Tuesday, September 14, 2010

He's been waiting for this day!

Today could have come a whole lot faster for Ethan. He was been waiting for this day for weeks! For awhile, he was convinced this day would never come and that I was keeping him from it. What day is this day???

PRESCHOOL!

We have talking about Ethan going to a new Preschool this year for several months. He has been asking daily since the girls have returned to school..."is today the day?" "are you ever going to let me go mom?" We saw Ms. Janet one day (she is a good family friend and also one of Ethan's new teachers) and she was able to convince Ethan that it wasn't time for school yet because the classroom wasn't ready for any of the kids to be there. That helped for about a week. And then, cousin Wayne started preschool. Ethan didn't think it was fair at all.

Friday, we were able to visit Ethan's new class and see some of his classmates. He was a little overwhelmed but was even more ready for today to come.

So, before the cousins arrived this morning, we took our "back-to-school" picture. I just knew that with extra kiddos here, I would probably forget to take this picture.
When we arrived at school, he took off and acted like he didn't me there.
That is until we arrived to the classroom. Once we got there he wanted me by him and helping him. Of course, with this being a new preschool to our family, I wasn't sure of the arrival routine. Thankfully, Ms. Janet was there to assist and Ethan responded very well to her.

We started out with the "check-in". Ethan had to move his name from "home" to "school". Miss Gidget is in the picture here helping each of the kids.
Once he checked-in, we headed over to the hooks to hang up his backpack. He found his name and hung his backpack up in the corresponding section.
(Hey...looks like the reflectors on his backpack really do work! Glad the flash went off to help us check this minor detail. HA!)

Next, he got to choose a tub of "table toys" and then he needed to go find his name tag on a table so he knew where to sit.
He looked so big sitting there ready to go. I have no worries that his first day is going to be great!

Wayne is excited that he gets to ride with me to go get Ethan from school. We can't wait to hear about Ethan's day. It is going to be so fun having the two boys together and hearing about each of their Preschools and how they compare them.

Now that Ethan is back in Preschool, it's time to get a solid daily routine set around here. I still have not found a job and am trying to make the most of my time at home but these past couple of weeks, I have just been enjoying my time with Ethan

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Cement Truck = 4 very excited boys!

Today was "Auntie Day"! This is the day when Wayne, Weston and Wyatt get to come and spend the day with us while their daddy and mommy are at work.

Yesterday, the neighbors were having some work done at their house and they ended up tearing out their entire sidewalk. I kind of wondered when the hole was going to be filled in but didn't think much of it today. I was too busy caring for 4 boys to worry about what was going to be happening next door.

At about 11:30, I heard the beeping of a truck backing up. I remembered then about the project going on next door. I asked Ethan to go look out the window and to tell me what he saw. I didn't want to announce what I thought it was just in case it was just the garbage truck coming later than normal. Well, my initial thought was right! Ethan was quickly yelling, "It's a cement truck Mom...it's a cement truck." In no time at all, I had the three big boys up on the couch. I walked over with Wyatt and he instantly wanted in on the action. I couldn't resist getting this picture...
Yes, I realize that Weston has no pants on. He was in too big of a hurry to get back to playing after a diaper change. And, yes, I realize that Ethan is still in his pajamas at 11:30 in the morning. It's days like this that he rarely gets dressed. He loves to be in his pajamas and the days that the cousins are over are a good excuse to just stay in them. No worries though, he was dressed within a few hours of this picture because we had to go get Brenna from school. And, Weston had pants on by then as well!

Okay, back from that little rabbit trail. The boys had so much fun watching the guys outside working. I couldn't believe how long Wyatt actually stood there with the boys. No worries, once the picture was taken I was right behind Wyatt!

I wonder if there will be anything exciting happening in the neighborhood next week when the boys are back? I should see which neighbor I can convince to have the cement truck back...HAHA!

I love these days with the boys! It is so fun to watch them all interact together. It's always a great time for Ethan to be able to spend time with his "brothers from another mother".

Thanks Tyler and Tanya for letting us take care of your boys while you are at work. We love having them here!

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

First Day of School 2010

Another year of school has started. This year wasn't like the past couple of years where both girls were going to Elementary and everything about the school was familiar. Nope! This year, we were starting our first day of school at the Middle School.
Brenna was so excited to get to school and get her year started. She has grown up so much this past year and we knew that she was ready but it was hard for this momma to believe that we were headed to middle school already. Where have the years gone?

Brenna's teacher this year is Mrs. Revak. And, yes! I got my annual picture of student and teacher on the first day of school. I'm sure this was the last year for this picture to happen.
It was hard to leave her at school and I am so glad that I wasn't the only momma walking her 6th grader to class and not wanting to leave. Another mom and I decided that we would walk out together. We just needed that extra support that our kiddos were growing up and they would be fine. There's just something scary about middle school.

When I picked Brenna up at the end of the day, she had nothing but great things to report. I was so thankful. Of course, it was a little weird for her, having to change classes and all but she really seemed to enjoy it. I just hope this continues all year!

Once I had Brenna at school, it was time to focus on Alyssa.
Alyssa is a 3rd grader this year and was finally headed down the "big kid" hall. Her teacher this year is Mrs. Boyd. Alyssa had been hoping all summer long that she would get Mrs. Boyd as a teacher and we had only found out a few days before school started that she in fact got her.

Mrs. Boyd is an amazing teacher and we are excited about our year with her! She just became a mommy earlier this year and realizes now just how special these types of pictures are. (I'm sure deep down though, she is dreading the day she has to start taking these pictures. HA!)
We got Alyssa settled in her desk, making sure she had all of her supplies where they needed to go. She was thrilled that not only was her BFF, Kylie, in her class but Mrs. Boyd had put their desks next to each other, not know that they were BFF's.
Alyssa was excited to get back to school and to start learning again. It is so nice to have a child who loves school so much that they "play" school all summer long. I am looking forward to watching Alyssa grow this year and am excited about all the things she will be learning. It was a great feeling having her come home after her first day filled with excitement and great reports on how things went!

Ethan and I headed for home once we had the girls at school. It was weird having just my little boy home with me, alone. We decided that our house was too quiet and met some friends down at McDonald's for some play time. From there, we decided to do a little school shopping for Ethan. I had picked up a few things while out shopping for the girls but wanted to have some special time shopping with Ethan and letting him pick out a couple of things. As we were getting in the van, he asked if he could invite Grammy to come along. I called Mom, she was just finishing with her hair appointment so we met her at her house after her appointment and we headed to Bellingham. Unfortunately, the trip wasn't as successful as I had hoped. I love getting things for Ethan at Old Navy and they were wiped out. There wasn't much on their racks in the boys section. And Target really wasn't much better. I guess we should have gone earlier...oh well! We found a couple of cute things.