Welcome to Grade 3

Introducing our newest third grader....

It's really interesting to see the different personalities of your kids.  Grady is clearly not a 'first day of school kid'.  He doesn't like change or any new situations.  Cooper, on the other hand, isn't too bothered by all the change that the first day of school brings.

Unlike Grady, Cooper got his teacher on the Friday before school started.  I love this.  It gives you the chance to talk to your kids about what teacher to expect and to give warning that some of their besties may not be in their class.

This was the case for Cooper this year.

For the first time, Cooper has been separated from not 1, but both of his best friends.  They are each in their own class.  Cooper took it like a champ. In all honesty he was more upset about his teacher.  At the end of the year they announced that the gym position was switched to 50% so apparently he switched to teach grade 3.  This gym teacher wasn't the most well liked so when Cooper heard that this was his homeroom teacher he was disappointed.  

So with no friends and a teacher he was unsure about he headed into the first day with a smile on his face.  That's just the kind of kid he is.

This is the best you get with boys....

He came home from school a happy kid.   The teacher was way nicer than he expected and he has a shared classroom with one of his best friends.  He told me that now that he doesn't have all his friends in his class they won't all fight to be his partner.  Insert eye roll.  Ha!!

Check out the bling...

This smiley kid is one of a kind. Have a great year Cooper!

Welcome to Grade 6!

As much as Grady tried, he could not avoid the fact that the first day of school was near.  The signs in the mall pointed it out as well as the emails that started to arrive from the school last week.  Yesterday  was the first day of school and there was no looking back.

While Grady was busy dreading the day, I happily sent him back to school 2 weeks earlier than most kids in the city.  I find that the kids thrive on routine and it was time to get back into one.  Earlier bedtimes and less screen time will make all of us better people!

I stress about the first day of school now as a parent, maybe even more than I did as a kid.  I want the kids to be happy with their teachers and have a few friends in their class.  I want to set them up for a great year ahead.  Grady stresses a lot.  I thought it would get easier the more years he is at the school as he has more and more friends there but that doesn't seem to be the case.  Like his Mom, Grady doesn't like change and struggles with new situations.  He comes by it honestly.

Since nerves were high as we left the house I decided to save the first day of school pictures for the end of the day when I hoped the emotions would have settled down, and thankfully I was right.

His nervousness didn't surface until the morning.  The drive to school I nattered about everything from his favorite moment this summer to James' birthday dinner that night.  Should we or should we not make his Dad wear the traditional birthday hat....  Anything to take his mind off waiting to see his class list.

As an aside, I wish that his school released the list a few days early.  Cooper's school does it and I love how it takes the pressure off the kids the morning of.  The kids already know their teacher and also which friends are in their class.  It makes waking up on the day so much easier on both kids and parents.  I just can't understand why you want a bunch of parents and kids standing around a paper posted on the wall trying to see where they belong.  That's just my 2 cents.

We arrived, checked the list and we wondered into his new homeroom. He once again, did not see the friends he hoped for but he did see a few familiar faces.  I could tell he was disappointed but there was nothing I could do.  I left him there and thought of him often throughout the day wondering how he was doing.

It is so hard as a parent to watch your child show signs of distress.  There was nothing I could do to change it, all I could do was give him the support he needed.  Its a good life lesson really, we don't always get what we want but the way we handle it is just as, or more, important.

He came home and told us that the 2 friends he had in his class were not in fact at school the first day which wasn't easy on him.  The good news is he came off the bus smiling because they have a new bus driver and she missed all the turns on the route and they had to yell at her to stop the bus so they could get off.  I have the feeling we are going to miss Don, our retired bus driver in the weeks to come....

Despite a less than perfect first day I have no doubt that he will overcome whatever obstacles are thrown at him. 

Grady, I wish you a wonderful year in Grade 6! 

The One Where Cooper Starts Second Grade

Unlike Gradys first day of school, Cooper's couldn’t have gone better.  

He got the teacher he wanted.  

He has his two best buddies in his class for the second year in a row.  

There were no tears when he got home.  

Cooper had a great first day of school.  

Cooper has always been the kid I don’t worry about when it comes to making friends and new situations.  That guy makes friends everywhere and isn’t bothered by being with new kids.  Don’t get me wrong, he loves that his buddies are in his class, but I wouldn’t have worried about him if he had to make new ones.  

