Picture From Preschool

Annabelle's teachers have set up a class website.  At the end of each week they upload an album of photos as well as a summary of what they did that week.  What a wonderful treat for a Mama who struggles to get much detail out of a 3-year-old!  I've downloaded the ones that have our Goose in them.  Here's a selection from the first 6 weeks:

Week 1: Apple Volcanoes, "Old Friends," and music class with Ms. Tina!

Week 2: Fun with the letter "B"

Week 3: Letter C and Chapel!

Week 4: Germany and Pretzel Baking

Week 5: Italy - Soccer, Pizza Making and the letter I!

Week 6: Australia (yes, she made a didgeridoo) and the letter D

Oh The Places She'll Go...

The two week wait from Sam's first day to hers was hard on Annabelle, but we managed to have a lot of "girl days" in there and I was actually quite pleased with the schedule this year!  Plus, after seeing a school supply list that looked something like this, I knew there'd be all kinds of cool things waiting for her when she got there:

Why so many plates?  Because they empty their lunch containers and serve themselves every day.  Practicing table manners, utensils, etc.  Seriously.  Below is a picture of her clutching her "welcome back" letter she received in the mail.

The director of Annabelle's preschool works hard to keep classes/groups of kids together as much as possible as the move through the school.  I appreciate this so much, as it really helps to create a sense of community for both the parents and the kids.  This year that effort led or little lady to a wonderful set of teachers and a room full of familiar faces!

Ms. Kendra and Ms. Britten have been at this for a while now.  They've got quite the set-up for their room!  Their class theme is "Oh The Places You'll Go," based on the Dr. Seuss book.  The theme not only allows for an adorably-decorated classroom (guess what's behind the door labeled "stink, stank, stunk?"), but also conveys their international focus.  Each week the class "travels" to a new country where they learn about the culture, a new letter, perform a science experiment and even cook their own snack!  This class is cramming so much "extra" into their days - I wish I could go hang out sometimes.  And I kid you not, I have already learned a few things with the materials about the different countries that she has brought home.

She was not interested in a picture with her teachers on "Meet the Teacher" morning, but she was more than ready for her turn in front of the camera by the time her first day rolled around.

I'm happy to report that by this time in the year, she is already asking "why not?!" when I tell her that tomorrow is not a school day for her.

For the record, we did have sprinkle pancakes again on her first day but I did not take a picture.  Also, she has yet to nap even once at preschool.

Dance Class

There was never really a debate in my mind.  Sam's first organized extra-curricular activity began in the fall of his 3-year preschool year.  Annabelle's would be the same, and it would be Ballet.  Did I ask her about the activity selection?  No!  I mean, she didn't know the difference between gymnastics and ballet at the time we needed to register.  But I did take her with me to register in person, which got her very excited.  "I'm going to take ballet when Sam starts school.  Want to see my ballet clothes?"

I mean.  Be still my heart.  These pictures received more "likes" on Facebook than anything else I've ever posted.

Yes, I put her hair in a bun for her first class.  I can still do a bun on myself without a mirror in less than a minute, so it only took me an extra minute to adapt to her thing, curly hair.  But no, I have not done it since.  That day will come.

The class is actually half ballet/half tap. Right now she is enjoying the tap more.  This isn't really all that surprising.  Her favorite part is when they all use their taps to wake up a friend who is pretending to be asleep.  She loves leaping during ballet, but literally stands there perfectly still when they have a chance to "free dance" and twirl around the room.  What does that say about her personality?

Will dance be her thing?  Obviously its too early to tell.  But its nice for a mom to dream!

*It is important to me that I qualify this class choice.  I had a different dance school selected.  Yes, I researched dance programs for my three year old.  I wanted to start her at a school that was technically sound with all the signs of a structured, proper ballet school.  I found that school, but it's preschool classes are during Annabelle's preschool.  You can expect her to be switching in Kindergarten.

1st Day of 1st Grade

I'll admit it.  Prepping for 1st grade is teeny, tiny potatoes compared to gearing up for kindergarten.  Not only did he not really need new clothes ("back to school clothes" shopping losing something in Houston, where you're going to need your summer wardrobe well into the second grading period), but we'd bought his school supplies through the PTA with one simple click of my mouse (bless you!) and we'd found his backpack at the beginning of the summer.  Along the way we'd grabbed a new water bottle, lunch box and shoes, and that was it!  I spent the last two weeks before school started feeling like I was forgetting to do something.  I blame the commercials.

The emotional build up was lacking, too.  Although he's been going to school since we was two, this was only the second year that he'd gone back to the same school as the year before.  He knows the staff, the kids, the routines, the layout.  In comparison, there almost nothing new this year!  He already felt like he owned the place.  While I am far from feeling like I rule the school, I too am comfortable there now.  The front office staff knows me, I can find you all kinds of supplies and I know where to ask the right questions.  We were comfortable.  We felt good.

Until the morning that teacher assignments were posted on line.  I logged in and saw a name I'd never seen before, one that I couldn't pronounce.  I did my best to read it off to Sam, trying my best to cover my fear of the unknown - the new teacher.  Not that I mind a first year teacher, but it sure is nice when you're neighbors can fill you in a bit on a teacher's quirks before you walk in the door.  But I didn't need to cover anything for Sam.  As soon as I mispronounced his new teacher's name he immediately corrected me.  You know her?  "Yeah, she led the STEM lab last year."  I later learned the she also student taught in one of the Kinder classes last year, as well.

So as Sam walked through the jam-packed halls at Meet the Teacher night, he greeted by name by everyone from the secretary to the language specialist, including his new teacher.

