The biggest question I had about school was whether Millie Janalee would need for me to homeschool her...something I said I would never do...or if her school would start back with in person class.  Thankfully, our city schools did decide to return to in traditional schooling with a virtual option.  We opted for in person.  Again, I really hated the virtual learning for my family.  Technology just causes so many problems here.  

But again, things are still different.  We are not allowed in the public school buildings at all.  Millie Janalee had a virtual Meet the Teacher time.  It wasn't the same, and Millie Janalee is not the best Zoom participant either. But, I was glad to see the faces of the ones who will take care of her this year!

 

 

 

Millie Janalee started at a new school this year.  Grades 3-5 are in a different school than K-2.  This had lots of us third grade mamas a little uneasy dropping our kids off with people we didn't know at a building we had never entered.

 

A friend of mine and I were asked to serve as PTO president and vice president this year...which was completely random!  But also perfect.  We were both very excited to be involved during a time when involvement was a privilege.  Because of the various projects we worked on before school, I was able to be in the building, see Millie Janalee's classroom, and get familiar with some of the staff.  

 The night before school, we had signs placed in the front of the school to welcome students the next morning.  So we loaded the family up to check on things, and I was able to get Millie Janalee out to see her school one last time before the chaos of the first day of school.  

Third grade?!  I don't know how it happened!

I spent the rest of the night getting clothes laid out, the table set, and backpacks and lunchboxes ready for her first day (and Smith's third day)!

When I went to wake up Millie Janalee, she said "Will I get to see Abigail?"  When I told her she would get to see her friends today, she jumped straight up and was ready for breakfast and pictures in record time!  Her daddy baked muffins while I served the fruit.  But I'm pretty sure she still pulled the muffins in a bag from the pantry. Ha!

You will also notice this is the year of NO hairbow.  Let's have a moment of silence here.

Her principal and assistant principal did such a great job welcoming the kids with a festive and calm morning.  They had music, signs, and greeted everyone so enthusiastically.  But it was still calm, so no one felt overwhelmed.  I was that mom who stood around with my camera and got photos at every photo spot I could find.  Thankfully, Millie Janalee was in the mood to cooperate.

 

 

Then it was time, and she was ready to go see her friends!  My big girl walking into her big school during the pandemic...unafraid and ready to start.  We could all learn a thing or two from our kids these days.  

 

 

 

Thankful for another school year with sweet teachers and friends!

First Day of Kindergarten

 
The first day of kindergarten came, and we had one excited little boy!  He has never started school before Millie Janalee before.  So it was a treat for him to have something special just for him!  He had donuts for breakfast.  We like to load him up on alllllll the sugar before sending him off to others. Ha!  Donuts and chocolate are probably his favorite things in life.

He was ready and dressed early enough for lots of pictures and was even able to throw the football with Russ some before school.  Can you tell how excited he was?

 

This year has been different for sure!  Parents are not allowed in the schools this year.  Not for pickup or dropoff or parties.  Our preschool is going above and beyond to keep everyone safe.  We are thankful.  The children must wear masks walking in and out of the building.  However, they are able to take them off in class.  It has been so interesting how well the children have accepted the mask wearing.  Smith has not complained, and enjoys picking his mask out each day.

 

First day of school drop off always ends with me in tears.  No matter what age my kids are.  Dropping off in the carline this year may have helped that.  I was so sad not being able to walk him into his first day of kindergarten, but I was happy to see him greeted so enthusiastically at the the temperature check station.

It's a crazy time we live in...

 

 

When we picked him up from school he was proud of his new kindergarten hat and couldn't wait to tell us about his day!  He was able to Marco his birthmother as well after she sent him a good luck video earlier in the day.  A sweet time for my baby boy for sure!

 

 Oh, the places you'll go!

'Twas the Night Before Kindergarten

'Twas the night before kindergarten when all through the house...there was excitement and a crazy mama trying to make it special!  Even with five months to prepare for the first day back to school...it still snuck up on me.  I found myself rummaging through piles of books to find The Night Before Kindergarten to read to Smith.  I was busily gathering things for our special breakfast and getting clothes ironed.  What have I been doing all this time?! Ha!

