Wow! What a party! And what a view of the beautiful cast of characters that has passed through Children First – each of you changing and enriching and growing this place in unique and powerful ways. I loved that so many of you could be here (estimated number 170) and that we heard from so many others who couldn’t come but wanted to be (you were there in spirit).
I’m so grateful to Betty Meeler and Wendy Marion for scribing during the Magic Circle, so we really could turn the children’s words into a Birthday Card for Children First. Here they are…
Adam (age 25): I remember the giant rope swing, and the colorful crystal shaped builders you could put together that looked like glass but were actually plastic.
Cara (age 18): I love all the people at Children First the most.
Andrew (age 17): I remember drawing the “big nothing” spirals and I’m excited that the spiral is still part of the Children First logo.
Robert (age 17): I remember getting hurt a lot! Actually, the zipline, and building large castles and playing with animals.
Anna Grace (age 16): I remember building with blocks.
Andy (age 16): I remember acting out stories.
Callie (age 14): I remember playing in my underwear and mixing up the messy white cornstarch stuff.
Mya (age 13): I remember playing with the blocks and dancing around a lot.
Taylor (age 13): I remember riding on the tricycle with no clothes on.
Margaux (age 13): I remember sitting in the garden eating whatever I could get my hands on.
Josh (age 13): I remember pretending to be an animal and going crazy in the loft room.
Noah (age 14): I remember playing deep sea divers in the loft room.
Will (age 12): I remember being in the bamboo, imagining there was a big lion and being scared of it.
Oliver (age 11): I liked building with the blocks in the window room.
Abby (age 11): I remember being naked and painting myself a lot.
Anna (age 11): I remember having fun and playing in the loft.
Izzy (age 10): I remember creation station.
Sydney (age 10): I remember playing on the monkey bars in the loft room.
Maya (age 10): I remember getting my brain sucked out by Tracy.
Eli (age 10): I remember having a block fight.
Jake (age 10): I remember building a robot at Creation Station.
Anthony (age 10): I remember playing in the boxes that Donna used to bring.
Ayla (age 9): I remembering trying to paint my skin tone.
Audrey (age 9): I remember loving the monkey bars a LOT.
Emi (age 9): I remember playing at the light table.
Gigi (age 9): I remember playing dress-up with the scarves, and all the friends I made.
Zora (age 8): I remembering swinging on the rope swing at the creek.
Micah (age 8): I remember riding on the tricycles in my diaper.
Ian (age 8): I used to be over there (at the creek) and I would swing back and forth – zoomp!
Lee (age 7): I remember cooking.
Jaishri (age 7): I remember making clay sculptures.
Gabriel (age 7): I remember taking Eno River trips.
Beatrice (age 7): I remember taking Eno River trips, too.
Henry (age 7): I remember playing Cuckoo Monster.
Elliot (age 7): I remember always taking the trash out.
Joseph (age 7): I remember everything.
Susanna (age 7): I remember at the Eno River, being “Wet Olaf.”
Erin (age 6): I remember rhyming for apples at the Eno River.
Grace (age 6): I remember taking trips to the Eno River.
Lucas (age 6): I remember the loft.
Eleri (age 6): I remember the creek.
Xavier (age 6): I remember the sand.
Rebecca (age 5): I remember playing with Aya.
Jadie (age 5): I remember playing with Aya, too.
Sanjay (age 5): I remember playing in the loft.
Niko (age 5): I like playing in the sand driver.
Ayana (age 4): I remember playing with Rebecca in the loft room.
Mari (age 4): I like to play with Becca.
Maya (age 3): Paint.
Oliver (age 3): I like to play superheroes with Mina.
Alexandra (age 3): I like painting.
Iziar (age 2): Sarah.