Decorating the Christmas Tree

It's my favorite time of the year. I can't believe it's here already, but I won't complain. I love Christmas, everything about it. I love big, beautiful, bursting with the fresh scent of evergreen, Christmas trees, but our rental agreement for this house says no live Christmas trees. So we have to do the artificial thing, but we make the most of it. My very dear friend purchased an adorable little tree for us during the first Christmas season we lived here. That was several years ago and the tree has had a bit of a beating since then with lots of little helping hands placing ornaments on it. We have so many ornaments that I'm not sure we will fit them all on this year. We will probably spend several days getting the finishing touches on the tree because the kids love moving the ornaments around. The last ornaments to go on will be on December 6th after St Nicholas delivers their new ornaments for this year in their shoe. Then we will string the garland and tie on the bows and it will be hands off the tree.

I actually got the kids to all stand still for half a second so I could get them all in one picture. Of course we had only just started decorating, but you can already see that majority of the ornaments will end up on the bottom third of the tree. In years past I would have moved them all around, but this year I'm enjoying seeing things from the kids point of view.

Fabulous Fall

Getting my kids into a picture together is not easy, at least not with everyone smiling and loooking at the camera. But maybe I could photoshop them into a semi smiley group?!? Looks like I won't be sending out any happy thanksgiving cards this year. Oh well, I'll remember what these days were really like. Fretting Philip, Addie-tuding, Clowning Carter, and Sensitive Sadie, my sweet and loving wouldn't change them for the world, kids enjoying a crisp cool autumn morning.

The Singing School Bus.

No I'm not talking about the doodlebops, but if they ever need a new member I am quite sure Philip could fill in.
When he came home from school on the bus he exclaimed "Mom, I made a new friend"
"Wow that's cool Philip, what's their name?"
"Umm, I don't know"
"Is it a boy or a girl"
"A girl, we have lots in common"
"Cool, what do you have in common?"
"She became my friend on the bus we always sit next to each other on the way home. She is a really good singer like me. We both like to, umm you know, like make up songs and stuff."
"So cool, you'll have to sing them for me."
"Yeah we are really cool, but I'm not going to do that. We just have to practice and stuff first"

So apparently when they have gotten enough practice sessions in I'll be invited to their first gig.
Until then I'll have to be satisfied with his backseat serenades in the van.

Second Week Smooth Sailing

At least thats what I am hoping for. It will be the the second full week of school for the kids, and last week it finally felt like we were getting into the swing of things. Good thing because it looks like I might be starting a new job this week if all goes well.

Philip has settled into school and now runs to the door each time I drop him off instead of clinging to my shirt. It didn't go so smoothly for him at our first Awana club of the year, but that he can take his time settling into. I won't push it too hard. I am glad to see that his confidence is growing and he is finding his way around in the big school. He goes through the lunch line on his own now, it may sound like a little thing, but believe me it's a big milestone. He rides the big, very full, bus home with Sadie, and doesn't even insist on sitting next to her. He has made some friends and seems very happy to be a big kindergarten boy.

Addie and Carter started their very busy schedule of all day school. They attend CTS in the morning with Teacher Kathy who they just love. In the afternoon they catch the bus and head to Sunnyland for the special needs preschool with Teacher Su who is amazing. There are 12 other kids in their morning class and 9 others in their afternoon class. That is 21 new kids for them to get know, and considering how long it takes both of them to warm up to other kids, I think they are doing great. However, it has become more apparent to me and the teachers as to why they are still enrolled in the special needs preschool. Sometimes it feels like they have caught up with other kids and outgrown all their quirks, symptoms and sensory issues, and other times they are so very visable. The past week would be the later. Addie has had no impulse control whatsoever. There have been messes, tantrums and dangerous decisions galore. Carter has been much more timid and fearful, as well as a little obsessive, compulsive and anxious.

Sadie is harder to read. I think she likes her teacher, I know she is glad to be back in class with her friends, but beyond that it's a toss up. She had an embarassing situation happen and that put her in a bit of a slump. Then she had somehow missed the homework papers for the week that the teacher handed out, so this weekend she got to pull a catch up session before going to play. She had a good attitude about it, but she seems a little down and I don't know if itis just start of school stress or something more serious. The teacher told me she has a focusing problem, that she frequently misses the directions and instructions and often looks like she is daydreaming. Nothing I didn't already know, but just confirms that it's time to talk to the doctors about it again.