I just know Cooper is going to have another great year And the odds are I will be the class parent.  Again.  

Welcome to Grade 5!

This week Grady started Grade 5. This is his second year at his new school that starts 2 weeks earlier than almost every other kid in the city. Why? Because they have an outdoor ed program that starts immediately and then in lieu of starting early they get an extra week in April and October, both months that I cannot take vacation due to my job. Sigh….

Side note: Does anyone else feel like their child ages more on the first day of a new grade than they do on their birthday? I look at this boy that I once held in my arms that almost stands as tall as me now. Tear tear.

Monday morning started with much anticipation. Grady would not find out his teacher and who was in his class until we arrived at the school and looked at the lists posted outside the door.

First parenting fail of the day was when we arrived late to school. You see, Grady takes the bus to school and I assumed school started at 9am. WRONG. It in fact starts at 8:50. So our 8:45 arrival was early for 9am but not so much for an 8:50 start. I barely had time to find his name on the list and tell him that his BFF was not in his class or in his pod before Grady was ushered into his classroom with tears in his eyes.

I’m not going to lie. There were tears in my eyes to.

You see, Grady’s school operates in pods. Each pod consists of one math/science teacher and one humanities teacher that the 2 classes share. It also means that they do all the field trips and camping trips together. So, this year, he and his best bud will not be doing any trips together.

I spent the rest of the day wondering how his day went. Was he still sad? Did he like his teacher? Did he get on the right bus at the end of day? I felt anxious about his first day, all. day long. This was a first. Usually the first day of school I’ve left feeling so excited for the year ahead, whether it be because it was a new school or finding out that your best friend was in your class. This was my first time having first day jitters on behalf of the kids.

When Grady got home from school, he wasn't a happy camper.  We had a talk about how not being in his BFFs pod was not a bad thing. He would have the opportunity to make new friends and also to get to know some of his friends from last year better. We talked about how last year he walked into a class of 25 kids and didn’t know a single one and walked out with several great friends. And I am so confident the same thing will happen this year.

Change is hard. Even for us adults. However, change can be good. For an adult it is like starting a new job. Each year our kids walk into a new “job” and meet their new “boss” for the first time. Like them or not, you are stuck with them for the next year. Not to mention you have to learn about all your new “coworkers” and which ones will be nice to you and which ones are the bullies.  Just like work.

Day 2 was a non issue.  Grady seemed to enjoy his day and didn't seem upset at all which was such a relief.

Kids are more resilient then we give them credit for. While he was sad for the first day, and that is totally allowed, the rest of the week and year for the matter will about making the best of the 5th grade because I just know it is going to be a great year!

Welcome to First Grade!

After 2 weeks of watching Grady go off to school every day, it was finally Cooper's turn to return to the classroom.  I must say, I had one exited boy on Tuesday morning.

At his school, they send an email the Friday before school starts to tell you who your teacher is.  A few texts to the other parents and we found out that Cooper's 2 best friend picks were in his class.  From that moment on, he couldn't wait to get back to school.

Since James was volunteering at Grady's school on Tuesday morning, it was just Cooper and I walking to school.  We did our photo shoot and Cooper wanted to leave super early.  We weren't the first to arrive at school, but close.

The rumor is that Cooper is in a class where 3 teachers operate out of 2.5 classrooms.  Our school is tight on space this year as they are waiting for a new school to built so they are working with what they have.  My initial reaction was annoyance.  When Grady had the same arrangement last year he was in grade 3 and it allowed him to be with some friends that he didn't have in his homeroom.  For Cooper in the first grade, I feel like it may be too much.  It is such a big learning year with reading and writing and I don't want him to fall behind.  The saving grace is that Grady has had 2 of the 3 teachers assigned to grade 1 and they are fantastic.  The one teacher he hasn't had is the one he got and is supposedly the best of them all.  Fingers crossed that the year of 60 six year olds goes well!

After I watched Cooper go into the school with his new teacher I headed into work for a half day in order to pick him up from school in the afternoon.

If you are a parent you know that if you don't see them immediately after school it is hard to pry any info out of them.  Maybe it's just my kids?