One of the sweetest things our teachers give the kindergartners each year is Jitter Glitter to put under their pillow at night to help them sleep.  Smith was so excited about it and was completely sold on how well it would help him sleep!

Y'all.  He's just so stinkin' cute!  I know I'm biased, but look at him!  I teared up more than once when I just sat still and pondered how big he is getting.  I have taken trips down memory lane looking at photos from his first and second year of life.  I was tired.  Didn't even soak in what I should have between his screaming.  He has ALWAYS kept us on our toes. But look at how he has grown!  I miss that beautiful precious chubby baby with the white blonde curls and tiny chin.  Oh I could eat him up.  

But let's be honest.  I still could eat him up nearly every day.  He smiles so easily and loves life so much!  Every night at dinner I ask the kids for the worst and best part of their day.  Smith nearly every time says, "Everything" was his best part.  We love him so and can't wait to see him grow!

 

 

 All the clothes were laid out and the table was set!

 

'Twas the night before Kindergarten and all was well.

Back to School - COVID Style!

 We held our breath all summer.  I planned and gathered all the information I could possibly need in case school didn't start back.  I am thankful for virtual learning for many students who need it, but I really was not interested in my kids sitting in front of technology all day every day.  So I visited my sister-in-law to get all her homeschooling advice, I did my own research, I took notes, and I set up a semi-homeschool area in our house.

But thankfully, school did resume!!  Our public schools delayed a few days, so Smith actually went back to school first.  I am so thankful for our precious preschool.  They have gone above and beyond to get our kids back safely.

 

 

Smith started KINDERGARTEN this year!! I can't believe how quickly these five years have gone by!  Smith is the most cheerful, expressive, playful, and energetic little person I know.  I am so happy to send him to these sweet teachers who I know will love every bit of that in him. 

 

Meet the teacher was a little odd at first.  But it's our new normal.  We all wore our masks.  We all had temperature checks when we arrived at our appointed time.  For a minute, I thought we weren't going to make it as Smith's temperature came up as 106 at the door! Haha!  A new thermometer did the trick and we were good to go!  

 

Mrs. Kathy Ferris

Mrs. Kathy Wallace

Ms. Lauren

Smith was so quiet and taking it all in.  None of us are used to him being shy.  But it had been a long five months since he had been in school, so it was a lot to get used to with masks and temp checks and new rules about where you can go and with how many.  But he was excited and so ready to be a big kindergartner!

A sign of the times

It was surreal.  But we were all so excited to get back to a routine with friends and schedules and a love of learning!

Last Days of School 2020

One of the hard parts of quarantine was schooling.  Although I enjoyed being able to channel my teacher side, I was so sad for Millie Janalee and Smith.  They missed their teachers and their friends.  They weren't able to finish out the year.  For Smith, this meant no spring program...and he had been singing around the house for weeks.  For Millie Janalee, it meant she will never step foot back into her school as a student.  Next year, she will move to another school building.  And we had just enjoyed her teachers so much this year, I wasn't ready for it to end.  I shed some tears over the whole thing.

The schools have worked so hard to make these kids feel special, and all the parents are so grateful!  This has been an opportunity to see how the teachers connect with our kids.  I have seen Millie Janalee's teacher read Charlotte's Web through her Google Classroom.  Her class had a couple "math nights" on Zoom with their teachers playing fun games.  Her Challenge teacher called regularly to check in.  Smith's teachers sent videos of the Letter of the Week and science experiments.  Millie Janalee and Smith's faces lit up when they got to see their teachers' faces.  And I loved feeling like a part of that!

As May drew near, and we realized going back to school just was not going to happen...the schools started working on fun plans. 