***

First day of school means sprinkle/chocolate chip pancakes.  Its tradition, and we follow tradition.  Even if that means that Mommy has to cook everyone else breakfast on her birthday.  (Don't worry, I made them all take me out to dinner that night.)

Please enjoy the studly Janie and Jack outfit that Sam wore on his first day of 1st Grade.  I'm sad to report that this will likely be the last year that he will wear something nice (ie Church Clothes) on his first day.  I swear we discussed the outfit choice ahead of time, but we still had a meltdown when it was time to get dressed that morning.  This was not an "awesome" outfit and it was important to him to only and always wear "awesome" clothes to school.  I used to send him to preschool in a polo shirt every single day.  Now he only accepts Under Armor, super hero, or specific Sam-approved shirts.  I really am trying my best to let go, but he just looks so darn cute in his nice clothes!  Someday he'll want them back, right?

By the way, I did feel really badly about the tears on the first school morning of the year.  I swear I did.  But I wasn't prepared to let him wear a silly t-shirt and I just had to stand my ground on this one.    Please be comforted to know that he took the collared shirt off something shortly after we left the building and returned home in his nice shorts and and awesome t-shirt.  Like I said, I'm really trying to let go.

The whole family took him to school that morning.  We walked him to his room but he wanted nothing to do with a picture.  He was sitting right across from one of his swim team buddies!  I looked around and realized there was nothing left for us to do.

Daddy went to work and Annabelle and I hit up "Tears and Cheers" in the cafeteria.  No tears from us, I promise.  Just fun times chatting with moms I hadn't seen all summer.  Its possible that a few of us stayed until the Principal kindly asked us to leave so that they could teach the Kindergartners how to walk through the lunch line, which made me realize just how much these kids mature in a year.  My word, what's he going to learn this year?

August - Summer Wrap-Up

For some reason, as our HHI vacation was coming to a close this year I thought that the kids and I had 4 more weeks of summer before Sam returned to school.  I figured it out sometime in the last 36 hours of vacation - we had only 3 weeks left!  Immediately I felt as if my summer had been stolen.  All of these plans I had for trips and outings - there were several left undone!  One of those three weeks was mostly spoken for, as it was Sam's Pine Cove week.  I was suddenly purposed in cramming in our last bit of summer fun.

And then Sam got sick as we left Hilton Head.  Total buzz kill.  No trips to the water park when you've got a fever!  I'm not going to lie, I did dose him some Tylenol and head to Wonderwild one day to meet up with some friends who were going back to school even earlier than he was (No, I don't feel guilty about taking my sick kid to a place like that.  Those places are already teeming with germs, thankyouverymuch!).  He rallied while he played with his friends (preschool friends, who all go to different schools now!) but crashed at dinner.  Annabelle played hard, too and just doesn't have as much energy to start with as Sam...so both of my kids basically ate tortilla chips at dinner that night.

Later in the fever week he was up for some bowling.  Woooo summer!

Annabelle and I entertained ourselves while Sam was at camp.  She insisted on playing outside in the "your makeup will literally melt off your face" weather, and I wondered if she was a bit too much "boy."  And then she declared that he play makeup wasn't good enough and that we would need to use Mommy's for our make-over session, and I realized she is just the right balance.

The week after camp we were all up for more.  And so, FINALLY, for the first time in a year, I took the kids to the zoo.  (Actually, Annabelle went in October for ZooBoo, but we don't like to talk about that in front of Sam.)  We had a blast.  Of course we were breaking the summer drought in this 2-day span so I was really risking it with the weather, but it worked out.  We saw those black clouds rolling in and called "Lunch!" a few minutes early.  Got to the "watch the giraffes" restaurant, got our food, and then watched the sopping wet people stream in desperate for a table about 5 minutes later.  After eating, we walked back out to sunny skies.  We were really proud of ourselves.

This long-awaited trip also meant that we FINALLY got to see the Gorillas.  Its a very nice exhibit, even by our Columbus Zoo Standards.  I was pleased with how much info I could recall to share with my children about gorillas, what a big deal it is that one was born at the Columbus Zoo some 50 years ago, how Mommy saw that gorilla - and even general information about how they live and grow and interact.  And I thought of my first grade teacher, Mrs. Scott, who loved gorillas and taught me a lot of what I told my own first grader that day.

Sam got a kick out of reading all the signs.  This of course led to a lesson in the meanings of "endangered, declining, stable and threatened."  And the identification of a new baby in the primate habitat who will forever have a special place with our family.

We also FINALLY made it back to the Children's museum.  The kids had fun, it was only OK for me.  But I guess that outing isn't really about me, is it?  Maybe I have a bad taste in my mouth from the parking ticket I found on my windshield on our way out.  Sam was indignant on my behalf.  Love him for that!

What else...we saw a play in a theater - Annabelle's first! - with church and the kids really enjoyed in.  I thinking the Christmas show would be fun!  We had a "bonus vacation day" with some friends down in Galveston who were renting a house for a week.  Sam finished his giant Lego set.  We had lunch with our Heights Community Group and some other old, dear friends who were in town visiting (why do people keep moving!).  We bought school shoes, deposited money in the lunch account, met the teacher.

Sam rounded out his last weekend of summer with a 2-hour nap on the couch.  Would have been longer, but we had to wake him before the sitter came (Mommy's Birthday Date Night!).  And in my heart I felt like that was right, a good sign that a full and fun summer had come to an end.  Too tired to keep on playing.  Rest up, change gears...