Playing In November

 I snuck up on Clara when I volunteered at her Thanksgiving Feast at school. 

 She was happy to see me and gave me a big hug.

 The kids ate a LOT of crap.  It was supposed to be that they brought their favorite treat, but, I think most parents just cleaned out their pantries.  I brought cut up fruit - shocker.

 We worked on manners, saying please and thank you, for the feast. 

 Post sugar high.  Note: processed mac n cheese (microwaved), cheetos, string cheese...lovely.

 I loved this - she makes me laugh.

 Josh had a really ugly dangling tooth that FINALLY came out this month. 

 One of my cool Webelos got his Arrow of Light, 20er, and became our Denner

 We went to Thanksgiving Point with The Birds (my friends from BYU)

 I think I have 27 different pictures of this cave

 Probably as many of the Design-a-Dino

And even more of my kids playing in this sand

First Day of Kindergarten for Clara

Ahh, the first day of Kindergarten.  One of the biggest first of a child's life!  The day has finally arrived.  Clara and her bestie, Hailee, changed their minds several times about clothes and decided on these simple blue polo dresses and sandals.  I am envisioning flashes of underwear and complaints that they didn't have adequate shoes for recess.  Whatever.  I knew the clothing thing was going to be a battle, which is why my daughter has been looking rather strange and mismatched for the past year. 

 Clara and Hailee

 The Four Patriots - Josh, Clara, Hailee and Spencer

 Clara and Hailee

 Hailee, Clara and Gabi wait for Kate (we always wait for Kate)

 My babies and my other babies - Gabi, Josh, Spencer, Hailee, Kate and Clara

 Hailee and Clara in front of Providence Hall

 Clara and Hailee sitting in the hall waiting for class to start

Clara waiting in line for her class.  I am pretty sure I looked exactly like this when I started Kindergarten.  I can remember how I felt, and that I was a little shy back then.  I got a little choked up, but she is really ready for Kindergarten and I know she is going to love it.  She's my baby, so of course I will miss her.  I realize that this is kind of it - no more kids at home after this year (she will go half day this year) during the day.  It will make summers so much sweeter.  Just when they start to get fun and interesting and outgrow their tantrums you send them off to school.  Oh well - new and exciting adventures and that is what I want for them.  I never had any illusions that I could keep them little forever!  On to the next phase!

August 23, 2010: First Day of First Grade

Today was the very first day of First Grade for Josh. Which means that he goes to school all day long for the first time in his life. I cried on and off yesterday. Today - no biggie. He was confident, he's ready. He even let me just drop him off so that I didn't get all emotional. Plus I had to go to the grocery store to get more stuff for his lunches this week. I had fun packing his lunch. I am sure that will get old.

Cheesy smile

Cool as a cucumber

It was nearly impossible getting them to stop wiggling, look at me, and smile

Darn, they are cute kids

Josh said to Clara, "See you tonight, Sweetie!" He kept talking to her in a baby voice all morning, reassuring her that he would be gone all day, but that he would eventually come home. She kept looking at him like he was out of his mind. As Ama Georgia put it, "He's a little boy...and she's a teenager."

I'm excited to hear how his first day went, and excited to see what he learns this year. I'm not excited for homework, but maybe I'll just put that on Dave's To Do list.

June 3, 2010 - Kindergarten Graduation

Today was a big day in the life of Josh. He had Kindergarten Field Day in the morning, and then got to get all dressed up for his graduation. First we had a pizza party. We invited all of his grandparents to come and join us. Then we headed up to the school for the ceremony. Josh participated in singing a song for us, and then each of the kids played a part in a poem about what Kindergarten means to them. Each of the kids received their certificates, and then we watched a slideshow of the kids telling us what they loved best about Kindergarten. It was the perfect length to keep everyone's attention.

Josh all dressed up for graduation.

Showing off his graduation cap

Josh and crazy Carter - one of his best friends.

Hugging his teacher, Mrs. Proud, and getting his certificate from Principal Johnson

The proud graduate!

Josh with Mom and Dad

Josh and Ama Ancy

Josh and Amabuela

Josh with Ama Georgia and Papa Kirk

Josh with Mrs. Proud and Principal Johnson

After the festivities, we came home and Ama Ancy gave Josh two lego sets so he spent some time putting them together. Tomorrow is his last day of school and then school is out for SUMMER!

