Another First-Kylie Goes to School

Still trying to play catch-up and this is one I don’t want to ever forget!  It was such a big milestone for our little girlie!

We had always known that we wanted to put Kylie in some type of preschool or Mother’s Day out at some point.  I know this can be a controversial topic in some circles, but we are big proponents of this for a myriad of reasons.  It is NOT for everyone or every child, but Jenna benefitted greatly from daycare/preschool and we felt that when the time was right, Kylie would too.

The problem is that in our little town, there’s not a ton of choices.  There was on very popular Mother’s Day Out program which is admittedly very well known and very good.  But y’all.  People CAMP OUT to get their kids in there.  You know, CAMP OUT like on Black Friday eve.  And after much consideration, I just decided it wasn’t for me.  I don’t do Black Friday for a reason and I figured I’d find something else less stressful than sleeping on a gym floor with a bunch of strangers (although there is something to be said for the special bonding that takes place when you do that).

So anyway, shortly after the Black Friday midnight madness enrollment there, I was talking to a friend from church who said her daughter and son went to a fabulous program at a large-ish local church in the area and they have enrollment ONLINE.  What a novel idea!!  So, I literally put Kylie on their waiting list in February from my iPhone.  That’s how easy it was.

And I got a call in the summer that she was IN if we were still interested.  Why yes we are.  Monday and Wednesday 9-2 and there were only 5 other children in class with her.  Monday and Wednesday was PERFECT because she was already doing speech therapy on Tuesday/Thursday.  We went for tours, orientation etc. and were very impressed with the curriculum.  But, we were also very concerned at how she would handle being left because we’d had her in daycare on Fridays just to get her some socialization (she loves being with other kids) and give Steve a break and she’d started really crying when he would leave her.  So we had some valid concerns about this MDO.  But we talked it up as “big girl school” and then the day finally arrived…September 4, right after Labor Day…I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves…

New shoes?  Check.  New lunch box?  Check.  New thermos?  Check.  Tiara? Um, OF COURSE.

Oh.  My.  Heart.  Carrying her own lunchbox and pink monkey…

Getting’ ready to go in!  She walked right in, went to the kitchen area and told Steve “BYE!”…I almost cried with relief!  She has the best, sweetest teacher ever and she is learning so much!  The curriculum is truly a two day curriculum so it’s not 5 days crammed into 2 or adjusted to a 2 day program.  It’s written for 2 days a week and it’s so good. 

Y’all, one evening, just a month after she started, I was getting her ready for bed.  And, as always, she was talking up a storm.  For you non-cleft readers, when I say “talking”, I mean, she was jabbering a mile a minute but I could understand none of it.  She was fiddling around her room when I could make out “Eee, Eye, Eee, Eye, Oh” and I said, “OLD MCDONALD!!!” and she started singing it!  And I could UNDERSTAND HER!  It was the first time that she’d said something out of context that I could understand.  That right there is priceless to me. 

She loves singing the songs she learns there.  She can do Old McDonald with a variety of animals that she thinks up herself, Jesus loves me, Itsy Bitsy Spider, the Alphabet song and a host of others.  We are so proud of what she has learned.  She certainly has come a long way!

Winter is here but let’s talk about Spring!

Over the holidays, I sure have enjoyed my fair share of days where I didn’t even get out of my PJs all day.  And while I find those days quite enjoyable, I realized I have a hard time allowing myself to have them.  Like most moms/wives/women, the moment I sit down, I see 100 things that need to be done.  Steve doesn’t understand this t all.  But he has been phenomenal at doing everything he can in order to give me as few excuses possible to NOT sit down and SLOW down.

Today, the only thing on the agenda was my morning hair appointment.  I was there and back by 11:00 so we decided to haul across town to look at new living room furniture.  Taking Kylie furniture shopping was about like taking her car shopping (although we didn’t do that when we bought my car).  After the first stop, we found what we thought we wanted, but we just wanted to price shop, so we left Jenna and Kylie in the truck to go in the next place just to ensure our choice at furniture store 1.  Well.  Wouldn’t you know it we found something we liked better at stop two?  By this time, we were all starving and it was way past lunchtime, so we got all the information and left for some lunch.  After we ate, Steve and Jenna went in one more store and this confirmed out final choice found in store 2.  We ran back there and I went in and placed our order and we headed home.  Steve then took Jenna to a movie for date night and I have enjoyed a night home with Kylie.  She’s in her bed now and I in mine.  I’ve read my Bible reading for the evening and am getting ready to order some photos.