I was so excited to go back and get Cooper and hear about his day.  He was the first one out, just like his brother, which is great since time is tight to get to Grady's bus stop.

As we walked away from the school I asked Cooper how his day was.  He said I loved.....   And I waited to hear what he loved about his day.

I loved my Jam sandwich.

For real, you had your first full day of school and you want to talk about your jam sandwich??  That's my Cooper.

Have a great year in Grade 1!

First Day of Grade Four: Grady

Yesterday was Grady's first day of Grade 4, a full 2 weeks before the majority of the city goes back to school.  You may remember a post back in February where I shared that we were struggling with where to send Grady to school this year.  In the end, we decided to take a chance on the charter school and pull Grady from the school he had been attending for 4 years.

It was an early start to the day.  Grady has to take the bus to the new school which means that he has to leave that much earlier to get to the school by 9am.  When i woke up at 630 to get the lunches started and to enjoy a cup of coffee before the chaos of the day began, I found Grady reading a book in his bed.  So he joined me for an early breakfast of chocolate chip pancakes.  His choice, not mine.

Originally we planned to drive him to school, but in the end decided to send him on the bus and meet him at the other end.  He has a good friend joining him at the school who just happens to be on our bus, so we decided to put them on at the same stop.

As the bus pulled up, the kids rushed on and didn't look back. He is growing up so so fast.  I found myself feeling more sad sending him off on the bus then I did when I sent him off to kindergarten 4 years ago!

Part of that may be since I was just as nervous today as he was.  Grady gets his anxious personality from me.  Last night at bedtime he started asking so many questions and has a hard time sleeping.  I tried to answer as many as I could, but unfortunately, I didn't have the answers for him.  We talked about introducing yourself and some of the things that they may do on the first day.  I ended up reading in bed with him until he was asleep.

For the first day, we decided to meet the bus at school to make sure he made it and also to help him navigate to where he needed to be.  Sending him on the bus the first day was actually a really smart decision since the bus was next to empty.  I was a little stressed about beating the bus to the school since there is only 1 stop after Grady and I knew parking would be horrendous.  His bus was one of the last to arrive and it parked super far away not giving us enough time to make it over for when he got off.  I wanted to sprint over and James made me wait for them at the school door.  We watched him follow the group of kids and met him right in front of the school.

Speaking of the bus, they have this super cool app that uses GPS to track the bus.  So we could see exactly where the bus was.  Maybe this is normal but I had no idea they did this.  I am just excited to know where the bus is on the super cold days so we don't have to spend extra time out in the cold then we have to!

Once we found the Grade 4 hallway and located the class lists we dropped him at his room and he went right in.  He didn't hesitate or even look back.  Just like that, he had started school and he didn't need me.

One unique thing about this school is that for the first 3 days they don't know their class.  In 4 groupings they meet all the teachers and spend the day with a different group of kids each day.  It helps the teacher get to know the kids and to place them with the right teacher and classmates.  As much as we both want to know his homeroom I think it is interesting that they take a few days to get to know them before allocating them.

By the time 4pm rolled around I couldn't wait to hear about his day.  We were waiting at the bus stop 10 minutes early even though we knew the bus still had a ways to go. I gave Cooper my phone and told him to update me every minute and show me where the bus was.   As I saw Grady get off the bus with his nervous smile I just knew it was going to be okay.

I'd like to take a minute to brag on Grady.  I am so proud of him.  I would have lost my ever loving mind if my mom tried to change me schools in grade 4.  I like routine, I like consistency, and I don't like change.  Grady is exactly like me.  Yes, he was nervous. Yes, he was unsure.  But he did it anyway.  There were no tears, there were no tantrums.  Despite having reservations, he hopped on that bus and didn't look back.  I couldn't be prouder of the young man that he is growing into.

Here's to a great year!

Back to School - Grade 3 and Kindergarten

This weekend got off to a not so good start.  Last year at the school they started sending emails out to the parents to tell you who your teacher would be, which I actually loved, but this year it caused a little stress in our house as the first day of school quickly approached.....

