A Thanksgiving program to remember

Today was Kara's Thanksgiving program at school.  For weeks her class has been working on making scarecrow hats, decorations and snacks, and learning the songs and poems that they would perform for their audience.

About 3 days ago, Kara mentioned that she didn't want to wear the hat she made.

About 2 days ago, Kara mentioned that she didn't want to go up on the stage.

Yesterday, Kara mentioned that she didn't want to sing OR smile.

Last night, we had a heart-to-heart at bedtime.  I told her how mommy goes to each and every show at school, so very excited to see her little girl perform.  I sit in the audience each time, just waiting to get a peek at my baby, and hoping that she'll participate in her show.  Mommy assured Kara that there was no need to worry about performing in front of a big crowd, because each and every mommy and daddy would only be watching their special little girl or boy.

So today came, and off to school we went.  Kara was in a pleasant mood when I dropped her off, and she willingly put on her little hat and posed for a class photo.  So far, so good!

I took my seat in the auditorium with high hopes, but low expectations.  Enter the two classes, with about 30 preschoolers.  Child-by-child, they climbed up on to the stage wearing their darling little scarecrow hats and darling little smiles.  I held my breath as Kara entered the room.  She walked right up to the stage!  She took her place!  She smiled and waved at me!

And the performance just got better and better from there.  Not only did she smile throughout, but she sang and did all of the actions ... she recited the poems, and kept waving to her mommy and Jack in the audience.  She even gave us several "thumbs up" signs, and signed "I love you".

Never have I been so proud.  My baby girl did it!  Kara was in her first school program, without any complaints, resistance or tears.  It was truly a Thanksgiving program to remember!

Goodbye school, hello summer!

It's hard to believe, but another school year has come to an end!

Just a couple of weeks ago Kara finished her first year of preschool.  They marked the last day with a fun day of activities for students and families.

We're so pleased with how far Kara has come this year, and how much she has grown and learned.  We can hardly wait for the next school year to begin!

Then this week it was time for Jenna to say goodbye to kindergarten, and all of her fabulous friends and teachers.  What a great year!

Hard to believe that it's over.  Seems like just yesterday mommy was nervously sending her baby off to school on the bus.  Now's she's officially a first grader!

17 Days

Saturday was an uneventful, quiet day at home. Yard work, house cleaning, laundry, and some fun in the sun. Daddy figured out to blow up the behemoth pool that grandma and pa gave to us, and Kara and Jenna enjoyed some swimming time in the yard. Jack, not so much. Still not a big fan of water or getting wet!

Late Saturday afternoon, mommy went to check the mail, and the contents of that little box at the end of the driveway put my life into a tailspin. No, it wasn't anything as good as winning a million dollars from Publishers Clearinghouse . . . nothing as bad as a jury duty summons, tax bill, or a collection notice. It was a seemingly innocuous envelope from the school district where Jenna will be attending kindergarten in the fall.

Curious, I opened it. All I had to see was the title of the contents to send my heart racing and my palms sweating: school bus route and schedule. The good people at the school district's transportation office have taken the time to plan, schedule, map out and create the bus schedule for fall. I had expected the information's arrival in "early August", but hadn't really thought about it and certainly didn't realize the impact it was going to have on me.

The paper figuratively leaped out of the envelope and smacked me right in the face. My baby girl is getting ever-closer to the day when she'll become a kindergartner. The beginning of her life as a student . . . the beginning of mommy and daddy sending her out into the world on her own. On a bus. By herself. With about 80 other kids. The beginning of mommy spending her days without her little side-kick in tow.

Sure I knew this day was fast-approaching. We've begun "back-to-school" shopping for clothes, shoes and school supplies last month. We've bought and read no less than three books about the first days of kindergarten. Jenna has been talking about this day for months. I have all of the information that I was given at registration day back in May in a little folder on my kitchen counter. I've been meaning to pull it out and read it over. Let me get it. See, right here. It says that the first day of kindergarten will be . . . hold it . . .

August 20th?!

This month?! What happened to starting school after Labor Day? August 20th is just 17 days away. 17 days?! That's not nearly enough time. I still have so much to do . . . so much to see . . . so much to experience with my baby before she begins school. I've heard other mommies lament over their children starting school. There being so much that they wanted to do and didn't . . . so much time that they wanted to get back but couldn't . . . I swore that I wouldn't let that happen to me. To us. We were connected at the hip and had nothing but sweet time on our hands because I'm a stay-at-home mommy now, and my job is to spend every precious moment of life with my children.

Surely this can't be happening to me.

All I can say is, fasten your seat belt Jenna. This is going to be the busiest 17 days of your life: the zoo, the beach, the pool, wherever you want to go, whatever you want to do. Just be sure to bring along some Kleenex for mama . . . she's going to have a tough 17 days.