There’s supposedly snow coming our way tomorrow night, so we’ll see.  Kylie has her annual visit with the plastic surgeon at 9 Monday and I betcha if the snow comes, we’ll never get there.  I surely hate to reschedule, but I’m not risking all of us ending up in a ditch either!  It’s at the very least going to be bitter cold (for here) down in the single digits not counting wind chill.

With that said, I thought a little catching up back to the warmer days of spring might be in order.  As I’m going back, I have to reread my blog to see what I might have posted.  Forgive me if there’s some repetition here.  Back at the first of April, I was chosen to chaperone Jenna’s school trip to Nature’s Classroom.  I’ll be honest, I dreaded it as my idea of a fun time is not with a bunch of 5th grade girls.  However, it turned out not to be so bad despite the chilly, wet weather.

I did realize how stinkin’ out of shape I was.  Mostly because of food like what they served.  You’d think it would be kinda…meh…but it was some GOOD home cookin’!  And it was quite nice to completely unplug and enjoy nature since normally, this family is not much for nature-y kind of stuff.

The girls in our cabin were fun and my two fellow chaperones were THE BEST!  I missed chaperoning the 6th grade trip but the 3 of us are already planning a 7th grade trip reunion!  I wish I’d gotten a photo of the 3 of us, but it was just too busy.

The best part of the trip was spending time with this girl.

Spring also brought an afternoon of play with these sweet neighbors (who have since moved away which made us SO sad).  Tell me how cute they are?  We actually met online when we realized we literally lived 2 houses away.  Our neighbors traveled for their youngest, J, just a week or so before I left to pick up Kylie.  In fact, she loaned me her carry on bag.  We sure do miss these sweet faces!

And after lots of Spring Day play, this happens.

And then I’ll end with a sweet Sunday morning photo…

Traditions

Every first and last day of school (or thereabouts), Jenna and I have a tradition of celebrating those exciting days. 

YUM.  Panera Bread.  We always get the same thing, our favorite cinnamon crunch bagels, toasted with honey walnut cream cheese and a big Diet Coke.  I’m not sure who looks forward to it more…Jenna or me!

This is the last day of school picture from a year ago.  She looks older even to me.  I now have a 6th grader!!!

Hula Hoop!

Boy talk about behind behind.  I just realized I hadn’t blogged about the talent show Jenna participated in back in…ahem…OCTOBER.

Jenna participated in the 4th grade talent show last year which very much impressed me.  Any kid that can get up in front of their peers and their peers’ parents and do anything is pretty brave in my book!
Jenna definitely wanted to participate but struggled with what to do.  She kept wanting to do a drum solo, but logistically that wasn’t going to work (not to mention she’s not played a drum in her life).  I told her to find something she was already good at and so once she thought for a minute, it was an easy choice.

Of this many kids participating…

Jenna was the only hula hooper.    She picked this song and then choreographed her own moves.
She was a little nervous, but in the end, did really great!  It was a pretty lengthy show, but Kylie did well and I was super impressed by not only my girl but all these talented kids. 

Jenna hula hoopin’

30 Days of Thanks - Day 15

Halfway through 30 Days of Thanks!!

Today I'm thankful for Christian education.

I was a product of Christian education.  For 13 years, my parents sacrificed their wants (and probably sometimes needs) to send me to a Christian school.  I grew up, kindergarten to 12th grade never knowing not praying before meals, not having chapel once a week and not having Bible class and learning scripture daily.

The things I learned from good ole EHCS helped transform me into the woman I am today.  Some of the teachers I encountered there challenged me to learn to defend my beliefs and not just believe the way my parents did and because they did, I respected them greatly.

When Steve and I met and started getting serious, I shared my heart for Christian education and turns out, though he wasn't fortunate enough to attend Christian school, we agreed on the importance of it for our children.  And today, we are seeing much of the same benefits from Christian education for Jenna.  I pray that she will grow up never knowing not praying before meals, not having chapel service once a week and not having Bible class and learning scripture daily.  I also pray Kylie is able to benefit from the same Christian education.

Today I'm thankful.

My Little Cheerleader!

This post is way overdue and so I apologize, but life has happened.

Back on September 1, while we were still in the hospital with Kylie, Jenna had her first ever ballgame to cheer at.  My sweet hubs stayed two nights in a row at the hospital so I could attend the first game.

