Thanks Given - Day Twenty Seven

Ach! Another day missed. I'm determined to stay caught up though. Last night I had no excuse. I spent my computer time obsessively researching our trip to Mexico. I think I have read every snippet on every forum online about our hotel and the area. I'm just a little excited... :) Here's yesterday's post...

Today, I am thankful for all of the great teachers and staff that have had a part in my life and my kids' lives so far. I met with Josie's teacher and the speech pathologist today to talk about the results of Josie's speech test. I was surprised at the thoroughness but not surprised at the results of the test. She will be doing two days a week of speech at school for 10 minutes each. (It cracks me up that they can get anything done in 10 minutes but they must get down to business!) Tom and I both went through speech therapy during school and I wouldn't be surprised if all the kids need it at some point. I'm a little sad that her little flaws will be trained out of her, but totally understand it's a part of life. I certainly wouldn't want her to talk like that when she's 15.

I can still remember all of my teachers in elementary and most of them from junior high and high school. But, I have a really tough time naming more than two or three in college. Isn't that funny? Shouldn't my memory fade when I get back to 25(+) years ago and be pretty clear for only 15 years ago? I think that just shows what an impact teachers can have on a child so early in life.

Tessa and Josie have been so incredibly lucky to have had two wonderful teachers at Mt. Comfort. Mrs. McCleery is only in her first year and has done such a good job really making things interesting for the kids and going the extra mile to make it memorable. So far this year, she has created a book club in the classroom and made Josie a chart to track the Magic Treehouse books she has read. Josie just loves her and probably mentions her name at least once a day. And, Tessa has Mrs. Brown again this year. Our experience has been the same as last year - wonderful. Tessa doesn't talk about school as much as Josie, but I can tell she is having a great time and really enjoying her time there.

These girls just adore their teachers and are always thinking about them. I am constantly amazed at the energy and time it must take to be a teacher in these younger grades. My three kids wear me out and I can't imagine a whole classroom! I am so thankful for teachers that care for my children and are teaching them so many new things - so much more than reading and math!

First Day Excitement!

Today was the day! Josie started first grade and Tessa took on kindergarten. This marks a huge change for us. Josie was only half day kindergarten last year and just took the bus to school and we picked her up from school. Then, of course, there was no bussing for Tessa's Pre-K. So, having both girls transported to and from school is a huge gift for us! (Both time and gas money!)

{You can see the post from last year too!}

We spent the last night before school getting everything ready. Tom took them swimming at the neighbors so that they would be nice and tuckered out by the new 7:30 bedtime. It worked. All of the kids were bathed, bags packed, lunches ready, outfits picked out and settled down and out like a light at 7:30. And, it's a good thing. Tessa was down in our bed by 5AM (this is not unusual anyway) and Josie was up and dressed by 6:15.

Breakfast, hair and teeth brushed and we were ready to go at 6:45 - only 30 minutes early. :) It gave us lots of time for photos!

Hoping to take this photo each year! We'll be able to judge by the doorbell height!

Running off to the bus stop together - lots of nervous energy this morning!

When it was time to get them off the bus, one of my neighbors came over and said do you want to hear how Tessa did? (She was one of the gracious parents that helps get the little ones off the bus and to their classrooms for the first week.) Oh no! Apparently, she cried most of the way to school on the bus. Josie didn't sit with her (she thought she still had assigned seating from last year) and so she didn't have anyone to sit with. Apparently, that really shook her up. :( But, thankfully, the neighbor saw her and sent her daughter over to help her out. (My girls LOVE Brynn.) She settled down quickly and did great the rest of the day. So thankful the neighbor was there to check on her!

We were able to learn a lot about their days. Sounds like everything was great. Maybe a short (very short?) lunch but other than that, sounds like they had fun. Tessa was sad that she didn't get to drink her Capri-Sun and I still haven't really figured out why but I'm sure it will get easier. Those kids chowed down this afternoon and tonight though! They had an after school snack and then took off for the neighbor's house. Then, for dinner, they ate more than I've ever seen them eat and were still asking for more when they were done.

