Last Day of School, 2015

I found the below photos in a draft folder and wanted to make sure to capture them here.  As the last week of school wound down, William George completely lost interest in attending, and we often found him hiding when it was time to get dressed.  

Once we coaxed him out of his hiding place, he was happy to pose with his sisters on their last day of school for an official wrap of K3 and second grade.  

End of Year Party, K3 Edition

William George's class party was last Thursday. 

The class played in the gym while we were waiting for the bounce houses to arrive. When they did, we went outside to watch them inflate.  George and his best friend, C, were always close by.  

After a turn in the bounce house, they went inside the caterpillar. George was a little nervous at first, but he warmed up to it quickly. 

The class had a picnic outside and then went to the classroom for an ice cream social. Below is George's expression whenever ice cream is mentioned.  

He had so much fun this year and learned so much from his talented teacher. One of his favorite things about her classroom is that each student picked a job upon arrival. His favorite jobs were 1) weather checker, 2) Christian flag holder, 3) American flag holder, 4) Bible holder, 5) door holder, and 6) line leader. George and all of his friends took their jobs very seriously, and he will miss having a daily assignment. I'm sure K4 will be loaded with fun assignments, too, and he is very excited to move up to the next class.  

Valentine's Party, K3, 2015

William George was excited about "Valentime's Day," and he came home describing various art projects in the week or so leading up to the big day. Since George refused to complete any art projects last year, this is progress. 

The celebration was supposed to be a "fancy party," and I was prepared to "Downton Abbey" the whole event with a coat, tie, hat, etc.  My only regret was not having a top hat on hand. Although George wears his fedora around the house pretty much all the time, he refused to wear any of the recommended clothing items on the day of the party, opting for his tried-and-true Snoopy shirt from last year. 

After a Valentime exchange and pictures in the church parlor, it was time to party. The class seranaded parents with song, and then William George chowed down.

Valentine's Party, K3, 2015 from Cathi Lindsey on Vimeo.

As it turns out, William George LOVES Valentime's Day, but that may just be the sugar talking.

PS: Remember the duo's K3 Valentine's party?

2014 School Christmas Parties (K3 and Second Grade)

Yesterday was a day of parties. William George's class celebrated in the morning with quite a spread of party food. George helped himself to ALL of the food. He had several chicken nuggets, hot dogs, chips and then devoured three or four cookies. He chased it all down with a couple of juice boxes. He and his friends exchanged books, and he gave his sweet teachers necklaces. He was very proud of his gifts, even if he did not always want to let go of them during the exchange process.  

Lauren and Grace's second grade classes had a combined Christmas party yesterday afternoon. The party was very cute, but I knew it was going to be eventful when a fellow mom came toward me hurriedly asking, "Who packed the goody bags???" Another friend, Mrs. M. packed them, and she explained that her son had chosen whistles to go in the bags. So... at exactly three minutes into the party, forty-five whistles were being whistled at exactly the same time. HA! In consolation to Mrs. M,  they were obviously a HUGE hit, as the children whistled as loudly as they could for the next twenty minutes until the teachers kiboshed all whistling for the rest of the party. They were saints for allowing twenty minutes.  Other than the whistling, the classes also had a special request for Mr. Claus.

We had a fun day of parties, and we are ready to kick off Christmas vacation. The countdown to Christmas Day starts exactly....NOW!

Family Portrait (Sort of)

I know when I get prompts from my father-in-law (Hi Ralph!) about posting that the blog has gotten a little dusty. Currently, we are a little swamped with all the usual comings and goings, as well as recovering from birthday happenings. Updates on the birthday party to come very soon, I promise.  

In the meantime, William George's K3 teacher requested a couple of photos recently. First, she needed a baby picture of George, and we returned that very quickly. Bam! Done!

Second, she needed a family portrait.  We aren't as diligent about family portraits and haven't had one taken since the girls were one year old. That portrait obviously wouldn't do, as it would underscore George's birth order (i.e., no portrait for the third child!). So I planned to have a photo taken one Sunday when we were all dressed for church, but that never seemed to work out.  When the deadline was upon us, we simply gathered on the deck in what we were wearing (That worked out fine for Skip and the duo; George and I are wearing t-shirts!) and had my mom snap a quick photo.  

George loves his family photo. 

More updates to come soon. 

An Update On K3

William George had a wonderful year at K2. He loved his teachers, his friends, his schedule, etc. However, he does not like change, and therefore, when the time came to explain that he would no longer have his wonderful Mrs. L and that he would have Mrs. Christie as a teacher this year, he seemed less than pleased. Complicating matters was the fact that we know a few Christie's, and he couldn't quite figure out who his teacher would be. He sure knew it wouldn't be his old buddy and friend, Mrs. L, and that was hard to accept.

He was a little wary about meet-the-teacher, and he was absolutely reluctant to start class. Sometime during his second week of school, I asked him about his day on the way home. He played outside. His "job" was "weather checker," and he told me they discussed the letter "T". Then he said, "Mrs. Christie... she had on blue pants."

"She did?" I asked.
"And her hair...... it's a lil' bit messy..." he offered, while wiggling his fingers next to his ear to indicate her scrunchy curls (that are lovely, by the way).

Needless to say, he is very pleased with Mrs. Christie, and he is excited to get to say hello to Mrs. L and his other favorite teachers from Sunday School. Weather Checker is one of his favorite jobs, but yesterday he told me his job was "sweeper," and that might be the best gig yet. I think he is going to love K3.

The Last Hours of Freedom

The trio are wrapping up their first full week of school. The duo love their teachers. William George's update about Mrs. Christie on Wednesday was that she was wearing blue pants. Then he paused for a second and wriggled his fingers beside his head, adding, "And her hair... it's a lil' bit messy." She has gorgeous wavy/curly hair. Needless to say, I think he is smitten.

Before we completely forget about summer, I went through our recent photos and wanted to capture a rarity for us this summer... playing at home. The Tuesday before school started, we assisted Grammie with her daily walking, en familia, and the trio had a great time.

First Day of School, 2014-2015 (K3 Edition)

William George's first day of K3 was this past Monday. Because I drop off the duo and then carry the patient to her morning appointments, Skip has been taking George to daycare this summer and will be managing his school drop this fall.

We really talked up his first day and put emphasis on the fact that he will now be able to play on the BIG playground (versus the toddler and K2 area). Since George is part monkey and plays on the big playground after church each week, he was more than ready to charge out the door Monday morning. He will be going three mornings a week, and yesterday was his second day. While we were busy with our morning routine, he asked me where he was going... and when I didn't immediately answer, he repeated, while pulling on my dress:

Where I going today?
Where will I be?
Will you talk about it?

So, of course, we did, and then he was fine. Although Snoopy didn't make the trip (he stayed in the car), you can bet "cloffie" is tucked away in that backpack.

Meet the Teacher, 2014-2015, William George Edition

Last Thursday night William George and I went to meet his K3 teacher and see his classroom. We have actually known this wonderful lady for years, but George was confused because we know someone else by the same name. He was happy to refresh his memory on which Mrs. "C" is going to be his teacher. 

He carried his supplies in his backpack and quickly found his seat at one of the tables. 

Then he explored the classroom at length. He especially liked the weather chart and the birthday wall. 

The best part is that he has several friends from K2 who will be in his class again this year.  He is very excited about the upcoming year and getting to play with his sweet friends.