First Day of School!

They are growing up too damn fast.

First grader and fifth grader. Last year ever that they will be at the same school together!

Safety guard!

This first grader LOVED her new teacher.

First Sentence

Warning: this is a brag post.

Sophie is doing so well in kindergarten. When she started, she wasn't really writing words or reading at all. She knew her letters and numbers, and she could write her first name, but that was about it.

Today, this came home with her school work. It might not look like much, but she wrote this entire sentence with absolutely no help from the teacher. She is BRILLIANT! Our little genius. :)

(She spells phonetically, so the sentence says: "I loved this story because Franklin got a present from his Mom and Dad." She even capitalized the names correctly!)

School Photos

Fourth grade and kindergarten. Wow.

Slow down there, Willie

Sophie just leaned in and whispered, "What's a sleepover?"

After I explained, she informed me that her classmate Willie would like to have a sleepover with her. Apparently, he is coming over tomorrow and bringing his bed and some snacks. He will be here at fifty-two.

"Fifty two what?" I inquired.

"Fifty two time," Sophie clarified with a sigh.

Then she told me I could call his mom at 43-2 to confirm plans.

I theorized that maybe we should try a playdate before jumping straight into the world of sleepovers. Sophie asked if Willie could still bring snacks. After assuring her that Willie is more than welcome to bring any snack he likes, she agreed that a playdate was probably a more reasonable first step.

I really gotta meet this Willie. He sounds like an interesting dude.

Open House!

It was Emma's open house at her school this evening, and unfortunately, I had to fly solo for the event. Chris is out-of-town dealing with a family emergency and wasn't able to attend. I know he wishes he could have been here with us tonight, so this post is mostly for him. (Miss you, baby.)

Emma was so excited to show Sophie and me absolutely everything about her new school. She insisted we not only visit her classroom but also the book fair, lunch room, library, art room, music room and both gyms. I met every single one of her teachers, which was something I was never able to do at her previous school. (I even met the wonderful teacher who helped without judgment at the drop-off door the other day and was able to thank him properly for his kindness.) Everyone kept giving me the same feedback, but her gym teacher said it best: "Emma is adjusting really well. She already seems to have a lot of friends. You would think she's been going here for years!"

Music to my ears.

There she is - our third grader!

With her teacher Mrs. Regocki

Showing off her first desk! (They studied at tables at her old school, so this new sitting option is a big deal to Em.)

The girls getting goofy on the playground.

Surprise!

Living with young children is a lesson in anticipating and fielding the unexpected. Some days the surprises are parceled out sparingly, and other days they fly fast and furious. Often, these unforeseen events are amazingly entertaining. Sometimes, they just suck. There's no way to prep ahead of time or know on which side the next surprise will fall. The key, I have found, is to enjoy the wonderful moments when they come and run for cover whenever an explosion hits.

Surprise # 4,672,924
In front of Sophie's school this morning, we spotted an elderly gentleman valiantly jogging down the street. He looked like a hero to me, plugging away despite obviously being extremely hot and tired. Sophie, however, had a different take. "Look at that silly man running, Mommy!" she exclaimed. "Hey you, Silly Man! Why are you running? Where you going? Why are you being silly?" The gentleman looked startled at Sophie's verbal onslaught but remained silent as he slowly hobbled past. (Seriously, I doubt he had the breath to say a word even if he'd wanted to. The dude looked about one minute away from collapsing.) Of course, Sophie would not be denied. She took off running after him, shouting like a maniac about how she wasn't a maniac. "Silly man! You don't have to run! I won't hurt you, I promise! Did you hear me, Silly Man? Come back! I SAID I WILL NOT EAT YOU!!!"

Surprise-O-Meter Assessment: Slightly alarming, but totally entertaining.

Surprise # 4,672,925
For the first time in months, Emma agreed to let me french braid her hair for school. Initially I was excited, but I quickly remembered why I had stopped braiding in the first place. About 30 seconds in, Em started complaining that I was pulling her hair. By the end, she was screaming "YOU'RE KILLING ME!!!!" and practically frothing at the mouth. Once finished, Sophie and I oohed and aahed at how pretty her hair looked. I even took a picture so Em could see the view from the back. (See Exhibit A.) I was kinda proud of myself for producing (somewhat) straight braids under such adverse conditions.