It was after 5:00 Friday evening when all the parents started texting which teacher their child was allocated, because of course, they don't attach a class list to said email!  We were the last to receive the email only to discover that none of Grady's best friends were in his class.  Grady was disappointed, I was disappointed for him.   Over the course of the weekend I heard of 3 other boys in his class and he promptly told me that they were not his friends.  Well, they may be by the end of the year.....

On the other hand, from the email with Cooper's teacher I knew that he had 3 kids he knows in his class, so he was a happy camper and eager to get the show on the road. 

In the end, I told Grady it will work out, and I was right.  When we picked him up after his first day yesterday we got the news that 3 out of the 5 Grade 3 classes were sharing a 'learning space' and that they would do most subjects together as one giant class. Four of his friends are now in the same class. At the end of the day, I had one very happy boy.

As for the learning aspect... I'm not sure how that works but they know better than me. Personally I think having 60 eight year olds in one class sounds horrendous. Good luck to them!

Moving right along to Mr. Coop all ready for his very first day of Kindergarten....  They have a staggered entry process at his school which I am personally not a fan of.  Just throw them in and get them started already!!  He went for one hour yesterday to meet his teacher and 4 other classmates and he goes Thursday for a full morning with 10 classmates before finally starting next week with his whole class.  He was a lot more shy with the teacher than I expected him to be but I have no doubt he will quickly warm up.  This kid is a ham!

Just like that, my babies are in Grade 3 in Kindergarten.  Instead of being cliché and telling you my babies are growing up so fast and I wish it would slow down, I am going to tell you that I am excited to see my boys developing their personalities and independence.  While I have enjoyed the joys that the baby and toddler years brought, I am looking forward to seeing if I have a mathematician or an artist, or one of each!  I still find that I like each age a little better than the last.

While my kids are getting older I am taking time to cherish and remember the things in the moment that melt my heart. 

Last night before bed I heard a little voice coming from Cooper's room, almost a whisper...

Cooper:  Mom, will you be at home tomorrow for my first day of Kindergarten.

Me: I wouldn't miss it for the world, I will be there.

Another successful first day of school in the books!

Back to School #2

This is Coopers third year at the same preschool, with the same teacher, in the same class. I expected this to be a simple drop off where I try and steal a kiss before he runs in to play.

I was wrong.

I thought Cooper was ready and excited to go back to school.  Since Grady started last week, he had been asking when he got to go back.   He knew what to expect this year.   The only difference this year is that while he is returning, most of his friends have headed off to kindergarten. And apparently that was all a little difference that made all the difference in the world.

Cooper has a November birthday which left us with the difficult decision of when to have him start Kindergarten.  It is somethiing I've struggled with for years.  I really wanted the kids to be 2 grades apart like my brother and I.  I loved having my little bro at highschool with me for a year and to have us share a few similar friends.  I know that the age gap of the boys doesn't change, but somehow putting them 3 grades apart seemed to widen their age gap.

A few years back, my friend wrestled witht he same question for her december child.  She sought out advice through her blog and over facebook.  I read every comment.  There was one in particular that helped me make my decision. 

'If you could keep your child a child for one more year, why wouldn't you?'

For the first 2 years of pre-school, he was always the youngest, by delaying his debut to kindergarten, he will be the oldest in his grade for all his schooling years.  I hope to see him grow to be a leader among his peers this year and the years to come.

While I feel confident with my decision, it is still hard to see all the kids born within weeks of young Cooper head of to kinder this year.  There is still a part of me that wanted to see him head to the big school this year, and Cooper's tears this morning didn't help that.

There were absolutely no tears or talk of not wanting to go until it was time to take back to school pictures.  He started to cry and say he didn't want to go.  That is fine, the first day is stressful.  What really yanked at my heart strings was when he told me he didn't want to go to the baby school and that he wanted to go to kindergarten.

I have no idea where this came from.  He played hockey with a friend from preschool this week that went off to kindergarten, maybe he called preschool baby school?  Not even Grady has ever referred to it as baby school.  Grady is really excited for Cooper to join him at the big school.  The fact that I struggled with the decision and then for Cooper to be so upset just broke my heart.  

I really wanted to snap some back to school pics with him but his is the best I got.  He cried through the rest.

He cried on and off on the way to school saying he didn't want to go.  I took his jacket off and put his new school shoes on while he cried.

