New School Year

The school year is in full swing with lots of adjustments. It's hard to believe that I have two kids in school...where did the time go? Lauren loves kindergarten, but is pooped by the time she comes home (kindergarten is a full day out here). Curtis is thriving in his second grade class. He loves his teacher and is making many new friends. I have had to adjust to having one child at home and let me tell you, it's hasn't been as easy as I had hoped. I think Claire is having a hard time adjusting to being by herself. It was fun at first, but now she is getting bored and wants to go to preschool. I'm hoping to get her into the pre-k class next year, but in the meantime, she will just have to accept me as her playmate! I did take this time to crack down on Claire's potty training and last week was very rough. She fought me constantly and just when I was about ready to stop and regroup, it clicked in her brain and we haven't had any problems since. It is so nice to have everyone out of diapers now, but also kind of sad. Reality has hit that I no longer have any babies, and before I know it, they will all be teenagers!

I do want to talk about the kids' school. I am very impressed with the teachers and the staff. Their philosophy is to treat the kids like their own and they love on the kids. The teachers are always hugging the kids and even the school secretary tells the kids that she loves them! This year they are encouraging positive behavior, so if they see a child doing something good, they get a reward. The other cool thing is that during morning announcements, they have a moment of silence and if you are walking in the hall, you need to stop and bow your head. I'm so glad that we are living in the Bible belt!

Alright, I will stop talking and post pictures from their first day of school.

Catching Up: Part 2

As you all know Curtis started kindergarten this year. This post is going to be about his Jump Start class and his first day of school. We put Curtis in a kindergarten jump start class to help him get ready for kindergarten. It was a three week class and he loved every minute of it! He was so sad when the class was over because he wouldn't get to see his friends again. That was very hard. Then he started school and now he is fine. I took the day off so that I could be with him on his special day. I held off the tears until he got onto the bus and then the floodgates opened. My baby is growing up, too fast I'm afraid. So, onto the pictures!

Curtis' jump start class showing the parents what they have learned.

Curtis looking at Grace. She liked him and would follow him around. Puppy love!!

Curtis and his friend Abdallahi. They were inseprable.

In front of his class.

Curtis on his way to school. I was very nervous about him riding the bus to school, but he begged and pleaded to ride the bus.

All lined up and ready to go to class. They are waving bye to the parents before heading inside.

Last week, was teacher confrences and his teacher told us that he is above average in the letters that he knows. He knows 23 of the 26 letters and she was very impressed that he knows the sounds that letters make. He does know how to spell a few words, so he is well on his way.

Can You Believe It!?!

I would like to start out by congratulating my cousin Matt and his wife Maggie on the birth of daughter Lia Brynne yesterday. We are so thankful that God allowed Maggie to have a full term pregnancy, since we all thought that she would be born premature like her brother. The LORD deserves all the praise!

We are currently looking for a new place to live since our lease is up at the end of February and we don't want to sign another year lease because we could be heading back to Minnesota any time. I sent my resume to the neurology clinic that I used to work for and the girl that took my desk when I left is pushing hard for them to hire me back, so we will see what happens.

I was reading an article in Parents magazine about kids being ready for kindergarten and it dawned on me that Curtis will be starting kindergarten this year and I'm going to have to get him registered soon! I started freaking out...would he be ready by September because there is still much for him to learn. He is good with numbers, but letters just aren't clicking with him. How is he going to react being in a classroom setting and having to sit for long periods of time. I almost gave myself an anxiety attack! Then I started crying because my baby was going to be starting school. I am going to be a mess on his first day of school. He has grown up so fast, my little man. Okay, I better stop before I start crying again. :) Have a good week!