Exhibit A

Em took one look in the mirror and started crying hysterically. "I look BALD!" she screamed before crumpling into a shrieking heap on the floor just like The Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz. She continued wailing the entire way to school, and I (mostly) clenched my jaw shut against the angry words that were bubbling in my throat. I pulled into the drop off lane, and the teacher on duty opened the door to help Emma out of the car. Clearly, he could tell with one look that something was awry. To his credit, he didn't glare accusingly at me while assuming I must have clubbed my daughter over the head or pulled the legs off all her dolls or committed some other such horror to illicit such an hysterical reaction. In fact, he didn't even ask what was wrong. He just nodded at me and said, "Have a good day, Mom. I'll take it from here." Then he whisked her into the school building while I managed to keep myself from weeping in gratitude.

Surprise-O-Meter Assessment: HORRID. Have fun, Covington Elementary! For the next six hours, she's all yours. God bless.

What a difference a day of pre-K can make

Today was Sophie's first day of pre-kindergarten.

I'm still trying to wrap my brain around the fact that both my babies are now in school full-time. I have juggled being a stay-at-home mom and working from home since Emma was three months old. I've always felt so grateful for the flexible work situation that has allowed me to be here - literally here - for my kids all these years. I know just how lucky I am, and I've tried to never take any of it for granted. But the arrangement does come with challenges, and it has often been difficult to manage it all. So after eight years of working whenever I could steal a few moments away (i.e. weekends, late nights, early mornings, naptimes, quiet times, here-girls-watch-a-video-while-mommy-works-just-five-more-minutes times), I am beyond excited at the prospect of having a more consistent structure to my work hours and finding a greater balance between work and family.

It is definitely bittersweet to watch my youngest enter the full-time world of education, but Sophie's almost five years old now. It is time for both of us to make this leap. She's totally ready...and lord knows her mama is.

However, Sophie didn't necessarily share my rosy outlook about the new arrangement when we headed off to school this morning.

 

This wasn't a huge transition really - same building, teachers and kids she had seen at summer camp three days a week for the last three months - so I wasn't too concerned. I knew Sophie would come around. She was just letting me know that she sensed a change, however small, and she wasn't too happy about it. I was sorry Soph wasn't more excited, but I didn't let her bad mood dampen my own enthusiasm one little bit. I managed to restrain myself from shouting "I'm FREEEEEEEE!" and drop-kicking the door open before running full tilt to the car, but I did have a little extra spring in my step as I said goodbye.

Thankfully, Sophie's mood had improved considerably when we picked her up at the end of the day.

In Sophie's words, school was "awesome" and she can't wait to go back tomorrow. We'll see if that holds true after morning dawns and it sinks in that she isn't staying home with me on Tuesday like she usually does. As always, one day at a time. But so far, so very very very very good.

Graduation! (Yes, four-year-olds need rites of passage too.)

Sophie officially graduated today from the preschool she attended in the city for two years, Hoyne Street Playgroup.

We feel incredibly blessed to have discovered this small, shining jewel back when Emma was just a toddler. In fact, I am still astounded at the dumb luck that led us to Playgroup in the first place. I was so overwhelmed by all the preschool options floating around Chicago (ah, choices...one of the best and worst things about living in a big city) that I desperately latched onto the first suggestion I received from a friend and immediately signed Emma up. Fast forward five years and here we are, saying a final goodbye to what has been an absolutely perfect first home-away-from-home for both of our daughters. We will miss all the teachers, parents and children we have met through Hoyne Street very, very much.

And now, onward and upward. Tomorrow...first day of pre-kindergarten! (Cross fingers for us and stay tuned...)

The kids didn't let a little rain slow them down. There was much playing in puddles and stomping in mud. Here's Sophie getting goofy with her friends Ada and Lily.

Full circle, indeed! As a Hoyne St. alumnus, Emma was the one who presented Sophie with her graduation bag. It was awesome to have Em share this special day with her little sister.

Sophie with her beloved Miss Louise. Oh, what this wonderful woman has meant to our family over the years! I am actually getting choked up right now just typing about it. Every parent in the world should be lucky enough to have a first teacher like Louise for their kids. I know, without a doubt, that no one in our family will ever forget her.

Sophie's teacher Ben made tooth boxes for each child as a graduation gift. Emma has one from her graduation three years ago, and it remains a treasured possession.

 Enlarge the diploma and read it all if you can. You'll get a good sense of the philosophy behind what makes Hoyne Street so special.