At this point I started to wonder if he was nervous about making new friends.  My social butterfly Cooper, who I never worry about making friends, may have been feeling a little shy and scared.  I pulled him aside and promised him he would make new friends.  He continued to cry.  I stood at the door and waited for his teacher to come over and bring him in.  She was tending to another crying boy. Oy.  She led him in, said he'd be OK and I left.

I barely made it to the car before the tears started to freely flow for me.  What was supposed to be such a great day for both Cooper and I did not transpire the way I'd hoped.  I tried not to doubt our decision or blame myself.

Fingers crossed, it will get better.

Fingers crossed, he will make new friends.

Fingers crossed, this was the right decision.

Sadly, I had to go to work so Nana picked him up and I just waited for the update on how he had done.  I'm happy to report that it sounds like the morning went well.  He told Nana that he made a friend named James (like him and his Dad) and was chatty while Nana treated him to McDonalds to celebrate the first day of school.  I hope that it was just a first day thing.

In my heart of hearts, I know that we are  making the best decision for Cooper.  It may be a difficult transition year for him (and us) but at the end of the day when he enters that kindergarten class next fall he will be more than ready.

First Day of School - Grade 2

Yesterday was Grady's first day of Grade 2.  Even as a parent I find I am nervous for the first day of school.  The friends (or lack of) and the teacher can make a huge difference on the type of year that your child has.  And all we want as parents is the best for our kids, right?

Grady has been so fortunate to have his BFF (who lives across the street) in his class for the last 2 years.  We were pretty sure that was not going to happen this year.  His teacher told us way back last fall that the boys were causing problems in class.  We started telling Grady this early on so he wasn't expecting to have his buddy in his class this year.

There were four of them in Grade 1 that were friends, the sporty group, as the teacher referred to them.  I could only hope that she would split them 2 and 2.  And she did.

We got the email on Friday after noon from his teacher, but no class list.  I promptly emailed the moms to see if anyone got the same teacher and one did, not his BFF, but a good friend and Grady was happy.

As we walked to school in the morning, the boys were excited.  The excitement faded into nervous the moment they separated to find their respective teachers.  I got a really positive vibe from our teacher, while I heard she is the 'strict' one, I think she will be good for Grady.

There are 5 grade 2 classes at his school, so there were 125ish kids and all had at least one adult with them.  Grady had 3 plus Cooper.  There were a lot of people at the gathering spot.  It always amazes me that when I went back to pick him up at the end of the day there was hardly anyone.  Where did all the parents go?

I think this year will be good for Grady.  The first 2 years I was really concerned about him having a friend and whether he would make friends if he didn't know anyone.  Without his best bud, he is being forced to make new friends and branch out a bit.  It will be good for him.

As a bonus, him and his BFF have classroom right next door and a window that looks between the classes.  They take social studies together and eat lunch together.   It will be a good transition for them both.  And you should have heard them talking about their day on the walk home   A great reminder that they don't need to be in the same class to stay BFFs.

I met my BFF in kindergarten and looks like Grady may have as well.

First Day of School - 2014

Grady

Wednesday marked Grady's first day of Grade 1 and his first full day of school as Kindergarten here is half days.  The kid rocked it.  We didn't make a really big deal about it.  He knew he was going to be in grade 1 and have different teacher, but all he really cared about was whether his best friend Alex was going to be in his class.

We went outside for our little photo shoot and Alex and his family were already outside taking pictures as well.  The kids shot a few hoops and we started walking up towards the school.

We had chatted with his Kinder teacher about the 2 boys being in the same class and I essentially said that I would love for them to be in the same class unless there was a reason academically that they should be separated because obviously education comes first.

Grady loved Kinder and I was scared that if they were separated that he wouldn't like school anymore. Maybe that was me being dramatic, but my eldest seems to be very timid when it comes to making new friends.

As we approached the wall with the postings I started to get anxious.  I was expecting all summer that they would be in the same class, but what if they weren't, what if, what it, what it.....  Thankfully, we'll never know since they ARE in the same class.   When James told them they hugged, it was so sweet and a moment I wish I could have captured on camera.  Alas, we missed it.