We had a bit of a breakdown with Tessa at bedtime though. Not the usual fit-type breakdown, but more of a weepy thing. I'm tearing up just thinking about it. She said she's confused about what to wear tomorrow and really just wanted big hugs. I can't even imagine how much she had to go through today. A full day of kindergarten with everything new (teachers, students, routines, etc.) can really take it out of a five year old. This is so different than last year when we were just dropping Josie off and picking her back up 2 hours later. I know it will get easier for her and for me, but I immediately threw myself back to all of those uncomfortable school memories - first day at a new school, first time in a lunch line, first night at summer camp, first night away at college, etc. and how scared and uncertain I was. I just feel so helpless and want to make her feel better and hold her hand the whole way. (Meanwhile, I'm fast forwarding to dropping the kids off at college and it makes me cry even more!) I keep reassuring her (and myself) that it will get easier and it will be so much fun, but I think she's having a hard time believing me through my tears. :)

Now, mind you, Josie had a great day and had nothing but positive things to say. Music class was a big hit and she said her teacher was really nice. :) She brought home homework and we managed to get that done tonight too. 

We managed another 7:30 bedtime and I snapped these pictures around 8:15 with the light still streaming in their bedrooms. It looks like Tessa is still concerned. Tom tells me I sleep like this all the time though and I'm convinced that's what has caused all of my wrinkles. :)

Full, full day!

School Already?!?!

One week from today, we'll be putting two (likely very tired) girls to bed after their first day of school. Due to the new balanced calendar, we start on August 1st. We do get two weeks off in October and possibly two weeks off in March, depending on snow days. I'm not convinced this schedule will suit everyone's needs but we'll go with it. It sure has made the summer go flying by!!!!

Today, I finished up school supply shopping for the girls. Josie's list cracked me up in comparison to Tessa's. Tessa just needs a backpack, school box, 3 glue sticks, a pack of crayons and Elmer's. Josie's list is much more extensive! 5 packs of crayons, 8 glue sticks, 24 pencils, 24 colored pencils, 3 folders and 3 composition books, along with a few other random things. Sounds like they're going to put those first graders to work!! :)

Josie has a new teacher to the district, Mrs. McCleery. She's a little nervous I think because none of her three closest friends are in her class. But, she's excited to be in Mrs. McCleery's first class at Mt. Comfort, just like Mrs. Brown last year.

Speaking of whom, Tessa is in her class this year! I'm thrilled. I've mentioned on here before how much we loved her last year and I'm sure this will be the same. We've already talked about how different the two girls are so it will be interesting to see her take on their differences. I've attached a page out of a coloring book that Tessa did today. I've always been amazed at her coloring/drawing ability, but it's really staring to shine through even more. She's starting to draw really cute faces too thanks to her cousin, Taylor. This one was a watercolor and free hand. I've also added a picture of a drawing her 13 year old cousin, Annabel, posted on Facebook today.(I'm posting on my phone so they're not as organized as usual, but I'm SURE you'll be able to tell the difference.) :) There is an artistic gene in that Joyner family I tell ya!

So, in all, I'm physically ready for school to start but not quite mentally. I'm loving the sleeping-in-relaxed-schedule-ness of summer. But, getting back to routine is always nice too.

Emotional Day

Today was an emotional day all the way around. I feel like I have been on the verge of tears (or actually having them roll down my cheeks) all day! 

First - Josie's last day of school was today and watching the teacher give one last hug as they each walked out the door made me start bawling like a baby. She wrote a very nice note in Josie's book too - queue more tears. (I bought "Oh the Places You'll Go" with the hopes of having each teacher sign it at the end of the year - thanks Pinterest!) Josie was sad too because she said Mrs. Brown talked a lot about this class would always be special to her since it was her first kindergarden class. 

A photo from this morning...

Here's a page from her end of the year journal. I think she nailed it and am so glad this is what she got out of the year - the important stuff!

Second - Our Rotary Club put on the annual Memorial Day program. We start the meeting as usual at Ponderosa and have a brief program. This year, Rick Walker talked about a young boy from Hancock County who died in Vietnam. Talk about touching. We then headed down to the Veteran's Park for a prayer, 21 Gun Salute, and taps. I'm glad we do this every year as it always renews my pride in our country. Someone said today that these men died to ensure we were a sovereign nation and ruled by no other. Also, it's always a good reminder that we need to be telling our kids the true meaning of the holiday, just as we do Christmas and Easter. Tom got some great photos here a while back. It's really a fantastic memorial. 

