Tyler's Class Christmas Party

Today was Tyler's last day of school until January 4th so they had their class Christmas party this afternoon. Fortunately, the party started at 3:00 so I was able to attend! The kids had a fun time eating yummy Christmas junk food and opening presents from their teachers and each other. It's hard to believe that some of these kids have been together since they were babies and next year they will be scattered all over local kindergartens. Tyler loves his school and the kids in his class. We are very blessed to have been a part of this preschool program for the past 5 years. This is one more reminder that my baby is getting older and will be in big school next year.

Where'd that bean come from?

Warning: Gross post, but I couldn't pass up posting it! Tyler came home from school today, normal as usual. Aunt Jana, Uncle Tom, and Natalie picked him up around 5:30 to go to the Hewitt basketball game to see Payton cheer and watch some basketball. When he came home around 9:00 and got in the shower, we heard a strange noise coming from the shower. Tyler was shaking his head and blowing his nose, making a funny sound like a dog. When I asked what he was doing, he started crying and said "There's a bean in my nose." Surely not! We got him out of the shower and, sure enough, we could see what appeared to be a small bean in his nose. After some tweezer action and lots of blowing, the bean finally shot out of his nose. It was bigger than we imagined! When asked to explain how the bean ended up in his nose, he admitted that he was bored during nap time at school and there was a bean on the floor from the sensory table. When he was playing with the bean, it got stuck in his nose. He didn't tell anyone and probably forgot about it until the water in his body started making the dried bean swell. He swore he would never stick anything up his nose again. I'm just hoping he learned a good lesson from this whole ordeal. Boys will be boys, right?

Tyler's Field Trip to Camp Coleman

Tyler's class went to Camp Coleman the Thursday before Halloween to visit their annual pumpkin patch. While there, the kids rode on a hayride, listened to Halloween stories, roasted marshmallows, played games, and picked out the perfect pumpkin to decorate at school. What a fun day!

Tyler's Last Year of Preschool

This year marks Tyler's last year of preschool. I can't believe this is his 5th year there and he will start big school next year! He was super excited to start his new class this year, the class he refers to as the "big kid class". In his new class, they participate in many units of study and go on three field trips a month. This past week, his class visited Rickwood Caverns as they learned about caves. Tyler had so much fun and said his favorite part was the big playground and riding on the van with his friends. What about the cave??? Isn't that what was supposed to be his favorite thing? Here are some pictures from his trip.

Posing with a friend

Holding up the cave

Needing a little help from his teacher to see

While the subject is school, I have to share Tyler's first homework assignment for his new class. He was asked to color a picture of a toad. He sat down at his little table with his crayons and started pulling out every color except green. The teacher in me was freaking out, telling him that frogs are green and he needs to color it correctly to show his teacher how good of a colorer he is. I was trying to pump him up because he hates to color and usually just scribbles over the page and is finished. Of course, he was arguing with me and telling me to let him do it. I agreed and went to cook dinner. Imagine my surprise when I saw this...

There is hope for my "all boy" to follow directions in school and complete his work correctly. Yay for Tyler!

Summers Off?

While it's true that, as a teacher, I technically have the summer off, I still have to get ready for the start of school each year. I usually begin in mid July getting my classroom ready and planning for the upcoming year. I wanted to share a picture of what my classroom looked like when I left in May...(yes, everything is off the floor for cleaning.)

And here's what it looks like for the beginning of the school year in August...

Thank goodness for a wonderful custodial staff. They moved all the desks back in the classroom and set up like I wanted. It was up to me to get everything off the counter tops and reorganize everything for the new school year. Busy and a lot of work, but worth it to a classroom of smiling fourth graders!

