First Day of Nursery School

 

Here is my pretty Ella girl on her first day of Nursery School.  She was so excited to put on her pink clothes, and her new “sparkle sneakers”.  All decked out with her Princess backpack, and Hello Kitty snack bag, I thought that perhaps we would avoid tears.  Nope.  We pulled into the parking lot and she started with “I don’t want to go, Mommy.”  I coaxed her out of the car, and she grabbed Daddy’s hand to walk into the school.  Just before we reached the door, she threw her snack bag on the ground and started pouting.  Oh, boy.  We got to the cubby room, and she didn’t want to wear her name sticker.  We tried sticking it to her back so she wouldn’t see, but…she found it.  It’s a good thing they know who she is, already!  We went into the classroom, and she hid behind James.  We went over to see the guinea pigs, and phew…she perked up.  We sat down to play with some play dough, and she liked that.  I started the “Mommy’s going to go now” conversation, and then came the waterworks.  I ended up leaving her with one of the other teachers from another classroom, told her I love her and that I would be back soon to pick her up, and I walked away.  With tears in my eyes.  I was scheduled to be a ‘floater’ for any criers that needed a hug, or just to be settled.  I knew I couldn’t be in Ella’s class, so I wandered down to the 4’s classroom.  They really didn’t need me, but they were so kind to let me sit and play and distract MYSELF from the fact that my little girl had a hard time being left in her classroom.  Sigh.  All was well a short while later and she ended up having a good day (like I knew that she would).  She was all smiles when we picked her up after school.  Here’s hoping Wednesday will be a little easier for her. 

Ch…Ch…Ch…Changes

Our family is going through a lot of changes right now, or so it seems.  No, no.  I’m not pregnant.  But, wouldn’t that be fun news?  Ah, I digress.

Let’s see…where to begin.  I interviewed, back in May, for a position at the nursery school where Ryan attended, and where Ella will soon be attending.  I found out shortly after that I did not get the position.  I was ok with it.  I figured God had a reason for me not getting the job, and I was thankful that it wasn’t something our family was counting on…just something I had wanted to do.  Due to some changes at another local nursery school (it closed), the numbers at our school increased, and they found themselves in need of another teacher.  So, while on vacation in Maine, in August, I got a phone call asking if I was still interested in the position.  Yes!  I was (am), and I accepted!  So…I will be teaching Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, starting this week!  I am thankful for the opportunity, but must confess that I look forward to actually only working the 6 hours I was hired for.  I honestly don’t know how working Moms do it all!  I’ve been putting in a *few* more hours a week, preparing for the school year, and I’m finding it difficult to keep up with stuff at home!  Looking forward to a routine.

You see, I was supposed to start last week, but our area got hit HARD by Tropical Storm Lee.  I think I read that our area picked up over 10 inches of rain in a 24 hour period.  That is a LOT of rain, friends.  A whole lot.  Many in Binghamton and surrounding communities have just been devastated by the record flooding.  Some have even lost their entire homes.  We are fortunate to live up on a hill, and we did not suffer any damage from the rain, but my heart truly breaks for those around us that are facing the destruction to their homes and lives.  It is going to be a long road ahead to clean it all up.  It is neat to see how the community comes together to help one another, though.   We have been trying to help in what seems like small ways (to us), but I know that every little bit helps.

Last week was a big week for Ry-guy.  Not only did he start KINDERGARTEN (whoa), but he also turned 6!  We celebrated his birthday the weekend before with a mini-golf party with his friends.  The flooding provided a bit of a challenge, as the place we originally were going to go was flooded.  However, the place where we were able to relocate just *happened* to be donating all proceeds from mini-golf (from now until the end of the year) to flood victims.  It was a win-win situation, and we are so glad they could accommodate our group.  The kids had a great time!

The food!  The cupcakes were frosted with green and I made little golf balls to go on the top.  I made paper flags and glued them to toothpicks, and marked them with numbers 1-18 to represent the 18 holes.  I thought they were cute…and not difficult!

Daddy helping Ella with her putt


Oops…I interrupted his swing!


Ryan was THRILLED that he got a hole-in-one on this hole.


The birthday boy!

All ready to go to Kindergarten!

A hug for Mom before we go!


A little nervous now that we are standing outside the classroom!


Phew, they have Legos!

Ella will start preschool tomorrow.  I’m not sure if she will cry or not.  I was thinking not, but she seems to be a bit clingy lately.  I will let you know how that turns out!  Sigh…they really DO grow up so fast. 

Our lives seem very busy right now, but it’s all good.  I’m so thankful for the ability to BE busy.  I know that there are a lot of people around us that are suffering, and I just pray that in all of our busy-ness…we don’t forget.  That we can help those that need help, and not get bogged down by our own agendas.  No, I don’t want to forget.