Christmas Program 2013

The boys had their Christmas program at school a couple of weeks before Christmas.  The original program was cancelled due to the ice, so we were thankful that it was able to be rescheduled.  Luke had been really excited about singing his songs for the program.  We had the words at home and practiced for several weeks.  He sang Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Do You Hear What I Hear?, and Away in a Manger.  Benji, on the other hand, didn't have a clue what he was singing in advance -- although I have no doubt they spent a lot of time practicing ;)  Turns out that he sang (well his teacher sang) Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and J-E-S-U-S (to the tune of B-I-N-G-O).  He pretty much just sat up there looking handsome holding his little snowflake.  I love it when they have programs it school.  It makes me all giddy and proud inside :)

This is pretty much what he did the entire time ;)

 Taken during Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.  Luke is on the back row, third from the right.

 Love, love, love them!

Ben's First Day of School

I have been dreaming of the day that Benji could go to school.  It's not that I want my baby to grow up, it is more that I want both of my children to be at the same place on the same day! 

We went to meet the teacher night on Monday night and found out that Ben is in the Ladybug class with Mrs. Shannon and Mrs. Elsa (Luke had Mrs. Shannon when he first started going to this school).  Both teachers already knew about Ben and were excited to have him in the class.  After talking to them for a bit I found out that, at a week shy of 21 months, he is the youngest in his class.  This made me nervous for him at first, but I quickly was relieved.  Ben can be a bit rough and tumble -- so better that he do that with older ones, right?  I would hate for him to take out an itty bitty ;)

Turns out that on the morning of the his first day Ben was running a fever and had to sit it out - BUMMER!  He didn't get to have his first day until Thursday.   Since we had a couple of extra days, we talked up school a lot and I am pretty sure he was even a little bit excited.  However, the excitement quickly wore off as soon as he realized he was being left.  He cried at drop off and off and on throughout the day.  He was even crying when I picked him up.  I know that it will take a few times before the tears go away, but until then it hurts my heart to know he is sad.

Here is what his teachers had to say about his very first day.  "Ben had a great 1st day!  He was upset off and on through the day, but we kept him busy and reminded him that you would be back after nap time.  He liked chapel and listened very well."

Way to go Ben!

After some serious pictures, Daddy gave the approval for the silly ones :)

 I love Luke's smirk in this one

 

 

For comparison, check out when Luke went to school for the first time!

Luke's First Day of School

Last week Luke started his first day as a preschooler!  We went on Monday night to meet the teacher and found out he was going to be in the Butterfly class with the same teachers he had for summer school -- Miss Karla and Miss Bethany.  Several of the kids that he has been in class with since he started there were also in the same class, however, we found out that his best buddy, Chance, was going to be in the class next door.  This made Luke a little sad, but we assured him that they would see each other on the playground.

As far as I know Luke had a great first day of school.  He didn't really give me many details :)

This is also the year that Benji started school with brother.  Bad news is that he was sick and had to miss the first day.  Stay tuned to see how it went :)

End of the Year Program

Luke just wrapped up his second full year at preschool.  It has been so fun to watch him learn and grow this year.  I would like to take this opportunity to hit the pause button in hopes that he would just stop growing.  I tell him almost daily to stop growing, but he insists on getting bigger -- he especially wants to turn 4.  I love this age because so many things are exciting to him and he has learned so much.  He surprised me the other day when he defined the word quarrel -- who is this kid?

His end of the year program was a few weeks before school let out.  I was able to slip away from work and meet both Daddy and Gigi there for his performance. His class got on the stage and sang This Little Light of Mine and The Wiggle Worm Song (since they were the Wiggle Worm class).  He did really well and sang loud, even though I could tell he was a little nervous.  I loved it when he spotted me in the crowd and smiled.  He melts my heart.

 Enjoying a little celebratory cookie!

First Day of School

Luke started Mother's Day out on September 8th.  He is going to the same school where Makayla has been going now for several years.  We decided to put Luke into school so that he could be around other kids his age more often.  It will aslo help take the load off Grandma when Baby Brother Benjamin comes in December.

Luke's first day of school went pretty well.  He cried when we dropped him off, but the teachers said that he calmed down pretty quickly.  He ate most of his lunch and he took a great nap.  He learned about the color red and enjoyed playing bubbles.  He also brought home his very first artwork (see picture below).  When I saw the artwork I thought to myself, "red paint on manilla paper."  I didn't really think that it was anything specific, but I was wrong.  Later on that evening Luke saw the artwork and said "apple."  Turns out that the red paint on manilla paper was apples -- my baby is so smart.  He remembered what they learned about that day in school!!

Now as for Mommy......I have had mixed feelings for awhile about whether or not I was doing the right thing for Luke.  I know deep down it is good for him and he will eventually love it, but it was hard to drop him off (crying) with strangers for a 6 hour stretch.  It made me sad, but I did okay too!  I enjoyed some time to myself for a change.  I got a much needed pedicure and actually went to the grocery store ALONE!!!

All in all it was a great day for the both of us!!

I know the backpack seems big for a toddler, but the school asked that we use a full sized backpack so that all of his stuff would fit into one bag.  He loves his Elmo backpack!

"Apples" -- Luke Cloud, Age 18 months (almost)