Only 12 years left...

Last week was a flurry of excitement with Hannah's birthday, but it was also Aaron's last days of Kindergarten, and there were so many different celebrations and activities. I can't believe his first year of big school is over. Only 12 years left...

I was at the school for different things on the last several days of school. He had such a great year--I could not be more thankful for his wonderful, energetic and yet laid-back teacher, Mrs. Anderson. Aaron really thrived in her classroom, and he even wishes he could go back to her class for first grade!

This is Ms. Dodi (the assistant teacher), Aaron, and Mrs. Anderson, just minutes before he left her classroom on the last day.


Field day was fun. He loved when I came to the school for things.








My favorite part of being with his class is seeing how he interacts with all his classmates. He didn't make any really close friends during the year, except one girl Maddie, who he has a crush on, but she doesn't really pay much attention to him. Aaron's more of a loner, but sometimes I would see him talking with some of the other kids.

Or they were talking to him. He doesn't do much talking.




One of the funniest things at field day was this impromptu game of duck-duck-goose that broke out while we were waiting to play another game. Aaron of course "goosed" Maddie, and then made her chase him all around the playground!



On his last day there was an awards ceremony in the classroom, which I didn't get any pictures of, but I do have to share that I got the "Best Room Mom" award! I was very surprised, seeing how I didn't even sign up for room mom at the beginning of the year, because 3 other moms had signed up and I just didn't think I had time with a new baby and all. They were sorta doing the room mom things, and by about November, I was jumping in and helping with so much, I guess Mrs. Anderson counted me as a room mom too. I loved to go to lunch with the class, and especially to go read to his class after lunch. All the kids knew me and would wave and talk to me when they saw me as I waited to pick up Aaron most days. I learned all of their names and little nuances about them. I went on all the fields trips and only missed one party all year. It was so much fun and I was honored to get the award!

At the end of the last day, there was a luau in the classroom, and I took the girls to visit and say goodbye to everyone.



I let Aaron go around with my little camera taking pictures of his friends. He naturally went to take a picture of Maddie first. She told him no, but then when her best friend Trinity wanted her picture taken, Maddie jumped right in.


Ethan...


Katie...she's very tall for her age!


Hannah...this was her actual birthday. She got to go to Kindergarten on her first birthday!


Jamal...


Aaron and Maddie!


Kailin...


Azariah and Madison...


Kayla...


Mrs. Anderson enjoyed holding the birthday girl during the party. :-)


I rarely took Hannah to school with me because she was a distraction to the kids, who always came up to talk to her and tell me how cute she is. It didn't matter on the last day though! Hannah loved the attention.


Pinata time!


Aaron took another picture of Maddie.


We'll miss Kindergarten, but we're looking forward to first grade!

Aaron's first two weeks of Kindergarten

Aaron is doing great in Kindergarten! He's so funny--such a stickler for the rules. Apparently the first week they mostly concentrate on learning the rules, so every day when I picked him up he would tell me the different rules for his classroom, lunchroom, and activity rooms.

He hasn't really learned anyone's names, so I'm not sure how he's doing with making friends. I'm sure he's playing with other kids, but kids never ask each other their names so he probably just doesn't know them yet.

I'm pleasantly surprised by all he is learning. I had been so worried that much of what they do would be boring to him since he already knows so much. But they're making it fun for him! In art class they're actually learning some art skills (it's not just coloring!). In PE they learn different exercises. In library they learned what the parts of a book are called. In computer lab (what Aaron says is his favorite, because he loves computer games!) they are just playing Starfall, which he's already familiar with, but he still loves it! In music they're using different instruments, which he enjoys.

Last week he started having homework every day (except Fridays). It's so funny to me that we come home from school and have to work on homework. I'm really entering a new season of life! Last week they learned the letter L and numbers 1-5, so his homework involved drawing things that start with L, practicing writing L and the numbers, and working on recognizing and writing color names. He takes alot of pride in doing something his teacher will be pleased with. I hope that continues! I'm going to scan some of his homework from last week, because I was so impressed with how he did!!

Aaron's First Day of Kindergarten

I never would have dreamed that I would go from holding a newborn in the hospital to sending him to Kindergarten in the span of a few short days. Seriously--where did the time go?

Aaron has been so excited about starting Kindergarten. Claire has been too--she just knew she would get to go too. Last week we practiced our new morning routine all week, which starts at 6:30 since our school is an "early school". I made a list to hang on their bedroom wall that tells them the steps of getting ready...

Step 1: Wake up at 6:30.
Step 2: Get dressed (shirt, pants, and socks).
Step 3: Eat breakfast.
Step 4: Brush teeth.
Step 5: Put on shoes.
Step 6: Go to Kindergarten!

Every day last week we had to wake them from a dead sleep at 6:30. This morning, when we headed for their room at 6:30, we heard them chattering about what step 2 was, and about how today was the first day of Kindergarten! I think Aaron must have been so excited he woke up a little early, but he stayed in bed until 6:30 on the dot, because he knows the rules! He told me, "When the clock was on 6:29, I said 'Almost time'!"

After breakfast of cheese grits and scrambled eggs (his new favorites), he was off to Kindergarten!




We took the whole family this morning, and parked close to the school so we could walk. Aaron felt confident as we entered his hallway that he knew the way to his class (we had visited at a "meet the teacher" last Friday).