Group shot! Amazingly, we were able to wrangle all three teachers and every graduate into one photo...plus a couple of strays. (One of the kids was feeling a little lonely without his daddy and little sister with him, so they snuck into the back of the pic.)

Emma the Brave

Emma had her first day of third grade yesterday. (Btw, check out the new accessories in the pic below. Yep, Em finally took the plunge and got her ears pierced on Monday. Every time I see those little earrings twinkling away, I'm struck by how damn mature they make her look. It's semi-terrifying.)

As most of you know, we moved out to the 'burbs this summer after 14 years of city living. So yesterday not only marked the start of a new grade for Emma, but also a brand new school at which she didn't know a soul. I was so lucky growing up because I never once had to change schools. I lived in the same town - hell, the same house - my entire childhood, and the kids I met in kindergarten were the same ones I graduated alongside senior year. I always thought being the "new kid" would be so scary, and I wasn't really sure how Emma would handle the transition. This is the first time we've moved since she's been born, so there was really no precedent. She was super nervous, I was super nervous, and there were a few tears from both of us as I dropped her off. But when the last bell of the morning rang and her class began shuffling inside, she marched right into that school building and didn't once look back. I was so damn proud of her. At pick up, she greeted me with a huge smile and declared that her day was "awesome" and she already had two new friends. I gave her a huge hug and kept chanting in my head, "Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you."

Her first homework assignment of the year was to fill a paper bag with three items that really describe who she is. She decided one should be a picture of her doing a cartwheel. (Sadly, just a few minutes after the below photo was taken, Em's foot got into a fight with the entertainment center during a cartwheel-gone-wrong and the entertainment center won. Now she's rocking a nasty slice the whole length of her foot, which I think she's rather proud of.) The other two things she selected were a pen to represent her love of writing, and a smiley face because she likes to tell jokes. She's not particularly adept at telling jokes, but it's true that the girl definitely digs telling them. 

THIRD. GRADE. Wow. It feels unreal. If anyone out there knows how to stop time, drop me a line please...sooner rather than later. In the meantime, I'm just gonna keep watching this little girl of mine blossom and try to stay the hell out of her way.

Hello, second grade. Nice to meet ya.

Last Tuesday was Emma's first day of second grade.

I rise at 6am so I can sneak in a shower before the rest of the family becomes conscious. After dressing and a little primping (I get nervous on the first day of school too...meeting the teacher, seeing other parents, etc.), I walk quietly into Em's room and mentally prepare myself for whatever spew of fury she might unleash on me upon her awakening. Technically, we have slept in this morning - normally the bus arrives at 6:30am, which means we rise very early indeed. But regardless of whatever extra minutes have been stolen because we are driving to school this day, history indicates that Emma will not be thankful. She HATES not being allowed to awaken on her own, and being the one tasked with getting her up and ready is not a job for the faint of heart. I take a deep breath and shake her gently.

For once, she doesn't whine or growl or moan or burrow under her bed or burst into wails of protest at the horrible cruelty of being forced awake at such a ridiculous hour. She simply stands and heads to the bathroom. I silently thank the first-day-of-school gods for this rare occurrence and walk to the kitchen, where Chris is making Emma breakfast. He has decided to take the day off work so he can hang at home with the little one while I accompany Emma to school without the distraction of my ever-present shadow, Sophie P. Once Em is fed, brushed and dressed, we grab her book bag, lunch and 5 lb. sack of school supplies (I am not kidding...that sucker was HEAVY) and head outside for the obligatory first-day-of-school-posed-pic before hitting the road.

We pick up her best friend O, O's mom and little sister on the way. By the time I drop Em off at school, find parking (impossible), lug the 5lb bag of supplies and my own sorry butt several blocks to the school, ask three different people where the second grade pod is, and find my way to where I am supposed to be, all the students have already been sorted (kind of like in Harry Potter, minus the hat) and I have missed it all. My grand plan of holding Em's hand during the class assignments and consoling her if she is separated from her best friend has gone up in smoke. I discover Em already sitting at a table in her new classroom with a shell-shocked look on her face. Her eyes are bigger than saucers as she catches me in her gaze, waves me over and says in a voice edging toward panic, "O isn't in my class. None of my friends are in my class."