We stayed at my sister's house in Nashville so we didn't have to get up as early to get to the game.  It was the first and only time we made it on time and got the right field the first try!

I mean.  Is she not the cutest little cheerleader EVER?  And these little 5th graders are pretty good...they did great cheering the team on. 

They won a few, lost a few and ended the season pretty strong.  We were lucky to have decent weather for almost every game and there were only games on the Saturdays in September.  So, it was a great way for Jenna to dip her toes in the world of cheering before diving in. 

The jury is still out as to whether she will continue again in the 6th grade, but if the truth be told??  I kinda hope she does.  :)

All About Me

Last Thursday was Meet the Teacher Night at school.  It was a crazy busy night but it's always enjoyable to see what your kids are doing and hear what all they are going to be learning that year.

When we first arrived, the hallway was lined with All About Me posters.  Jenna's was just as cute as the others, but what impressed me most was the section on "my church"...

"has a lot of adopted families".  147 million orphans.  And no, our church doesn't have 147 million orphans, but how marvelous that Jenna knows that there ARE that many in our world.

The rest of the evening was great, except for the 15 minutes in which I realized I had left my rings on the sink in the bathroom of the restaurant across the street while washing my hands.  Luckily, it's frequented by a lot of school families and one lady had mercy on me and turned them in. 

Other than that, it was fun and informative.  I'm looking forward to a great 5th grade year!

A Big Day

As you are reading this, we are likely on our way to the hospital.  Yesterday was a great day at church that ended with our annual church picnic and baptisms at the lake.  It's always a great time and there's nothing like watching your friends affirm their relationship with Christ through baptism.  I had a great peace about today, but towards the end of the evening I knew I was more short with my family than normal.  So I know deep down I'm worried.  What mom wouldn't be?

I'll update here,but I thought I'd try to leave you a little something else to read in between the updates.  Jenna has started cheerleading at school this year.  She did a cheer camp this summer and really enjoyed it.  Now she practices weekly after school.

The first week of practice after school they got their uniforms.  Hopefully in the next few weeks, they'll cheer at their first game and we will find out just how much she like cheering.  But until then, I really think she's super cute in her uniform!

5th Grade!

Monday was Jenna's first 1/2 day of 5th grade.  At her school, 5th grade is the lower end of Middle School. 

MIDDLE SCHOOL.

She was very excited as she is every year when school starts.  We of course got there early, so I parked and we waited a few minutes until it was time for the students to go in.  I was surprised that she asked me to go in with her.  But I obliged and walked her in the door.  About half-way down the hallway (which is a short, rather secluded hallway because the middle school students enter the back of the school), she stopped and said that was far enough.  She could make it the rest of the way.

I managed to suppress my tears.

And ever since, she's walked in alone.  Like the big middle schooler she is.

She's gone from this....

To this...

In a few short years.  I can't even imagine what the next few years will bring.  This Mama can't bear to think about it.

Goodbye 4th Grade!

The last day of school was another 1/2 day and Jenna was VERY ready for it.

The day started out with the awards ceremony.  Jenna usually gets perfect attendance, but this year due to our China trip, she missed a bunch of days.  She was hoping to win an award for entering the writing contest but she didn't.  She did get an award for participating in a science project that was optional.

Jenna didn't have as much trouble telling her friends goodbye this year and she wasn't really that sad to be leaving the elementary school.  She's too excited about middle school!

Before leaving, all the 4th graders got to walk down the halls of the elementary school one last time with music blasting over the intercom and all the other students cheering.  There are 3 teachers retiring including the principal.  It was great fun and we really enjoyed being there for that.

 

Jenna finally got her report card this week and she made all As and a B (in Math of course!), so we are proud of our girl.  She is headed towards 5th grade!!!

Almost Here...

Summer is officially here but this post is going to be a recap of the end of school.  The last week of school was crazy busy.  Coincidentally it was my last week on leave. 

Early in the week, Jenna had her end of the year bowling/party.

As always, Kylie was a big hit with the students and teachers.  Jenna is very proud of her little sister and of course that makes me proud of Jenna!

After they were done bowling, they went to a nearby part for playing and a pizza lunch.  They had cake to celebrate the end of their elementary years.  Such a super cute cake!

Kylie even had fun...

It was a long day, but it was very mild and a fun day.  There's more end of school fun to come, but this is at least a start!