Here he is with Mrs. Anderson! She is so energetic and I think we're really going to like her!


He ran into the class and I called to him, "Aaron, aren't you going to tell us bye? Do you care that we are leaving??" Ha ha ha! He ran back and gave everyone big kisses--including Hannah. It was so sweet when he and Claire hugged.



Even Daddy got hugs.


I didn't really cry when we were leaving...I only teared up a little as we were walking down the sidewalk back to the van. When we were leaving Claire said, "Why do we have to leave Aaron at Kindewgawden?" Then she said, "But I don't WANT to get back in the van without AARON!" Later that morning we went to a "cry breakfast" with my friends Tammy, Stacy, and Amanda, who all had kids starting K this morning. Claire enjoyed that, then we had a playdate with her friend Emma Kate, and she had a blast playing girlie things and locking Emma Kate's baby brother out of the room. He he he! After that I think she wasn't so sad that she was spending the day without Aaron. We stayed busy and it kept her mind off of him I guess. It worked well for me too, and 2:30 was here before I knew it!

This afternoon Mammaw surprised me by stopping by so she could stay with the girls while I went to get Aaron. I walked again, and picked him up at the door. He was so excited to see me!


I didn't get many details about the day. Of course he can't remember any of the kids' names. Some things he said:

"We ACCIDENTALLY didn't go to art today. It was an ACCIDENT. But tomorrow we have music!" He did tell me they met the art and music teachers, but didn't GO to art. Maybe next week they won't forget. ;-)

"My favorite part is going to be computer lab, but we didn't do that today." He can hardly wait to play on the computers they have in the classroom!! As if I never let him play at home!!

"I made a sun visor and colored the apple blue! And the leaf green and the stem brown." He told me he did a painting of...what ELSE? A garbage truck! He wanted to show it all to me and was a bit disappointed when it wasn't in his folder, like his preschool art work always was. Maybe they send that stuff home on Fridays? I have no idea.

Did you play on the playground? "Yes SIR! We won't go out there when it's raining. My teacher didn't tell me that, but I just know that." He told me they played on "hot slides"--I think recess is just before noon and it was blazing today!!

Did you eat all of your lunch? "Yes! I ate some of it while the teacher was coming around with the trash can." We've been telling him he won't have long to eat his lunch so he's going to HAVE to learn to eat faster. But I do think he ate everything I sent today! Some of it apparently at the last minute.

Speaking of his lunch, here is his first school lunch, packed in his new super-cool bento-style lunch box. The idea of a bento box is to reduce wasteful plastic baggies and convenience food packaging, and give you the tools to pack a healthier, appealing lunch. I like it so far! He had PB&J, some graham crackers, raisins, dried cherries, and a coconut macaroon. :-)


Tonight I got all 3 kids in bed by 8:00 and I'm feeling very prepared for tomorrow!!

And to think...Claire will go in just 2 short years. I am really going to savor my time at home with her and Hannah, because I now know how quickly it flies! I'll be a mess when Hannah goes in 5 years!!

Saying goodbye to preschool

I can hardly believe Aaron is officially done with preschool! Last week he had his last day, and I snapped a picture of him with his beloved teacher, Mrs. Christy. He is going to miss her so much! He told me Mrs. Christy is also a kindergarden teacher, and was kind of upset when I told him she is not. :-(

He had a great year in preschool, and made many great memories. From firetruck day, to the Trike-a-thon, to the petting zoo, it was a fun-filled year. He loved learning Spanish with Mrs. Shelley and going to computer class on Tuesdays. He especially loved show-and-tell, and would always hide his item from Mrs. Christy by putting it in his pocket or in his lunchbox until it was time for show-and-tell.



Next time I take him to school, it will be at a big, new, scary elementary school where he will stay ALL DAY and I will have no idea what he's doing all day! Claire, Hannah, and I won't know what to do with ourselves.

Okay, it won't be that bad, but I will do some crying for sure! And after the first week or so I know they won't let us walk them all the way to their classrooms, so I'll just be dropping him off at the curb. (I can't even imagine how hard this would be if he was going to be a bus rider! Thank goodness we live close to the school!) When I pick him up in the afternoons, I'll ask him what he did that day, and I'll probably get "Nothing" or "Played".

He is very ready for kindergarten, though. He is such a smart boy, and even though he has a summer birthday, I don't think it'd be good to hold him back. He's learning to read, and loves to sit with me and read level 1 books. He's a math whiz, as I've pointed out before. He's also going to love science-related stuff--he loves to inspect things and figure out how stuff works.

I went to talk to the guidance counselor at the elementary school a few weeks ago to discuss my concerns about what teacher he gets, and about whether he was completely ready socially and physically. He still has trouble with handwriting and he hates coloring. It's a struggle to get him to hold his pencil (and his fork for that matter!) correctly. I'm told he just needs to do more to sharpen his fine motor skills, and this is very common for boys. I made sure the counselor knows where he stands academically, and I can only hope she will put him with a teacher who is especially good with gifted students who get easily bored and squirmy if work is not challenging enough. (And in Aaron's case, if the work seems overwhelming, like too much writing or coloring on one page, he just won't do it at all.)

I know God knows what teacher he needs, and he will thrive in his new environment. I'm just so scared to let my baby go!