Tyler's Spring Music Program

Tyler was quite animated for his 3rd spring music program at his school. He loved being up in front of a crowd and putting on a show. The first song they sang was It's a Very Simple Dance We Do. Tyler loved it. He got to pull his ears, flap his arms, touch his toes, and do all sorts of motions as the song went along. Next, they sang Down By the Bay and he got to hold up a sign of a moose kissing a goose which, as you can see from the picture, he took very seriously. Finally, he sang You are My Sunshine and God You Made Our Big Blue Sky. He had been talking about the program for several weeks and was excited to perform for us. Only one more spring program at school for him next year and then he'll be in "big school". I cannot believe my baby is so grown!

Tyler's First Homework

Last week Tyler had his very first homework assignment. He was assigned the letter of the week which happened to be the letter B. His job was to decorate the letter with things that begin with B. We talked about the B sound and went around the house finding things that begin with B. My original plan was to get on the Internet and print out some pictures for him to decorate his letter, but then I saw the camera. We ended up taking pictures of everything we could find that began with B. Tyler loved this idea. He was super excited to be able to use Mommy's camera! He got to hold it and push the buttons and everything. After I printed all the pictures , I cut them out and Tyler used a glue stick to glue them on to his letter. I helped arrange the pictures but he put glue on them and glued them in place. He was so proud of his letter and couldn't wait to share it at school. He even "dressed up" to share his letter. By dressing up, I mean he didn't wear his typical athletic shorts and t-shirt to school. He thought that was a big deal! I have to admit that I'm not looking forward to him getting older and having real homework. I enjoy the freedom of our evenings way too much right now!

Off To A Better Start

This week is definitely off to a better start. School is going good and the boys are great. Last week Tyler moved to his new classroom at school and he is enjoying his new teachers and his new room. For the past two years when he has moved up to the next classroom we have had a rough start to the school year. He likes to test his new teachers and see what they will put up with. This year has been no exception. Last week he, along with a few of his school buddies, made two visits to the office. We haven't had any office visits this week so hopefully he has learned that his teachers will not tolerate any misbehavior. I'm keeping my fingers crossed! On a more positive note, Tyler is ready for football season to begin. He and Jason talk football all the time and play football outside. I think this is a favorite time of the year for both of them. The picture below is of Tyler playing football tonight. As you can see, he is in need of a haircut yet again.
Matthew is 6 months old and is in the process of cutting two of his bottom teeth. He is a constant drooler these days and wants to put everything in his mouth. He went to the doctor for his 6 month check up last week and he is doing great. He weighed 16 pounds, 12 ounces putting him in the 50th percentile for weight. He measured 28 inches long which is in the 90th percentile in height. Matthew is enjoying spending his days with Grandad, MawMaw, and Granna since I have gone back to work. He was supposed to start daycare last week but fortunately everything worked out so that he won't have to start until after Christmas. This is a huge blessing to me as are our wonderful family members who keep him during the day. I love the fact that he is able to spend time with his grandparents and great-grandparent while we're not home during the day. I know he will be rotten by the time Christmas rolls around (as if he's not rotten already!). Here is a picture of Matthew at bath time last night. The boy loves playing in the water and splashing like a wild man! It's nice to be feeling normal again. Life is good and I'm so blessed to have a wonderful husband and two beautiful boys along with the family and friends we love.

Tyler's End of the Year Music Program

The week I went back to work was the busiest week I think we've ever had. That Tuesday, Tyler had his end of the year music program at "school". He had been talking about singing for weeks! I really didn't know what to expect. Last year, when he was up on the stage he was scared to death. In the middle of singing he yelled out "Ms. Sheryl, where's my mommy daddy?" and "Wow, that's a lot of people!" Everyone laughed. Once he finally found us, he was okay except for the fact that he kept trying to go behind the pulpit and he was in to everything up on stage while he sang! This year was a completely different scene. It's amazing how much he has changed in one year. My quiet, skittish child has become very outgoing! He loved singing in front of the crowd. His class sang several songs including Fishing for the Lord, Clap Your Hands, This Land is Your Land, and, Tyler's favorite, Yankee Doodle. He enjoyed putting on a show for all of his family that came to see him but I think his favorite part was the snacks that followed!