Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Preschool!

And then there's this one…Brooks Wesley started Preschool! 
He is going to South East Christian just like Heath did. Only he is going Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings. One more day than Heath did, because it's what works best for my teaching schedule and our "Oma Daycare" schedule as well. He has the same teachers that Heath did for 3 year old Preschool though, Ms. Brigette and Ms. Nancy. 

Brooks is our wild, stubborn, shy, introverted, baby of the family! So, needless to say, we were a little nervous about how he would do in school. But we needed to push him to be a bit more independent, to encourage him to be social, and to give him fun experiences that are away from family. We knew that he needed to go to school and learn and play alongside his peers. But that didn't make it any easier for this anxious Mommy. We pray that he lets his funny, sweet, thoughtful, and bright personality shine! 

He had an Open House a few days before he started to check out his classroom and meet his teachers. 
I snapped these pictures of him before we went. 
He was VERY proud of his new Mickey Mouse t-shirt! 


And I got some great shots of him! 

When he wants to pose he has the BEST smile! 


He sure is a looker! 


He loves his new ORANGE camo backpack too! 

When we got to school, he was nervous to go into the classroom, but he warmed up and played with Mark and I. 
He liked the blocks. 

And he did all the puzzles! 

 He really liked this shape puzzle too. 

He was quite proud of his work!

Then we checked out the Housekeeping Center. 
He set the table and fed us! 

And of course, we needed to check out the playground too! 
He carried his folder everywhere with him! 


His favorite part was the basketball hoop! He picked up the only ball he could find and shot some hoops! 

Brooks sure is the apple of our eyes! And we know that he is LOVED and cared for at school each day! 

Brooks' first day goodies...
When I saw this Orange pack at Target I just knew I had to get it for my ORANGE loving kid! 

I still can't believe he is a Preschooler! 

Apples for his teachers! 


Ready to head out...

So proud of himself in another new shirt! 



 And he LOVES his new Avengers water bottle too! 

First day of school! All 3 boys were ready to go! Mark drops them off now that I'm working in the mornings, so he snapped this picture before they left! 
I just love the look of their 3 backpacks hanging in the front room. I pray for the amazing things they'll do at school each day- helping, loving, learning, laughing. So many fun opportunities for them! 

So the first day went fine. He was observant and shy. But each day he has warmed up more and more. We are celebrating every small victory: eating his lunch, sitting criss cross applesauce, participating in circle time, playing ball at recess, making friends in Gibson and Lyla, etc! And we are praying that he continues to let his light shine! That he takes risks, and lets loose, and makes progress each day! 
And we are setting goals each day as well: to try something new, to do some art work, etc. We sure love this guy and know that he is created perfectly in God's image! He will use his strong will and sensitive heart to do so much good in this world! And we are so thankful that we have 2 years of Preschool to grow and develop and gain confidence before Kindergarten! 

A few fun things from the first 3 weeks of Preschool: 

Stuffed Animal Day:
SSSSSssssss! 

Alphabet Practice! 
Brooks always has stories to tell us about his day, mainly about his teachers. "My teacher say Follow Me!" "My teacher say, No talking. Eat!" It's very cute. So we know he's listening and taking it all in! 

Picking up his brothers from school! 

All 3 ready to head out to school on Grandma's Birthday! 
Aren't they adorable?! 

Well, check back for school updates throughout the year! I just know I'll look back and think "WOW their progress is amazing! Look what they've done!" We are so happy that they have great schools to go to, teachers who love them, and friends to have fun with! 

Monday, September 28, 2015

Kindergarten!

I CAN NOT believe that this kiddo is in Kindergarten! 
He has totally knocked our socks off during his first few weeks of school! 

He is SO proud to go to Mammoth Heights with Nolan and he is in looooooove with his teacher, Mrs. Parker. 

We brought her a fun gift too! 
Love his little hands in this photo.

And love his little printing in this one. 

Believe it or not, there are TWO Heaths in his class! Never thought we'd have that when we named him! And they are both cute little blondies. 

His classroom is a Lego Theme and he colored this Lego guy at his Meet & Greet! He was super pumped to have Legos all over his new room! The cute teacher in the background is his Student Teacher. And he also has a full time EA in the classroom as well. With 26 Kindies…it is nice to have 3 adults in the room most days! 

Heath's 1st day gifts...

Nothing better than Mr. Sketch Markers! 
Simple, thoughtful gifts are my LOVE language. The smile on their faces when they receive surprises mean the world to me! 

 Ready to go! 

And here is the famous Mrs. Parker. We have heard amazing things about her for years, but Nolan did half day Kindergarten, so he didn't have her. We chose full day for Heath and he has totally SCORED in the teacher department this year! Mrs. Parker is extremely warm, loving, cutesy, and F-U-N! Her room is every Kindergartners' dream come true! 

Here he is about to walk in on his first day of school! He totally rocked it! Walked right in super confidently! 

By the end of the long day without his brothers...
Brooks is always SO happy to see them when we pick them up from school at 3:30. 

Heath lost his 2nd tooth during the first week of school! He was thrilled to receive a sparkly $1 bill from the Tooth Fairy! 

He was also chosen as a Science Star during his first week of Science Class! 1 student is chosen each day! We were super proud of his handwork! 

Much to his dismay, he has also started Homework. After a long day of learning, he is exhausted when he gets home. So he doesn't love the idea of having to do more work once he gets home. It's not much, but it's good practice. So we've had to figure out the right balance of rest, play, snack, and Homework after school. A positive attitude and happy heart are most definitely celebrated! Because he is totally capable! 
I mean, look at this, he does great work! He always gives his best effort once he starts! 

A few pictures from Back to School Night...
"Heath" was waiting in his seat for us when we arrived. Too cute! 

And check out his cute little fish hanging from the ceiling! I love that he said his fish was happy! That's the best! 

Favorite Color Day! Of course, he had to choose "gold", "golden", "goldish" for his favorite color. And there was no talking him out of it or convincing him otherwise. So we had to get creative with what he could wear. We picked up a role of gold duct tape and got to work! And he was SO proud! It think it turned out pretty stinkin' cute! He told me that he like gold because it was the color of the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, gold coins that leprechauns bring, and golden eggs. Gotta love his creativity! 

And finally, a heart he made for Mrs. Parker! "I think you're the best because you are funny." I'm so glad he's having such a good time and making friends quickly. He always has detailed and cute stories to tell me about who he's playing with, what he's learning, and how they do things in Kindergarten! 


And speaking of Kindergarten…
I've been having a great start to my school year as well! 
My bestie, Jill, sent me the sweetest and most thoughtful care package for the start of the school year. 
I have a wonderful class this year. Bright, capable, fun, and kind. And their parents are pretty great too. Supportive, encouraging, and dedicated. 

I am teaching mornings this year, which is a change, but I am able to pick up Brooks from preschool at 12:30 and have the afternoons with him. We play for a bit, he takes a nap, I do laundry, school work, cleaning, and work out. I can then get the other two boys from school at 3:30, get homework done, and start dinner at a reasonable time. It makes our evenings much more relaxed and pleasant. I love that I can be Mommy and Teacher at the same time. I am blessed to have two callings that I am passionate about. And I am blessed to be able to balance them both.