Within minutes I wondered if them being in the same class was a good thing.  They were pushing each other, pulling each others arms and pinching each others cheeks.  Even Cooper joined in.  Their teacher looks stern and maybe that is exactly what the boys need to keep them in line.  I can't wait to get a chance to talk to her later this month.

The kid rushed out of school at 3:30 with a big grin on his face and that said enough.  Which is a good thing because he is also a man of few words and we didn't get much out of him!  

Cooper

Wednesday was Cooper's first day of 4 year preschool but it didn't go as smoothly as Grady's did, especially considering he was so excited to go to school yesterday when Grady did!  It should have been a breeze... same school, same teacher, same kids mostly, and this kid didn't want to go.

He was likely over tired.  He decided to have a party from 4-6am and before finally falling back to sleep in our bed shortly after 6.  I had to wake him up at 830 so we could make our 910 departure time.  He was irate when it was time to leave and was crying and didn't want to put his shoes on so I carried him to van without shoes.  He settle down on our way, but needless to say these pictures were taken after preschool!

I am not sure what got into him as when we arrived he was fine.  I walked him in, he started playing and I left.  When I picked him up he was so proud of his painting and was in a fine mood ready to take pictures.  With a little food bribing.

I'm looking forward to another year of schooling with my littles.  More to learn, more friends to make, and more memories to create!

Cooper's First Day of Preschool

We have been patiently waiting for this day since Cooper met his teacher back in September.  The kid was ready to go.  This was going to be the first unparented thing that he did.  He hadn't been dropped off by me somewhere in well over a year and I really wasn't sure how it was going to go.

We talked about it all week.  We talked about his teacher, how he wasn't supposed to pee his pants, how he had to go all alone, and what he would have for snack.  Grady was giving him big brotherly advice and telling him about all the toys they would have at school.  Cooper told us he was a big boy and he was going to go to school all on his own.

We arrived in the nick of time.  I brought Cooper to the bathroom and reminded him about telling the teacher if he had to pee.  By the time we were done the door to the class was open and it was go time.  I walked Cooper to the door, the teacher had a chat with him and he walked in and went for the train table.  He didn't look back.  As much as I wanted that good bye hug I didn't want to wreck a good thing so I watched him for a few seconds and I left.

This was my first 2 hour break from the kids on my day off.  It was wonderful!  I ordered my xmas cards, did a few exercises, worked on a shutterfly book, and cleaned off my dining room table where you will usually find all my paperwork. I felt productive.    I hope I get that much accomplished every week!

I headed back to get Cooper and the teacher had a glowing report.  Cooper sat for all of circle time, played with the other kids, listened like a champ, and didn't pee his pants.  Score!

I was so pleased with his first day.  When I he came out I asked him what he did and he told me he played trains, sang songs and read books.  I was most happy to hear that he played well with the other kids.  Grady was always so shy and it was always a struggle, I love that Cooper is a little more social and not nearly as shy.

I am just so proud of my littlest boy and how he was confident enough to just walk into the classroom full of kids he didn't know and do his own thing.  I am so interested to see how our little guy will grow and change this year.  He is growing up so fast.  

Here's to Cooper's first day of preschool and a year full of learning!

Being Goofy 

Notice these first day of school pictures were taken inside.  Not as fun to do outside pictures in the winter, although I shouldn't complain, it was gorgeous outside on Tuesday.  For November.

Grady wanted in on one to.

First Day of School 2013

OMG my baby is in Kindergarten!

First Day!

We've been preparing for this day all summer really telling him what school he was going to and what other friends may or may not be in his class.  I didn't elaborate too much as I didn't want him to be nervous.

We went to orientation in May where they told us there would be 700 kids gathered in the school field and I can tell you I did not think Grady would want to hear that!   Neither did I for that matter so we figured we'd go with the flow and let him see for himself on his very first day.

Cooper is also starting preschool this year but can't technically start until he is 3 in November.  His teacher said to bring him on the first day to meet his new friends and check out the class room.  Since it happened at the exact same time as Grady's first day, Nana took Cooper to his first day.  He still insisted on wearing his backpack.  With nothing in it.

We snapped a family shot before we went our own ways. Nana in the car with Cooper and us by foot to the school.

I never got to walk to school growing up so I thought it was so neat to walk Grady on his first day.  The cars were parked starting about a block from our house!

