Wednesday, August 31, 2011

It can't be....

that this little buddy of mine headed off with me this morning to meet his preschool teacher and classmates.


Whew... what a time I had trying to get a "nice" picture of him....but if you know Joseph...then this picture below is the "real" picture!  He is always being silly...just can't wait to see if he turns into the class clown that everyone remembers from grade school!  We headed to Mass this morning before going to the preschool room.  He was a little nervous, but quickly warmed up and answered (aloud) every rhetorical question the teacher asked.  I helped him fill out a form about himself as one of the activities where he told me the following-
favorite toy:  trucks and cars
favorite color:  blue
favorite song:  "Life is a Highway" from the Cars movie
favorite food:  Macaroni and Cheese
favorite place to go:  the zoo and park

The next activity was a reverse scavenger hunt.  The teacher had placed toys from the classroom in his bag and he had to find where they belonged and put them back!  What a terrific idea to teach how to clean up!  We got to participate in circle time activities and prayer and songs.  I am thrilled with his teacher and his helper teacher is simply an angel.  He will be in good hands....I just hope they keep their eyes on him AT ALL TIMES!  Oh my....he is fearless and full of energy, but I LOVE LOVE LOVE this little boy.


All I could think about when we were listening to the teacher read "A Kissing Hand" (one of my favorite stories) was seeing how Joseph smiled in his sleep when we held him in the hospital.  He has always been so sweet...so full of love.  And it truly seems like it was just yesterday that I held that tiny little boy in my arms for the first time.  I am not ready for him to start the school scene...even if it is just preschool...but I know he is ready.

Here is his sweet teacher... Mrs. S


And this amazing lady below is his helper teacher...Mrs. M.


Hope you have a fun year little J!


Sunday, August 28, 2011

Our superstar...


scored TWO goals at her first soccer game of the season!!! Way to go Sophia!!!!

Friday, August 26, 2011

A week in review....

It's Friday evening....after our first 3 day week back in school mode...and I am already worn out!!  It's always an adjustment starting a new routine... Just as Sophia is having to adjust to her new teacher and new second grade rules....the boys and I are having to adjust to our day without her as well.

Joseph and I put together a book of all the things that we did when Sophia was at school on Wednesday...her first day back.  She loved it so much....she has requested a new book everyday since....Oh my... it is hard to try to take pictures of everything we do, load them to the computer, print them to card stock and then put them together in book form all before I pick her up...BUT...since she hasn't been as enthusiastic about going to school this week as she has in the past... I've tried my best to do this for her....So....I do have a lot of pictures of what the boys and I have been doing this week...

I think it will be fun for them to look back at these when they get older....



















Wednesday, August 24, 2011

First Day Jitters

All the other schools in our area have been in school for a week...and today it was officially OUR FIRST day of SECOND grade!


Sophia looks so bright eyed and well-rested in these pictures....you never would have guessed that she had been up crying twice during the middle of the night.....She told me her foot hurt and that it was really cold.  I worried that she was just sick and didn't want to tell me because she was afraid she would miss her first day....(you know how this girl LOVES school).  But we took her temp and all was fine....so I figured...maybe her foot was asleep or maybe her allergies were bothering her...and she went back to sleep.  I was pretty exhausted this morning ....usually we are only awakened by Mr. Sam throughout the night..but last nite we had two little night owls.

And can you tell she really is a big kid now....do you like the peace sign she insisted on holding up for the picture?


Ready to go!  And Big J is pretty excited about the first day too!



What a cutie!


Thankfully... Daddy followed all of us to school...so he could sit in the car with the boys while I walked Sophia in.   She seemed a bit more nervous than usual....She so adored her first grade teacher last year....and I think upon meeting this year's teacher at orientation....she was a bit worried that things might be a little different in second grade.

She was not too keen on me taking pictures inside but I snapped a few anyway.



Here she is in her classroom hanging up her "Nera" :)



 I wanted to get a picture of her at her desk but didn't feel like the teacher wanted parents in the classroom.  I watched in the doorway as Sophia took a paper to her teacher and her teacher gave her the bottom portion back and said to put it in her bag to give back to me....then the teacher saw me still standing at the door and said..." Oh I guess you can just give it to her... I didn't realize she was STILL here."  Oops!  I still wish I could have gotten that picture of her at her desk....but I took that as a hint that it was time for me to leave:(

The boys and I then headed to Church for the first all school Mass of the year.  Thankfully we were met by Yiayia who helped keep J in line:)  We waited in the front entrance after Mass to watch Sophia walk out with her class....she looked a bit nervous....and I left feeling a little worried that her usual first day enthusiasm was not quite all there.

We were home by 10 am and it literally felt like we had already been up for 10 hours!  J and I had lots of fun playing Legos, and cars and reading books.  Sam had to adjust to two earlier in the day naps and did pretty well, and Joseph had a little too much fun pushing him a little too hard in the Johnny Jump up!  We made a picture book for Sophia so we could show her all the things we did while we waited for her to come home.


Then it was off to pickup...and oh my...this is always a treat on the first day....CRAZINESS!  I didn't park close enough...so I had to get both boys out so we could keep an eye out for Sophia...it was HOT....

She told me all about her day....and J showed her the book about our day.  She seemed pretty worn out to me.....still seemed a little nervous....not my usual "I LOVE school Sophia," but still pretty excited about all her new supplies and especially the new pink highlighter she was given.  She told me her favorite part of her day was gym and music...