Finally, Andrea visited Timber Run today with Lydia and her mom. Now, we saw her last weekend at the Big May 5K, but only briefly. Seeing her talk about her customers and seeing them again just brought it all rushing back. One of our homeowners went to visit her at Methodist and cried today just talking about it. I'm so proud of how far she has come and how much strength she and her family have demonstrated. The event last weekend was a raging success and more photos can be found on our Joyner Homes Facebook Page, but here are two of my favorites of Andrea.

So, all in all, I'm exhausted. But, just like always, getting my thoughts on paper has helped immensely. I'm ready for the holiday weekend so we can just chill out as a family for a while. We have lots of fun things planned but also lots of downtime planned. My definition of a perfect long weekend!

Random May Mumblings

I have a lot to catch up on so I'm doing it all in one post. Sorry it's so random! 


1. Tessa had her first "friend" birthday party at our house. It was a great time and everyone was able to come even though it was extremely short notice. (Bad mom of the year award - right here). Funny thing - there were FOUR Josie's there! Who knew it would have been such a popular name. (I don't want to post a bunch of photos of the other kids, but here are a few from the party.)

The pink cupcakes

The gift table

Post pinata

 The birthday girl!

They ate out on the back porch - less mess!

2. It's only May 24th and we've already been swimming three times! The girls are getting really good at swimming under water and Tom was teaching Josie to tread water last year. This WILL be the year I get them in swimming lessons. :) Jack is getting more adventurous too! 

3. Tessa definitely reacts poorly to real milk. Over the last weekend, we really didn't pay too much attention to what she was eating. Four horrible fits later, I said to Tom, "Uh, she's had a lot of ice cream lately..." Turns out a little every once in a while doesn't seem to bother her, but two days in a row of ice cream and cheese sticks and she really let loose. We're back to normal now. On a similar note, I did ask the doctor about the whole thing at her five year check up and he said he certainly believes that milk can cause behavior problems even though there haven't been studies to prove it. We just need to make sure she gets enough calcium and Vitamin D. Turns out there's more of both in soy milk than in regular milk! 

4. Josie had a really nice Mother's Day Tea at school. It was actually the morning after the graduation program. I had to hand it to the teacher's for doing such a nice job on both! They were able to show us some of their work and had drawn pictures of their mothers for us to guess. I picked the right one. :) Afterward, the kids went out to recess and Josie showed me that she was able to go across all of the monkey bars - something she's been working on since the beginning of school. Pretty proud girl! 

5. Wholly Guacamole Spicy is about the best thing ever created. I can’t believe I even thought I didn’t like guacamole. One trip to Mexico as an adult changed that. This stuff is delicious and super spicy, but a good spice. I like it with Kashi’s TLC Original 7 Grain Pita Chips. I tell myself they’re not as unhealthy as regular tortilla chips, but they probably are…

Told you it was random!!! But now I feel better having it all documented!

First Day of Kindergarden

Well, today was the big day! Josie had her first day of Kindergarden at Mt. Comfort Elementary.

Last night, she was getting a little weepy and talking about being nervous and missing her mom. She asked if I would put a picture of me in her backpack in case she started to miss me. I did. By this afternoon, she had given it to Tessa because she realized she probably wouldn't need it. :)

We asked her to remember three things to tell us about after her first day.

1. Another classmates name - she remembered Bri. Bri was actually the granddaughter of the first sitter the girls had in Greenfield. :)

2. Her favorite activity - It was coloring a frog. She said it was her teacher's favorite animal and she would get to bring it home tomorrow.

3. Her favorite part of the day - It was free time. She told us all about the stations in the classroom - the easel (at which she didn't want to push someone out of the way for fear of time out), the kitchen, the library, and she said the computers would be next week. She also said there could only be five kids on each station at a time.

She had it down. :)

Here are some photos from the first day.

Night before...

 Choosing the perfect outfit...

Not so sure about that Tessa...

Ah yes. Perfect...

 So big! (And, yes we changed the shirt choice.)

Aw mom... So embarrassing. (Wonder how long pictures like this will last?)

Big girl!

Going...

Going...

Gone! She ran the whole way! :)