As we walked up to the school Grady kept asking whether or not Alex and Jacob would be in his class.  Alex lives across the street from us and they have been playing together a few times a week this summer.  Jacob went to Grady's preschool last year and they became good buds.  He also lives walking distance from our house.  I just hoped that one of the boys would be in his class.

We arrived at the school where it was way less overwhelming then I expected.  We found the board with the class postings and found his teacher.  We had met all the teachers in May and he got the one that I hoped he would.  She seems so gentle with the kids and seemed just like a kindergarten teacher should be.

As all the parents and kids started to head towards the school so the kids could go in to their classrooms Jacob grabbed Grady's hand and they went in together.  My heart could have exploded I was so happy.  

Here I was worried that there would be tears and that Grady would not want to go.  Don't get me wrong, he was hesitant, but having Jacob take charge really gave him the confidence he needed to be the independent kindergartner that I knew he could be.  

At Grady's school they did not phase the kids in. We dropped him off at 9 and picked him up at lunch. We did not get to go in and help them get settled or see the classroom.  I was hopeful we'd get to walk them in but alas that was not the case.  

I stood at the door and watched my baby disappear into the school and his new normal. 

In front of the school

From what I gather cooper did great to!   He is at the same school as Grady was but switched classrooms because of timing.   Miss Marilyn is so sweet and hugs them as they enter and exit the classroom.  I am so excited for cooper to start as he is more than ready for preschool.   

Standing under his name

I love how all the little 3 year olds just seem to listen so well.  They never listen to parents but always seem to listen to teachers!! Ha!

While the kids were at school I enjoyed some time on my own running errands.  Minus one little incident, it was a great morning for me as well.   I'll cover said incident in a subsequent blog post soon....

When I picked Grady up he had lots to say. He couldn't remember his teachers name but he did remember some of the classroom rules.  No touching the teacher's books or going in her desk.  He told me they didn't play outside but that they did all go to the bathroom before snacks and also that I didn't pack him a drink :)

All in all I couldn't be happier with how Grady's first day went.  And the best part is that he is excited to go back tomorrow!!  Here's to a great school year!

First Day of School - Pre K

Yesterday was Grady's first day of 4 year old preschool.  Last year, I was excited for him, but nervous that he wouldn't like it.  I was excited for him to make new friends, but nervous that I would get a call that he had an accident in his pants.  My oh my what a difference a year makes.

This year he talked about school and which of his friends would be in his class and which ones may not.  One of his little friends that came to his birthday party has changed schools this year and I haven't had the heart to tell him that he won't be going to the same school anymore. I am hoping he doesn't notice... fingers crossed....

We have talked about the fact that he will be in the same room as last year but that he will have a new teacher that only teaches 4 year olds.  He seems quite pleased with that. Thankfully, one of the teachers will be the same as last year making the transition really smooth.

It is hard to believe that at this time next year we will be sending the young lad off to a real school with real teachers and real expectations.  It makes me so excited for him, afteralll, I met my BFF of nearly 30 years on my first day of kindergarten! 

All in all, the morning went well.  We posed for our 'first day of school' pictures on the front step before getting in the van.  Which by the way I plan on doing until they absolutely refuse to have their pictures taken. 

We even let Cooper get in on a few of the pics.

Cooper would have gone to school with Grady if he could have.  We arrived at school and when the door opened both kids charged in and went for the toys.  As I sat and listened to the welcome speech from the teacher, the kids played nicely with the toys and didn't attach themselves to me like they did last year.   When the teacher was done talking, I told Grady we were leaving and gave him a kiss. He was perfectly content that I was leaving, unlike last year when he screamed bloody murder!

Cooper on the other hand started screaming and kicking his legs when I told him we were leaving.  I picked him and his shoes (that were now on the floor) up and carried him out of the class.  I stopped to briefly talk to the teacher on the way our and Cooper charged back in.  He really wanted to stay.  I hope I don't run into that problem every week!

When I picked G up after school the teacher told me to be sure to pick up his picture and that I had a real little artist in Grady.  Which is true, Grady loves arts and crafts right now.  He is finally coloring in the lines and loves to sit at the table with stickers and markers.   Very unlike last year when he didn't do crafts willingly, only when required.