At first glance, it appears true. Virtually none of her friends from first grade are in her class this year. Weird. Bad. Exactly what we feared! Seriously, Em has had nightmares for weeks about this. Oh no. Still, she holds it together pretty well. We listen to her new teacher, Mrs. Whitfield, explain how school will work this year, and I see Em relax a bit as she focuses in on what her teacher is saying. Mrs. Whitfield appears tough and no-nonsense, but also warm and caring. I watch her in action and marvel at how this tiny, lone woman manages to corral 30 seven-year-olds when I can barely handle one. I stay for awhile, help the kids get their school supplies filed away. I am tasked with aiding four kids with lunch money and one table of students with labeling folders. I complete neither task, because children are constantly pulling at me, shouting "Hey, you!" and "Mrs. Jen" and "Parent!" while asking me questions about this, that and the other. Mrs. Whitfield is very gracious when I inform her of my failure, and I wonder again how she keeps everything running (relatively) smoothly and finds time to clean up after parents like me who fail to finish the tiny assignments they are given. I feel good about this teacher, and I hope that Emma does too.

Suddenly, it is 9am. I've been helping for an hour, and now it is time to go. The school has not-so-politely requested that all parents get the heck out of dodge. Em is clingy as I hug her goodbye, and I fear she is going to break down. But she rallies as I whisper in her ear, "I am so proud of you, my little second grader, and I will see you when you get home." Then I flee the scene before either of us starts bawling in the middle of Pod 221. I am actually wearing mascara for once, so bursting into tears would be a disaster on more than one level.

I go about the rest of the day as best I can. I get Sophie to preschool, eat a lovely brunch with husband, enjoy a divine and much-needed nap. But all the while, I worry worry worry about whether or not Em is having a good day. I receive the most fabulous news ever around midday - that Em's new morning bus pick up this year is 7:14am! - which bolsters me for awhile. But as the hours tick by, my anxiety grows.

Chris is the one who gathers Em from the bus stop. He takes her for a celebratory slushie before arriving home. The minute they walk through the door, I know all will be okay. Em has a huge smile on her face, and she declares that she LOVES LOVES LOVES her teacher Mrs. Maria. (How cool, that she lets them call her by her first name? This sort of makes me love her too.) Emma is bouncing around, full of excitement. I sigh a huge breath of relief and settle down to hear all about the fabulous day of this glorious second-grader of mine.

Silly Safari

One of the many many many reasons I love Hoyne Street Playgroup, where Sophie now attends two days a week just as Emma did before her? The awesome creativity of the teachers. Click here to watch the silent movie that Jake (onscreen) and Ben (cameraman) made today with the kids. Keep your eyes open for a couple quick glimpses of Sophie!

Little Ditty...about a Great Lake

Here it is! Really, really bad video of Em's school show on Friday. I was way in the back, so it's hard to see her - but you can definitely hear her! Emma is the girl in the center, on the floor, to the right...the one who sings the first verse by herself. (Notice how the second girl forgets the words? BUT NOT MY EMMA. Just sayin'.)

You can hear Em loud and clear through the entire song. Miss Cooper was having a hard time keeping the kids in unison, so a recording of Emma singing the entire song plays in the background as a guide for the other kids to follow. That's why it basically sounds like The Emma Show. (And really...I'm okay with that.) Wish the visual was better, but this will have to do until the professional recording that we ordered arrives. After the video are a couple cute pictures of her in costume. Enjoy!

Lady of the Lake!

 Disney teachers are the best! Em with Miss Cooper.

Diorama Papa

Emma's big show at her school is coming up this Friday. You may remember my post last year about how every grade at Em's school dedicates two weeks to studying and creating a show about a special topic. This year, the first graders are focusing on biomes. (Alright, I'll admit it: I had no idea what the word meant. Dude, don't judge me...I'm an artist, not a scientist, okay?) There are seven first grade classes, and each has been assigned a different environment to research. Emma's class is studying lakes, and part of her assignment was to create a lake diorama that exhibits the many forms of animal and plant life. That's when Daddy enters, b/c as you regular readers know, he excels at helping with these creative school projects. (Wow, it's like link-apalooza today!)

So they spent the entire weekend putting together their lake diorama. Here they are, hard at work transforming their little shoebox into Lake Michigan.

 

 Um...notice how Chris is sorta doing the work, and Em is sorta watching/assisting? Still a team effort, but I suspect the roles are supposed to be flip-flopped and my husband just didn't get the memo.

And without further adieu...ta da! The fruit of their labors!

I know, I know...I can't wait for summer, either. Winter: go away.

