life Center
Kaitlyn: Ok (She then turns around and goes straight for a wall)
Alex: Kaitlyn thinks every wall is the Family Life Center

Kaitlyn: I have to go potty.
Me (after I show her the bathroom): You going to be ok in there?
I'm gonna close the door.
Kaitlyn (with her pants down): No don't. Leave it open please.
Me: Are you sure?
Kaitlyn: Uh-huh (she kinda sounded scared)
Me: Alright (Inside I'm a little anxious - I can't leave the door open with her on the toilet and everyone able to look in! What if her parents come in? So I slowly try to close the door, but not all the way and just stand in the crack.
Marissa (my supervisor): I never liked the door closed either when I was little.

These kids wore me out today!