I am so excited to see what G will learnt..... Here's to another great year of preschool!!

Preschool

ahhhh I am starting school!

I am starting this post on Monday night, the night before my oldest son starts preschool. Tomorrow is all about him and ensuring he has the best experience possible. On the eve of his first day I can't help but be worried about how the day will ago. Just over 2 years ago I (or should I say James) dropped my baby off at daycare for the first time. He cried. And over the year he spent at daycare while I was at work he cried almost every day at drop off. I am so thankful to James for dealing with this every single morning before starting his day at work.

I am optimistic that preschool will be better. Different. Although I have lingering thoughts that the drop offs will be awful like the daycare ones were, I keep reminding myself that he is a different boy then he was only a year ago.

We have been talking about preschool on and off since we registered him in February. We debated whether or not this was a good choice for our family. We don't know when I am going back to work which complicates things. We decided that until I am back at work and the kids are in daycare full time that it would be beneficial for Grady to get some independent time away from me. Our hope is that he will get used to, and even enjoy, time apart from his mommy. tear tear. We hope that by easing him into this independent time starting at just over 2 hours will help his transition to daycare when the time comes.


Months ago when we first broached the topic with the young man he wanted to know if he got to go on the school bus. I explained to him that Cooper and I would drop him off at school and that we would come back and pick him up. He seems to understand that this is something that he will be doing without me. This week we have been talking about it several times a day.

We have been talking about his teacher by name and about all the new friends he will make. We have been talking about the toilet and telling the teacher when he has to pee or poo. This morning we packed his school bad together and put his name on everything in the bag.

Tomorrow he start school.

I am worried for him. Will he be liked? Will he poop in his underwear? Will he be scared? Will be cry? Will he have fun? Will he like it? Will he make friends? Will they have the cars he keeps asking about? I so want for him to have a great experience.

Tomorrow is orientation day and I get to go with him. I will put on my happiest face and be excited as I can be to show him how much fun school is. Most of me will not be pretending. I am happy and I am excited for him to embark on this journey.

..................................................................................................

Jump forward to Tuesday night.  The first day is under out belts.  How did it go you ask?  I wouldn't say it was as good as I had hoped but Grady seemed to like it.  He was so excited to put on his backpack and get out of the house this morning that we actually left 15 minutes early, dropped Cooper off with Nana, and went to the bank and drove around while waiting for it to be an appropriate time to arrive.

Can this really be my baby boy?  He looks so grown up.

As we walked into the preschool Grady was excited and nervous.  I could tell because he insisted on holding my hand.  I actually had butterflies in my stomach.  We entered the classroom and Grady high tailed it to the truck and car area.  He actually asked me this morning if they would have trucks and if they would have as many as him.  I told him no one had as many as him!

I started to talk to a Mom of another little boy who loves construction vehicles and before you know it we were talking about poop.  Her son is also on stool softeners daily. Crazy how you can instantly connect with other parents who have similar problems.

I think Grady loved the toys and activities they had set up but I have concerns that he wouldn't do anything on his own.  I hope that he was just excited to show me everything and wanted me to watch/play with him because I was there.  Maybe if I wasn't there he would have happily played by himself or with the other kids.  Maybe not?

I am also still concerned about the potty situation.  He used the bathroom while we were there but he told me so quietly and shyly that I just can't see him telling the teacher.  I fully expect there could be an accident.  I asked the teacher about it as we were leaving and she said that many parents put their kids in pull ups the first few weeks so I think that is what I will do.  Just to ease my mind a little.  But he won't pee in a diaper, I know he won't so it will still lead to discomfort and the potty dance that I hope will be noticed by the teacher.

I think seeing the school and meeting the teacher helped Grady with understanding what school was and it made me more nervous for the drop off on Thursday.  I am trying to focus on the positive that Grady asked me when he gets to go by himself.  I hope that means he is ready.

Some things I took away from today:

• Make sure he pees before we go to school - there is a sign as you enter the classroom - good idea!
• Make sure that he is well fed and hydrated - he asked for a snack and a drink before the hour was up.  Not sure what he will think of the healthy snack and water that is provided :)

Seriously, when did this boy eat my baby?