May 28, 2010 - Paid in Full

A couple of weeks ago, Josh gave a presentation for his Kindergarten class on the giraffe. These presentations were a precursor to a major zoo trip that the Kindergarten took after they were finished. As part of the presentation, he had to know what a giraffe eats, how tall they are, how fast they go, what they do with their babies, and where they live. We spent many days going over it with him, but in the end, you just don't know what they will come up with.
Josh decided that he wanted to do a mobile so we got a hanger and printed off pictures of giraffes, Africa, the eucalyptus tree, and a few other things. Then the big day came. I arrived first out of the other parents of the kids on the schedule, so Josh got to go first. He mostly faced the mobile and read off of it until it came time for Q&A, and then he faced the class and answered the questions. I could tell he was nervous, but he remembered everything we had discussed and that's all I can ask for! He's got years before he needs to make major presentations at medical conferences. ;)

In other Josh news - yesterday he went to hang out with Amabuela for the day since he had an unused snow day and hasn't been to her house other than once or twice this year. He was playing with sidewalk chalk and on the driveway wrote:

"We love you. You're very nice. You take care of us and you love us in your own way. Love, Josh.

Accompanied by giant yellow and pink flower.

I asked him about it later and he said that they are told to do things "in our own way" at school. Love the creativity in this kid.

And finally - this morning he was cleaning up his bedroom and brought me a dime and 8 pennies and said, "Mom, this money is to thank you, for all you have done to raise me."

I will probably keep that dime and 8 pennies forever.

December 23rd - Morning

Josh's Kindergarten class had their Christmas party this morning. Dave and Amabuela and I volunteered to staff one of the "Centers", and we taught the kids how to make snowflake ornaments. It was so fun and the kids were really cute about it.

Cutting the paper

Josh, Carter, and two cute girls

Amabuela showing how the snowflake ornament works

Josh shows off his gingerbread house with the "Snowman Garden"

"1-2-3, Eyes on me!" Mrs. Proud wraps up the party.

November 29 - December 5, 2009: The Start of the Holidays

This week was quite the eventful week. We started off Monday with a Family Home Evening where we brought out the Nativity and I told the kids the story of the Nativity as we got them out of boxes and put them together. Then we read the story of the Shelf Elf and named him "Zeekee". Then we got out our advent calendar so we could start counting down the days until Christmas. The kids are quite obsessed with Zeekee. If I had realized how hilarious this was going to be, I would have gotten on board sooner. It does help that I am done with all of my shopping and everything is wrapped, so I don't have that stress and can just enjoy the Holidays!

Clara as "Santa's Elf". I still have the song in my head and it is driving me nuts.

Clara and her little dancing friend, Alyson.

On stage for the first time! This was right before the music started.

After a costume change, she turned into a reindeer.

The dance performance was at Festival of the Trees, so afterward we wandered around looking at the different trees that people had designed to sell. The proceeds went to Primary Children's Hospital.

Josh and Clara love the Grinch.

After weeks of listening to Josh spout off nursery rhymes, Providence Hall held its 2nd Annual Nursery Rhyme Festival! Josh decided to be the mouse in "Hickory Dickory Dock" so this was the costume I came up with. Headband courtesy of the Sudweeks about 10 minutes before school started.

Josh the mouse

The Nursery Rhyme Festival consists of all of the Kindergartners memorizing 25 nursery rhymes. They then choose one, dress up, and perform for parents and all of the older grades. They had stickers on them, and when you pushed the sticker, they had to recite their rhyme. There were huge backdrops hung all over the classrooms and common area.

You can see the little sticker on his shirt that you had to push for him to say the rhyme.

Eden is one of Josh's really good friends. I pick her up from school twice a week and she is one of my favorite kids to have come over because she is easy and loves my waffles. We practiced her rhyme a few times.
This is in the common area where they have computers and reading centers. The Kindergarten and First Grade classes are in the same wing.

I found Josh's nursery rhyme collage with a list of the rhymes that he did in watercolor. I love his school! They do so many wonderful and challenging things. Josh has had a fun time learning the rhymes, and it's amazing that he actually knows so many!