Our sweet preschool hosted a precious drive thru end of the year parade!  All the teachers from all the classes stood out and handed out treats as we stopped at each station.  They greeted the kids with smiles and excitement, and these littles were just beside themselves to see everyone! 

 

Smith was hanging out of the window talking to his classmates in the cars through the line.  It was the funniest thing to hear their conversations. Big sister even got treats! 

By the time we reached the end of the line and saw those kindergarten teachers doing their "Good job!  Good job!" cheer, I had tears streaming down my face.  It was just such a precious time.  I was heartbroken for the kindergartners who didn't get to finish out such a special year with those fabulous teachers, but I was also touched by these precious memories made.  Just love all around!

Millie Janalee's teachers did something special too.  They planned a drive by!  They took an afternoon and drove by all 42+ houses around town.  Our house isn't even in the district, much less on the same side of town as the rest of the students.

So we tried to make them feel as special as we knew how when they finally made their way out to us!  Millie Janalee was so excited as we waited on them to round that corner.

They rounded the corner honking and hanging out their windows.  They had painted their cars and had huge smiles across their faces.  I knew they were tired, but they didn't show it.  If you want to earn a mama's heart...love her babies!

And that is what I have felt this school year...love.  I knew my wild man Smith was loved no matter what.  They looked for the good in him and saw the same sweet Smith I see.  Millie Janalee's teachers communicated with us all year.  They were grateful.  I was grateful.  And Millie Janalee loved school!  She formed new close friendships, and that was fun to watch as well. 

So the last days of school were sad.  But they were also filled with gratitude.  We took it all for granted.  Never again.  If this whole pandemic has taught us anything, it's that it can all be taken away quick.  Love on those who love your babies.  I know I plan to! 

I am thankful for the teachers all over who have shared their heart and kept loving their students.  What a difference that has made for us!

Mother's Day Weekend

 For Mother's Day this year I asked for a family day.  So the Saturday before, Russ and I decided to take the kids to Dismals Canyon for a little day hike experience.  Before we left, Russ and the kids went ahead and gave me some Mother's Day treats - some homemade cards and a priceless video Russ had worked so hard to put together!  It was the PERFECT gift!  Russ and I typically don't do big gifts for each other.  We may, on occasion, go overboard.  But overall, a homemade gift is as good as a diamond necklace.

Because of quarantine, the cafe and bathrooms were closed.  So I wasn't sure how this would end up. But we took our lunches and made sure everyone took a bathroom break before we left town.

Russ called to find out about registration (you are supposed to fill out the form at home, but we were out of ink in the printer), the lady told him that they have been over double capacity since quarantine started.  When their numbers are usually around 300...they had been at 1000 the previous count.  We parked down the road because the parking lot was full.  But once we got signed in, it didn't seem crowded at all!

There were plenty of side climbs and distractions for us all to get off the trail and find our own fun.  Of course, Smith wanted to explore every single dangerous looking nook and cranny.  So we let him.  Ha!

We took our shoes off and waded in the freezing water, climbed rocks, and squeezed between logs.  We saw families of all ages.  One grandfather even brought his own tailgate chair to set up when he needed to rest every once in a while.  While he rested, the grandkids played and climbed wherever they stopped.

After a couple hours or so, we decided to head back toward the entrance.  Except we weren't real sure where that was.  We had ventured a little too far from the path.  After climbing over and under and across logs, water, and rocks...we eventually found our way back to the trail.  

It was a gorgeous day for a day at Dismals Canyon!  My heart was full, and I think the whole family enjoyed the day.  Smith was certainly in his element.  Millie Janalee was a trooper and made it at least halfway before complaining.

Sunday morning, we enjoyed watching church online and taking the morning slow.  Kristin and Lee hosted the family for the afternoon, and Kristin prepared a delicious dinner for us all to enjoy.  I think this may have been the first time the whole family had eaten together since the pandemic began.  And it was delicious! Lots of laughs and lots of talking...which probably meant lots of interruptions and half conversations. 

It was a Happy Mother's Day filled with family!  Exactly what I asked for!