1st official day of preschool

So, yesterday was the 1st "official" day of preschool.  Jessie was so excited to carry her backpack & lunch box!  I had let her choose whatever she wanted for both & she is very proud of her Dora backpack & hello kitty lunchbox.  I was pulling for My little pony for the backpack, but Dora won in the end.  I didn't know how she would do when we got to school to drop her off because all day she had been asking me if I would stay with her.  When we got there.....she got her backpack on & lunchbox in her hand & walked right in with pride.  She was such a big girl.  No tears, no nothing...just a quick wave for mommy & off she went into her new little world.  I must admit I kind of wanted to cry seeing her look so big, but I didn't & I know that's me being ridiculous.  For memories sake, her class runs from 12:15 until 3:15 on Tuesday & Thursday.  For those wondering, what does a 3 year old put in a backpack.  The teacher requested we get a large backpack in order to keep a change of clothes in there at all times.  She said that they will be making a lot of treasures to bring home & to prevent them from being crushed they wanted the kids to have a large backpack....so large is what we got.  When I returned to pick her up, I found that there is a rather strict car pool line with lots of procedures, etc.  First, you must speak to a "safety" person & tell them your child's name, then you must pull up & the safety person uses a walkie talkie to contact the teacher, the teacher walks your child out & puts them in the car, but they don't buckle them in to their carseat, you then have to pull over in the parking lot, get out of the car & fasten the carseat buckles.  Kind of crazy, although, they claim it streamlines the pick-up process.  We shall see.  I know one thing is certain, this mama will be there early to get to the front of the line.  Her classroom is completely nut free due to several nut allergies...so I'm going to get creative in what I pack for her.  She loves, loves things with peanut butter, but I'm sure I can find some other treats sans nuts for her.  The first part of their curriculum begins next week with them learning a letter every 2 weeks or so.  This next week is the letter "A".  Jessie is already pretty confident with her alphabet song & sight recognition of letters (& has been for a while), but I am sure she will learn so much more in school.   It will be interesting to see what they learn this year & how the curriculum develops.  When I asked her how the day went, she said, "preschool is really, really fun."  She said they played outside, sang songs, read a story, & put on their "listening ears".   This next week will be the first gym class & music class.  The best part of it all is that when she got home, she told me she needed to go to bed, school wore her out.  Finally, something that tires this girl out!  So very thankful for such a safe & happy environment for Jessie.  I know it will be a wonderful school year for her!

This is what I get when I ask her to smile...try to avoid that

Showing off her tennis shoes....thanks to Cousin Hannah for the hand-me-downs..they are in great condition

Sugar & Spice &....mud!

Although, I always try to post the pretty pics I take of the girls, the reality is....the girls love to play in the mud.  Especially, Ella!  It was rainy most of the day yesterday, but after our errands & indoor fun, we went outside to enjoy some outdoor activities.  Ella went right for the mud, despite the fact she was wearing her sugar & spice shirt, she got filthy.  We also had a near worm-eating incident (all Ella), but I was able to stop that before any harm was done.  "Jim", the worm, was fine & we put him back in the dirt where he belongs.  As for Ella, she had to be hosed down before I would allow her back inside the house.  Although, it's not as bad as it may sound.  The rain spray setting on the hose is always a source of fun for her & she squealed with delight as I sprayed she & her sister...both at that point in their preferred state of naked.  Good thing we live in a secluded/wooded property :)

1st day of school 8/27/13

The 1st day of school went very well by everyone's standards!  Our first stop on "mommy's chauffeur service" route was to Ella's baby school.  (I had every intention of taking my actual camera with me, but it was raining before we left from home & I wanted to give the girls all the attention they deserved so, I decided cell phone pics would have to do...glad I did staged 1st day pics a little while ago. )  It was so sweet when we dropped Ella off at baby school.  Jessie took her hand & walked her in, telling her "now you're a big girl & this is your baby school. "  The drop off didn't go wonderfully & Ella cried, although her teachers said she calmed down after 5 min.  Because she's so big for her age & the fact that she plays almost exclusively with older kids, they put her in the 3 year old room, which I think was good.  They have a huge assortment of all kinds of toys & activities for them & she told me she had fun.  When I asked her what she did, Ella said, "play toys, tickle boys"....ok!!  Actually, when we went back to get her...I immediately heard Ella laughing from down the hall.  She was sitting in the middle of a circle carpet with 5 or 6 other kids around her & they were taking turns tickling her....she's a clown!  Next up on my route was to take Jessie to phase-in day at Preschool.  Her classroom could not be more adorable & her teacher Mrs. Vuich is as nice as you would want.   There will be 15 kiddos in all in her class.  She saw some familiar friends & met some new ones.  They even got to paint while the parents spoke with the teacher.  All the standard preschool stuff, where the bathrooms are, rules, dress code, what they will learn, gym class, music class, & computer class descriptions--blows my mind that this is part of the 3 year old curriculum, but that is our world.  The preschool has about 1-2 field trips every season, for which, a parent or caregiver must be present.  So I'll just have to be sure on those days that Ella is in baby school.  I had hoped to volunteer by being a preschool room mother, but another lady apparently e-mailed before phase-in & took one spot & said she could handle all the responsibilities....back in school we called that being a "gunner".  I know I'm being mean, but seriously, isn't that ambitious?  Anyway, it was a great day & I'm sure Jessie will learn so many new things this year.  They learn a bible verse every month.  This month's verse is:

"I praise You for I am fearfully & wonderfully made." -Psalm 139:14

It was so fun to see both the girls proud to be starting school & exciting to see these initial steps in their education.  It should be fun year of many firsts & I feel privileged that I get to experience them with the girls!

Walking sissy into baby school...look at that little backpack

It would have been ideal had she not blocked the sign, but it says Eden

At her desk

Playing Head, shoulders, knees & toes...this is the eyes part, in case you're wondering

Jessie, some of her little classmates, & her sweet teacher

Sherry Family pics

As a belated baby gift I took pictures for one of Michael's colleagues.  She & her family are adorable.  Her little guy just turned 7 months & is sitting up so well.  There is so much love between them & you can certainly see it.  It was rather warm & humid on the day we did them, plus, little man was teething & had a little cold, but I still think we got a few keepers. Happy 7 months to this little one & I hope they enjoy their gift!

Baby school pictures

For weeks, ever since we've been talking about Jessie starting preschool, Ella has told everyone that she would be starting baby school.  Not really, but she will be going to a drop-in child care center, Wexford Children's Center (WCC) all by herself from time to time.  She and Jessie had previously been going to that center when I needed to go to the doctor or something, but she'll be going by herself now when Jessie is in preschool.  Well, there was quite a bit of jealousy over Jessie getting a backpack for school, so I took out the little one that Jessie took to "baby school" last year & gave it to her.  She was so excited & asked me to take her picture with her backpack.  I think this has to do with the fact that she helped me take Jessie's pics a few weeks ago & she must have felt left out...I honestly didn't think she'd care, but apparently I was wrong.  Doesn't she look cute & so proud of herself!

P.S.  In case you're wondering, "what does a 2.5 year old put in her backpack?"  A horse, a pair of sunglasses, and a big crayon...yep, she's ready :)