Anyway all in all it is a great start to the year, but a little tiring adjusting to the new schedule. Transitions are not an easy process for any of my kids, but then again are they for anyone?

Ready or Not... Kindergarten Here We Come

Yup... this was the last time I saw him smile before entering kindergarten. There is no other way of putting it, Philip had a hard time saying goodbye today. Ok, Mommy did too. He was so excited, and I thought he had gotten over all his nerves, but at the last second as the teacher was begining to lead the class into the room, he had a break down. As I said "have fun" he began to cry uncontrollably. He grasped the bottom of my shirt so tightly I had to pry his little fingers loose. He covered my shirt in big snot covered tears and clung to me like a baby koala. After he cried on the assesment day, the teacher had warned me that I would need to just say goodbye and go without lingering to see if he was ok. It was much easier said than done. I had no idea how awful it felt to leave your crying child in the hands of a teacher carrying them away. The teacher did have to actually carry him to class. I wondered as they walked away what he thought as he saw all the other parents follow along behind the teacher. Did he know I was not there because I knew he could be braver if I left? Did he know that my heart was breaking as I stepped away and that all I wanted to do was scoop him up in my arms and run back home. We had prepared for this day for so long because I knew he was nervous about kindergarten. We'd read tons of books about kidergarten, we'd drawn pictures and talked about what it would be like, we'd toured the class and met the teacher. but nothing had prepared him for the big day and saying goodbye to mom. He had no problem with me leaving last year, and I know soon he will be fine. The teacher reported to me after class that he had stopped crying before they even got to the room. We did sneak past the class several times and saw that he was doing great. But still, I never wanted to leave him in tears. I hope I never have to again.

Preschool Prepared

Addie and Carter started one of their schools today. This year they will go to Catch the Son, a private school in the morning, and to the public special needs preschool in the afternoon. They attended the public school last year, but this is their first time at Catch the Son in a year and a half. They had attended at age 2 1/2 for playgroup, but just weren't quite ready for a typical school. They have progressed so nicely, that I am hoping it will be a good fit for them this year, but I know it will hold it's challenges. For one there are 14 kids in the class, 1 teacher and one parent helper each day. Quite a different ratio then they are used to. There will be less teacher input and ques to keep them on task and cooperating well with other children. I hope they will gain some good strategies in dealing with other children and solving problems on their own. Although it will be a lot of school in each day for them, I am hoping it will help prepare them for kindergarten next year.

Their first day was only a third of the class. I could see right off the bat that they would have to work a little harder at focusing and following instructions. At free choice time I wasn't a bit surprised to see Addie head straight for babies and the rocking chair. A little bit of self soothing to get herself through the morning, disguised perfectly as pretend playing house.

Carter was a little mischievous at the start of the day. He didn't really want to follow his teacher and tried his clowing around act. He played on his own at free choice, but I'm sure he will make friends when there are more kids in the class.

Back to So Cool

Today my little baby girl entered the third grade. This year is sure to leave it's mark on her life. She will be in school only one extra hour, but the expectations increase far more than that. She loves school and I know she will do great, but part of the mom in me doesn't want to see my little Sadie-bug pass these milestones. She enters a new phase in school of tests and more homework, the pressure from teachers and peers increases and the responsibilities grow. It is an exciting time too... as she blossoms into a young lady, grows in spiritual depth and gains understanding. Still, I can't help but want to protect her even more so now. Maybe it is because she thinks she knows it all, and I know just how much she doesn't. Maybe it's because I still remember the 'tween years... caught right between childhood and the teen years. Maybe it's just because I feel like time has flown by so quickly. Whatever the reason, I want to hold her precious face in my hands and pause right here for just a moment. I want to surround her with all the people who love and adore her and want only the best for her, and I want to push the rest of the world away, if only for a day.

As for Sadie's first day of school, she did great. She was a little timid walking into school. She actually wanted to hold my hand the entire morning. I thought she might not want me to leave. But when she saw her best friend they ran to each other and embraced in a full body hug. Thankfully they are in the same class. Sadie felt much more at ease with her friends by her side. Her friends are such nice girls and the parents are great too. I can't wait to see what the year holds.