Last summer weekend, then Kindergarten Bound

On the last official summer weekend, we got to go to Waco for a cousin's wedding!  We decided to make a stop at the Cameron Park Zoo in the afternoon since the wedding wasn't until evening.  Kidd hurt his back, so I had to single-parent the adventure.  Note to self:  Keep the husband around, even if only to assist with child management. 

Sorry the picture is so far away, but I was trying to get the whole sign in.  It's one or the other, right?

For being a fairly small zoo, we saw ALL kinds of great animals and creatures---fish, bears, monkeys, alligators, birds, bison....the list is endless. We did skip the giraffes and elephants to go to the Splash Pad.  I'm pretty sure it was their favorite part of the trip!

Then it was time to get ready for the wedding.  Aren't they the cutest?! I'm not biased, or anything. The picture below on the right is from the photo booth at the wedding.  My cousin, OJ, his holding up the kids so they can peek through.  Isn't that a fun idea?!

So, Monday was the big day.  Kindergarten!  Never have I seen a kid so excited about going to school (and probably never will again). 

These two are sure going to miss seeing each other on the playground and around school for the next few years! (and mommy is going to miss one drop off stop...)

With all the hustle and bustle of everyone arriving at the same time, Mrs. Kellen was wonderfully organized with things for the kids to do when they got to school on Monday, so there was no confusion.

In his seat and ready to learn!!

 

 The sweetest Kindergarten teacher ever, Mrs. Kellen! 

This pic is from Meet the Teacher night, which I did NOT make.

And this little gem is courtesy of Miss Sarah Giles of Butterfly Chaser Photography!  We took pics in June, and she made this and posted it to my Facebook page the night before Kindergarten started. I LOVE it and can't wait to see the rest of our pics from that shoot!  Of course, I will share when we get them...

Day 4 of Kinder and he is loving it!  Today was the first day I had to drop him off and wasn't allowed to walk him in (his rule, not the school's).  Nobody told me that would be harder than the first day!!  He was just mad that I insisted on dropping him off at the building rather than across the street so he could do the cross walk.  He did great, and we may explore the crosswalk option next week.  He's got plenty of time for that, since he'll be at this school for five years. 

We are so proud of him, and love hearing his daily adventures in Kindergarten.  May he always be so willing to share his daily experience in the evening when we get home (with some pointed questions).  I hope he continues to have such a love of learning, that school is always enjoyable to him.  I know it probably won't be, but I think this year is off to a great start and we can just hope for the best!

Wednesday's Winning Words

KINDERGARTEN!! 

I could stop there.  Really.  But, that would just be mean.  As you may know, Justus started Kindergarten on Monday.  Talk about one seriously excited little boy!  Don't fret, for those that aren't on Facebook, more pictures are coming in a subsequent post.  It's been a busy week.  We have heard about all of the wonderful things about Kindergarten and Kids Klub (after school program), so there could be a lot to share on this Wednesday.  Instead, I will share with you the conversation that I was never prepared for.

It's Tuesday morning (one day of Kinder under his belt):

Justus:  I have to go outside and check the weather!
Me (and Kidd):  Why?
Justus:  Because I'm going to run to school today.

We completely disregarded this because we had never discussed it...and frankly I figured he meant when we got to school, he was wanting to run in the building.

Then, a few minutes later when he and I were about to leave:

Me:  Justus get your things and let's get in the car, please.
J:  Awww, man.  (breaking down into whiny child) I was going to run to school today.
Me:  Justus, we live over a mile from the school and you are five.  There's no way you are walking or running to school by yourself right now....and frankly, probably not this year.
J:  I wasn't going to go by myself.  You could come with me.
Me:  Well, how would I get to work then?  I wouldn't have my car.
J: You could come back and get it.

Clearly, he overestimates my ability to walk in the August heat (even at 7:30 a.m.) and not get sweaty and gross...and he thinks I'm very fast...

To cap it all off, Little Mr. I-Can-Do-It-By-Myself insisted, this morning, that I no longer walk him in the building.  I have to drop him off. 

I. Am. Crushed. 

(all the while, truly appreciating his independence)

Three days?  I thought I could get at least a week of walking in with him. 

When did he become such a big kid??

Wednesday's Winning Words

The Language Explosion has taken over our home and I LOVE it.  Delaney has really started using her words (which is nice because Little Miss Drama Queen can throw. a. fit.).  Of course, an almost 2-year-old speaks their own language and says our words they way they can and it's about the cutest thing I've ever heard. 

My current favorite is that she says "Ah-wite" for "alright" instead of "o.k."  So, it goes like this:

Me: Delaney, will you please put your dirty clothes away?

D: ah-wite.

Me: Delaney, let's brush your hair."

D: ah-wite.

..and a million more like it.  I'm not sure what got her saying that instead of "ok," which was a favorite of Justus, but I melt when I hear it.  Hearing that sweet little (*cooperative*) voice just makes my heart smile.