We did our first day of school work, had a warm chocolate chip cookie for snack, relaxed with a little Miss Spider....took baths early so Daddy could do dinner.....while I headed off to J's preschool orientation!  Whew... what a day.  I made it home in time to practice some Math facts with Sophia...give Sam a bath and get them in bed.  Day one...and we made it.  (Thank goodness soccer practice was cancelled b/c of the heat...not quite sure how we could have fit that in today!)

Ahhh....off I went to wash my face....( of course the beginning of the year stress always wreaks havoc on my forehead...taking suggestions for skincare Thea and Yiayia......) but before I could decide which soap to use... I had a visitor.....Sophia came back down to just tell me she loved me.  She looked like she was going to cry and I asked her what she was upset about....She told me.... she missed me at school..... OH how my heart melted.... I never wanted her to feel this way about school....it was the way I felt when I was little......and it was a horrible feeling to be scared and worried and to miss all the comforts of home.  I assured her that she would be fine and that I would be up at school VERY often....in the lunchroom next week in fact.  I think she just might need to make a trip to her first grade room tomorrow to visit her old teacher... I know she will put her right at ease.

Oh... I hope this was just first day jitters..... I am praying that her day is worry-free tomorrow.  She is looking forward to a trip to McDonald's for ice cream after pick up!!!!

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

One Last Hurrah!


We finally had our lemonade stand...on our last day of summer vacation!


J was pretty excited about all the customers....Thea, Auntie Eryn, our sweet neighbors, Papa, and Yiayia, and Sophia's teacher from first grade!  What a surprise!


Sam even joined in on the fun after his nap!  A big thank you to Thea....for coming to the rescue with some cups when I realized I only had five disposable ones in the pantry!


Whew... all the excitement and humidity got to him...he needed a quick rest!


Sophia was soooo excited about this lemonade stand....she even picked out her clothes and "non-matching necklace."  Too bad the clashing hair ribbon she had chosen had already fallen out of her hair!!:)


Waiting for customers...


She was being a bit stingy with her smiles...but she finally agreed to give me ONE!


Our little table... Thea did a good job picking out the cups...I'm liking the color theme a lot!!!


Good thing the grown ups were there to man the stand...b/c after a while... little S and J ran off to play basketball, have some wardrobe changes and climb trees!


A perfect end to summer..... The school bell rings bright and early tomorrow!!!

Monday, August 22, 2011

Getting Ready....


for SECOND grade.  Well our last official day of summer is tomorrow :(    Sophia had her orientation today.... We turned in all the important health forms, lunch forms, spirit wear forms, etc....while she settled in for a little while to meet her new teacher and see her new classroom.  She was oddly quiet in the car this morning on the way...and I worried that she may be a bit nervous.....But after we picked her up from her teacher....she had that same old...."I LOVE school!" enthusiasm right back!  I think she was more stressed about what she was wearing....She was worried that she would get in trouble for wearing sandals (these are typically not allowed on uniform days), but I assured her that it was okay for orientation.  Apparently she was still worried about it when we first walked into school because she immediately asked the Assistant Principal if her sandals were okay....I guess she trusts her word over mine!!;) 


She wanted to pose with her new backpack even though she didn't have to bring it to school yet.  She desperately wanted a "Nera Bradley" (as she used to call it) backpack (all of the girls at her school carry them).   Brett and I were very hesitant about this purchase....as these backpacks are pretty pricey.  I don't think I owned a Vera Bradley bag till I was in college....but since she has had the same backpack for a few years...we decided to give in.  Just praying that this little girl continues to be her own person as she gets older and doesn't let others try to influence her so much.  I WAS glad, though, that she picked out a pattern that none of her other friends had!!!


This little girl has been quite the pill the last few months.  Sometimes we have to have little lessons about respect....manners, etc.  I think she just likes to test Mama and Daddy because she is still a sweet and sincere little girl who gives everything her ALL.    And isn't she just a beauty??


And OF COURSE.... we can't leave little J out!  Before we left with Sophia today... he was sure to tell her to "Have a Good Day!"  He will be leaving me too....in a few short weeks for just two short mornings a week to be a BIG PRESCHOOLER!!!  We happened to meet his teacher last week at school... I ADORE her already.  And Big Sister already informed her that sometimes J bites.  HA!!! Whew...glad we got that out in the open!!!:)


And my littlest man....is not so little anymore.  Sophia said today... I wish Sam would stay a baby forever.  Oh....makes me cry just thinking about how fast these last 6 months have gone.



We are definitely getting some toothers!!! And they can be pretty painful especially at night....Poor little guy!


He gets mesmerized by my flash...can you tell? Or maybe that was just a worried look on his face after he saw Big Brother throw his shoe over his head....see the shoe flying in the background???


Love to watch his giggles...LOOK at those hands.... I love how he LOVES to touch everyone so intently... He loves to just put his hands on my face...so sweet!!


This is sooo fun listening to this music and hearing the animal sounds!!!


And I had to get a picture of the back of his head...LOOK at those SWEET little curlies!!!! I am totally in LOVE with them.  My poor guy has terribly dry skin especially on his head.  But thanks to this sweet friend......I found this stuff especially designed for his hair....  Hoping it keeps those curls nice and soft...and hope he continues to grow lots and lots of them:)


So....tomorrow we will have ONE more day of fun.....One more day to read books, play hangman, and dance, dance, dance....(The Dance Party Wii game is her new favorite).  Sophia already  has grand plans for her last day of summer... she has already picked out what she will wear and has decided we will have a lemonade stand.  Hopefully the summer will go out with a bang.  It will be an eventful year ahead... full of soccer games, dancing, Brownies, preparations for First Communion and First Reconciliation and PRESCHOOL.  So thankful I could spend the summer with these special little people!!!