Us Aurora MABers woke up early again today to prepare for our first day at Children's Hospital of Colorado. To make the early morning easier, DAD MADE BREAKFAST. Breakfast conversations led to the conclusion that the men's shower does not have hot water and the shower head is a solid 6 inches lower than the women's. After breakfast we headed tiredly to the hospital.
We arrived early so we got to get coffee, which was more than a godsend. Our first impression of the hospital was that it wasn't like any other hospital any of us have ever seen. The outside was obviously gorgeous, but the inside neither looked nor smelled—you know what I'm talking about—like your average hospital. The colors were bright, the walls were decorated with unique artwork, the people were friendly, and the atmosphere felt warm. We entered the volunteer office and were told that we would be switching off in groups working in the creative play center and doing crafts with patients and siblings in the atrium. The girls were thrilled because they "JUST WANT TO HOLD A BABY," but Justin was a little concerned because "crafts aren't his thing." The day was successful for all of us though.
CRAFTS IN THE ATRIUM:
After 30 minutes of brainstorming and planning a craft for the kids to do—you'd think that 8 college kids would be a little less artistically challenged—and a plethora of rejected suggestions by the not so crafty Justin and Chris, we decided on a flower and a caterpillar made from cut outs of the kids traced hands. Because of Chelsea's allergies, she and Chris headed to the back room and had a hootin' good time preparing owl craft kits for tomorrow…Moment of silence for Chelsea having to listen to Chris' weird music all day.
The rest of us headed to the atrium to start crafting with the kids. We had many uniquely adorable kids and many uniquely adorable caterpillars and flowers. We heard many of their stories and really had our eyes opened to some of their hardships, but it was so wonderful to have the opportunity to interact with the patients 1-on-1. Many people stopped to ask us about MAB as well!
IN THE PLAYROOM
Children's Hospital of Colorado is unique in that they have a specialized daycare for siblings of children in the hospital. In the playroom we used up energy hanging out with the kids—maybe a little more than we actually had. In the morning there were about 5-6 siblings we were able to play with, including a baby girl. She was alert when the girls held her, but right when she was passed to Thomas, she was out. Guess he's a natural. The afternoon was a different story. We had about 15 super rambunctious toddlers who really kept us on our toes, including a two-year-old who continuously yelled, "GET THAT MONEY" and an adorable six-year-old girl, who claimed that her name was Elsa (from "Frozen").
After an awesome day at the hospital, we headed back to Calvary Baptist to make our first MABamily dinner! Today, Emily, Chelsea, and Alissa made walking tacos, or taco salad if you're a cheater like Catherine. They felt it necessary to cook 5 pounds of hamburger… I have no comment. After dinner, Alissa was nearly on the verge of tears (exaggeration) because of her lack of ability to be "hood." We do, however have a video of her rapping to "I'm Bossy," and if it weren't so hard to post it here, we would. Honestly no video has ever made us feel so uncomfortable. Alissa on her music video: "You know, until I hear my voice on tape, I never realize how high pitched it is. Then I'm like, 'Wow, I'm annoying.'"
After dinner, we headed to downtown Denver to do a little exploring. Here are some pics because how lucky are we to be in such a gorgeous place.
The boys and girls split up and had their own adventures. The boys went to a sheep shop (ok then) and tried on sixty five thousand dollar fur coats, and the girls did shopping and watched a verbal fight between an angry couple—which they reenacted later for entertainment of other pedestrians. Catherine, Emily, Lizzie, Chelsea, and Alissa attempted to lie in the street and were joined by a random man.
We then returned to the church to play Romans vs Christians, and yes, a few injuries occurred. Also, Justin chased a screaming Ashley and Alissa outside in front of innocent bystanders who likely thought that a crime was being committed. Elissa attempted to lead a very poorly planned strategy and the boys won by a landslide.
Well, to close, we decided to make a nice little list for our readers because who doesn't like lists?
TOP 10 THINGS THAT HAPPENED TODAY
- Justin put on a dress and heels and posed with the duck face and "skinny arm." We won't show the dress to keep it PG.
- Thomas attempted gymnastics
- Chris ballroom danced….alone.
- Justin guzzled goldfish… 55 of them to be exact.
- Thomas was told 6 times that dinner was ready before he believed us and awoke from his slumber.
- Alissa rapped to us. Discomfort in a video.
- We began our collage of MABeauties. BE ON THE LOOKOUT
- Elissa tried on a unitard
- Ashley screamed "I WANT THAT BABY," with her window rolled down and received a judgmental glare.
- Girls began changing in front of the boys… we're that comfortable.
Peace n blessings
Aurora
No comments:
Post a Comment