Preschool Graduate!!

After 3 years of preschool, 

{first days of years one, two (one week after getting his tonsils and adenoids out) and three!}

Peter had his preschool graduation this morning!  

Here are the about to be graduates waiting outside the chapel.

I love all of the smiles... esp on the teachers.  :)

Peter's preschool teacher is also a photographer.  So she took and edited black and white pics of each of the kids in the 4-5 year old classes.  See them on the wall.  They were AMAZING!

A closer shot... most of these are in Peter's class.  Wow, such an added bonus, huh?!  Gorgeous.

My handsome boy.

There will be a lot of pictures here.  Partially because I dropped the ball on my communication with Maw.  There have been a lot of balls in the air this week.  I may have told her 11 as the arrival time.  The preschool wide picnic was at 11 but the graduation was at 10:15.  And we know Maw isn't ever late.  So I was worried when she was "late".  So she missed the graduation.  I felt really lame.  Then I'd told Lily I'd come pick her up from her class so she could see Peter graduate.  And I forgot.  But I ran out during and got her in time.  To my credit, I was coordinating a few other aspects of the morning.  And you mean people can read my mind???

They sang a song.

Then they called each kid to come up....  Peter RAN!

Mrs Notley (and every one of his teachers) has been so SWEET to him!

She has 3 boys so we have been thankful for someone who understands and loves boys so well.

Running back.  When he saw me squatted to take pics, he gave me a BIG hug.  So sweet.

Mrs Notley and Ms Wood's 4-5 year olds!

We went to pick Peter up from his class afterwards.  It still just amazes me to see teachers get the kids to just SIT in a circle like that... magical powers!

Then we had the preschool-wide picnic.

Some of Peter's favorite friends.

Peter LOVES these boys.  One was in his class last year and the other this year.

They were adopted from Ethiopia two years ago and they have been such a blessing to us.  I know I say it over and over but I am so thankful for the gift of my kids seeing the world, learning love and compassion.  And seeing tangible ways that we can love others and know we care for and welcome the needy, just as God welcomes us (also the needy) in Christ and makes us a family through Jesus.  

The kids have a little surprise waiting for them but they still haven't seen it.  I had to have a way to bribe them for a nap.  Sand toys, bubbles, games, candy, etc for summer fun!

Proof that Maw was there!!

and bearing Lego gifts!  "'Cause Peter likes cool things"!

Way to go, buddy boy!  We are proud of you!!

ps- we also had a little kindergarten orientation at his elementary school this am... fun times!

We Are Finished!

Otherwise titled "X stands for /ks/".  (I don't think I knew that before this week!)

On our to-do list this week before the end of school was to finish V, W, X, Y and Z!  We have been using this book and writing them too with worksheets I find online.  We are D.O.N.E!  We've done all our letters!

We've only finished 2 chapters of the book so we'll keep moving this summer!

WooHoo!

May

Whew!  Its hard to find time to blog regularly.  I often tell Mike that I find myself feeling like I can't do both my agenda and the kids.  I had been hard core kids for the first few months of the year but then after vacation, I realized that I just wanted to do house stuff/ my projects and then I realized 'oh yeah', I can't really be so purposeful with the kids when I am just trying to do my agenda.  And hello, that is what we are working on here... getting a boy ready for school.  But usually if I can get engaged with them, I end up enjoying it a ton too.  As I write this, I just told them to stay upstairs after naps and read books in their room.... keeping it real. ;)  

So here are some May happenings lumped together since it seems too much to separate them.

*FRIDAYS

I've been taking a sewing class with neighborhood friends on Friday mornings this "semester" and love, love, love it.  (I made Lily a pillowcase dress!  I'll post a pic next time she wears it.)

  But Fridays often have lots of possibilities (like field trips & yard sale prep) so I can't go as regularly as I'd like.  And then I sort for the Clothes Closet once a month on Fridays.  So I got the kids to come with me a day early to get it done so I'd be free to go to sewing.  They were surprisingly helpful in loading up the bags of "bad" stuff that goes to goodwill.  But then it all went south and there was crying and fighting and extreme doneness.  So went went straight to CookOut for milkshakes.

 *FRIDAY EVE FRIEND DINNERS

Some of our neighbors are moving (sad!!) so we've had neighborhood families over twice recently to squeeze out all we can of this season of being neighbors.  The kids have had a blast together and its just been SO nice to be outside after a long winter & cool spring.

Boys, oh boys.

*CELEBRATING!

I told Lily that she needed to give up her dogs.  She was surprisingly motivated.  Mike told her that if she slept without them for a week then she could have a treat.  She wanted a cake.  Girl after my own heart.

She did it!  And we had cake!  She added sprinkles.

And of course, you need candles!

*PAINTING

I painted the bottom of my dining room table with Annie Sloan chalk paint.  I'd love a "new" table but I'll have to wait.  This is the table Mike got after college with his bachelor friends.  It was unfinished and they stained and polyurethaned it.  Now its partially painted.  :)  It does help to break up the brown in the dining room.

*SPRING FLING

We went to spring fling at Peter's new elementary school.  Fun times to come!

 We picked up about 16 new books for $4!  They didn't even make it into the house b/c the kids just wanted to sit and read.  Love it.  They did NOT inherit this from me.  So thankful.

*GENERAL SILLINESS

Legos at breakfast, or any.time.  This boy loves legos.  Sometimes too much so.

 stamps all over

 learning to write short words.

*PRESCHOOL YARD SALE

One of the things we LOVE about our church and our preschool is that it is smack dab in the middle of a big refugee population in our city.  So our preschool is blessed to have many of those sweet kids in our midst.  And each year the preschool raises money to offer scholarships.  One of the main ways we do that is through the yard sale.  Families from the whole church donate.  I've helped work it for at least the last 2 years.  This year I had a more central role in organizing the logistics of it.  It was a little intimidating and daunting.  But then at the end, it was sorta satisfying to have planned and pulled off such an event.  I sent lots of pesky emails to recruit, recruit, recruit.  Thanks to some strong men for loading the trucks!

 ...And thanks to LOTS of people for unloading, organizing and working it on Saturday morning!

This picture is only half of what we had and it was half way through the morning.

My parents had generously taken our kids for the weekend (see Paw and Lily pics) so Mike and I headed out for lunch afterwards.  Mexican and Margaritas?  Yes, please!

*PRESCHOOL CUTENESS

Joy S, Lily is wearing the tassel skirt on her head.  She thinks its hair.

*YAY!  We've FINALLY had some warm days!!

Milkshakes at the park after preschool

 exploring!

 handsome, big boy!

*DRAWING!

Peter has just gotten into drawing, all on his own initiative!  "New" developmental milestones still nearly take my breath away at the gift of learning these skills.  I can clearly remember testing to see if he had similar but more basic skills at younger ages... visual motor skills, I think?

*SWIMMING

Peter has continued with this lessons at Aqua Tots.  We've just finished up this week and are signing up for swim team.  I have no idea if he is really ready but I decided the risk was worth it.  Oh, I have no idea what I am getting myself into.  There are so many possibilities of how this could go...  

His daddy was a swimmer so I am hoping he has some genetic potential.

 Sweet Lily just stands on the sidelines for all of this activities and looks cute.

 exhibit #2 of cutely waiting for brother

 We did buy her goggles and sign her up for swim lessons at the pool.  :)

Tomorrow is our LAST DAY OF PRESCHOOL... EVER for my sweet boy!  Part of me is THRILLED.  I am so so very ready for summer.  But the fact that I will no longer get full days with him after this school year is almost too much and sorta welcome at the same time... I hope he will flourish.  But he's my little boy and how did he get so big?!?!