Truly, the photo doesn't do it justice. Ms. Cooper told Emma it was the best diorama she'd ever seen, and OF COURSE she would never lie to boost a kid's ego, right?

You'll have to wait a few days for video of Emma singing about the Great Lakes to the tune of Mellencamp's "Jack and Diane." Oh yeah...NOW I've got your attention.

Tree O' Family

Homework assignment: family tree. Here is what Emma created. It kinda rocks.

Ballet Snowgirl

Attention: the following blog post is for family only. All other readers will probably be bored. Consider yourself warned.

---------------------------------------------------

Here's an example of what my fabulous kid does at school. She's not the best speller, but I dig how her mind works.

Emma: A Self-Portrait

The worksheet below came home in Em's school folder today. God, I adore this kid.

Ignore Meen Peeps

One of Emma's current vocabulary words is IGNORE, and her teacher sent home some work that Em did in school yesterday. (Click on the pic to see it more clearly.)
When I read the worksheet all the way through, I laughed out loud. I think my favorite part is the teacher's "Unique!" sticker. Then I asked Emma as casually as possible, "Hey, honey? Are you having any problems with Ani at school?" She shrugged and answered, "No. I just ignore her."

I think Emma has the definition of this particular vocabulary word down.

Hello, First Grade

Goodbye, summer.

Labor Day is behind us, and the school year has begun. With one week under her belt, Emma is now a seasoned veteran of first grade.
Emma was pretty nervous about having a new teacher and not knowing who would be in her class, but she adjusted quickly. By the end of the first day, she was a pro. In fact, Emma was put in a time out for backtalking after getting home from school. Furious, Em reared back her head and shouted at me, "You can't stop me from expressing myself! It's my right as a first grader of this country!"

A Kindergartner No More

Emma is now officially a first grader.

It's been a fun last week of school. Every day, Emma's come home with a different thick workbook to keep her busy over the summer...math, science, reading, writing, etc. Her final day was Wednesday, so Thursday she spent the afternoon at a school friend's end-of-year party. Did I mention this particular friend has a giant water slide in her back yard? Yeah, play dates there are VERY popular. :) And this morning was the kindergarten graduation.

I wasn't sure what to expect from the whole graduation ceremony (I mean seriously? I graduation for kindergartners?), but ultimately I was very impressed. The kids performed a medley of songs before going up to get his/her diploma. Emma looked so grown up as she stepped forward and shook the principal's hand. In fact, all the kids were so mature and well-behaved, which is quite a feat considering there are over 200 kids in kindergarten at Disney. I can't believe the teachers manage to get them all to where they are supposed to be, let alone quietly and respectfully. The best part of the ceremony was when the kids recited a funny poem about what each letter stands for in the word Kindergarten. Not only was the poem just about the cutest thing I've ever seen in my life...it was also an eye opener. As I sat there listening to these little people list all the milestones they have reached this year, I finally got WHY the school bothers to do a kindergarten graduation. The teachers want these kids jazzed about school, and I could see by the pride and joy on each student's face that the plan is working well. I'm so thankful Em's first year has been such a positive experience, and all I can do is cross my fingers and pray her enthusiasm for school continues to grow.

Here are some photos from the ceremony and various items from her graduation packet. I was so pleased to see how much effort was put into making each student feel special. We'll have video of the performance in a few weeks. And now...one week off before six weeks of summer camp. It's gonna be a hectic and fun summer for our newly minted first grader!

I don't know why, but every time the school takes an official photo of Emma, it looks like a mugshot to me...

Her diploma! With her last name misspelled!
(If I had a dime for every time I've uttered the phrase "Mathews, with one t" in the last 10 years...)

Poem from her teacher. (And yes, her packet had all the bullet items in it...Mrs. P. even gave her a big hug and then "put" it in the bag for Em.)

Emma's special bookmark

The graduate!

Olivia P. (of water slide fame), Em and Zora

Emma and Olivia M.

Emma sobbed herself to sleep this afternoon, wailing "I miss Mrs. Parker!" over and over despite having just seen her two hours ago. Yikes. It's gonna be a long summer if that continues.

Goodbye for now, Miss Chan

Emma also drew a picture for her Chinese teacher, Miss Chan. She'll be seeing her next year, but she still wanted to say thank you. The drawing was lovely, but what I'm curious about is what she wrote on the back (below). Anyone know Mandarin Chinese? It blows my mind that my six year old can write and speak in a language I know nothing about!