4th Grade Breakfast

Last Tuesday, the 4th graders had their farewell breakfast.  At Jenna's school, 4th grade marks the end of elementary school and 5th grade begins middle school (stop. breathe. I have a middle schooler.)  It was a very delicious breakfast.

Jenna was especially thrilled.  :)  Actually, she really was excited. 

After everyone had eaten the kids went up and showed off a little of the memorization they had done all year in Bible class.  I was pretty impressed...

But then let me just tell you how those kids blew me out of the water...for each letter of the alphabet, they have memorized a verse in the Bible starting with the letter.  That means Jenna has in her head, and heart, more verses than I do.  The video is about 6 minutes long and I'm sure no one else cares to listen to the whole thing, but listen to a bit...it's not all the verses, but hearing these kids will really impress and bless you!

And so this is why we choose Christian education for our children.  While we fully believe it is the responsibility of the family to teach Christian values to their kids, it is wonderful to have school come alongside us in that. 

Even more, I'm so proud of my girl.  It's been a crazy year for her and she has practically SHINED.  I can't wait to see the young woman God is molding her into.

Tennessee Patchwork

Tuesday night, Jenna participated in the 4th Grade production of a play called Tennessee Patchwork.

Jenna had two parts in the play.  The first was an Elvis fan.  You can barely see her here and she had no lines except screaming...but you know, at 10 years old, even the smallest part is a BIG deal!

This is her in her outfit before the show.  Not sure why the picture is a little blurry.  Guess I should have used my flash but at least you get the idea.

There were lots of cute Tennessee characters in the play...for example...

Davy Crockett

Johnny Cash (who sang "I walked the line")

Reba McEntire

Minny Pearl

Jenna played a modern kid named Sissy.  Sissy and her family are on a vacation to the Music City...

Jenna put together her own "modern" outfit and looked really cute.  Here she is in action (literally!)

She did great as did ALL the kids and the teachers who put this all together.  I'm so proud of my little fourth grader!!!

Venturing Out Into Life Again

This past week, Jenna's class had a walking tour of downtown Nashville.  Steve and I thought it might be a good outing for us to join, so we packed ourselves up and headed out.  It was quite a bit cooler than we anticipated, but we had dressed for it.  But as is life with an infant, when we got to the parking garage, Kylie had to have a diaper change.  And during the diaper change in the back of the van (because where the heck else would we do it?!), she put her sock foot into the diaper.  I had brought extra clothes, but no extra socks.  UGH.

So, while we were in the church listening about historical Nashville, Kylie got a little...how shall we say, distracting.  So Steve took off to the Dollar Store to buy more socks.  Even though it was quite chilly, we managed.

We finally finished and had lunch at the farmers' market.  I wish I'd just bought my lunch there.  Some of it smelled so delicious!  But we'd all packed a sack lunch, so we ate that instead.  I managed a few bites of my own while feeding Kylie.

Jenna and her friend Gracie.  As an aside, Gracie's mom and I went to school together since Kindergarten.  That's a LONG time to know someone!

What's next? Oh yeah...Easter...

So, we had a rough first week home, for sure.  We made a lot of rookie mistakes and got way less rest than what a person needs to function as a sane parent...but finally, things started to turn around just in time for Easter. 

The Thursday before Easter, Steve and I ventured out to Jenna's school Easter party.  It was actually held at a fellow student's house right here in our little town.  Kylie screamed most of the way there in the car seat but once we got there and loaded her into the Ergo, she was better.

Jenna was very excited we were there...because obviously, she was a big hit with the new little Chinese sister.  She enjoyed hunting eggs...

There was yummy food but the most fun was with the silly string fight.  I thought that would be a disaster, but it ended up being really fun for the kids.  Kylie was asleep by this time or else I would have partook myself.  Many of the adults did...

It was lots of fun and we enjoyed getting out.  We took Jenna home with us after, so it was nice to have her home a bit early too.

A few days earlier, we went to see some of Jenna's art which was on display at the high school and to watch her perform in the 4th grade chorus.  It was really Kylie's first outing and Steve carried her in the Ergo.  She did well...



And just so I don't forget, Jenna got her report card while we were in China.  We had told her she MUST do well if she wanted to go.  Her report card?  STRAIGHT As.  That's right...my girl worked so hard...I was so proud.  Now, if we can ever get caught up from the work she missed for the week and 1/2 she was out...