Sylvia's First Day of 1st Grade

Sylvia headed off to her first day of 1st Grade on August 19th.  She was excited to get back to school but not quite ready for summer to be over.  Her friend, Sophia, from kindergarten was a friendly face in her new classroom.

Eric's First Day of Preschool

This big guy was so excited when his first day of preschool finally arrived.  It was a little hard for him to wait once Sylvia headed to kindergarten.  I knew the day would come, but I can't believe Eric is already in preschool.  I know he's going to have a great year with Mrs. Fink, Mrs. Potter and Mrs. Grimes.

Balancing Mousy on his lap.

Having trouble standing still for mom's pictures.

Ready to be done taking pictures.

Not sure if he wanted to share the camera with Sylvia.

Eric walked ahead of Sylvia wearing his backpack on the way to her school.

Heading in with Mousy for his first day of preschool.

Showing off his buddy to Mrs. Potter.

I think the first day may have worn him out but Macy was still all smiles.

Macy, Gwen, Eric & Hayden.  We'll see how the teachers are holding up at the end of the year.

Sylvia's 1st Day of Kindergarten

What a bittersweet day.  I get tears in my eyes just looking at these pictures.  My little girl was so excited for her first day of kindergarten.

Heading off to school in a new dress from Grandma, carrying her Hello Kitty lunch box from Emily, wearing some almost worn out shoes and socks and sporting a new butterfly backpack from mama.

Showing off her backpack...and her dimple.

This mama was excited for her little girl but also (more than) a little sad that she would now be spending her days at school.

We got to school early enough to spend a little time playing on the playground before the bell rang.

Waiting outside her classroom for the start of the first day of school.

After hanging up her backpack and putting her lunch box in the bin, Sylvia found her seat and got right to work drawing a picture.  She was joined by Pritika, Sasha and Aiden.

The first few days of school went well for Sylvia but she quickly began to get sad and miss being home with mom.  I tried my best to stay strong and tell her about all the great things school would include.  I was so thankful for the hot weather at the start of the year that ended up providing more than a week of early release days.  Sylvia and I prayed together and memorized a Bible verse that would help her remember to talk to God while she is away from home.  Her teacher, Ms. Jensen, was very kind and loving to her and encouraged her to take care of her feelings.  Eric would even chime in and remind her that Ms. Jensen would make kindergarten fun.  

We're now a little more than two months into the school year and Sylvia has stopped holding onto to my arm as I send her in to the classroom.  There were tears for awhile and then a little extra clinginess after that but I think she's settling in now.  She still writes me notes during the day that say that she misses me but seems to fine while I'm away.  I volunteer in the classroom on Tuesday mornings and have stopped by to have lunch a few times this year.  It's always fun to see her with her new friends and we're excited for this new opportunity to get to know so many new people.

Ice Cream Social / First Day of MWF preschool

ICE CREAM SOCIAL

Sylvia spent the end of summer looking forward to the start of preschool.  We went to her ice cream social at the end of August, saw her classroom, talked to Mrs. Fink, played on the playground, spent time with friends and of course...enjoyed some ice cream.  Eric managed to get himself a second bowl from Mrs. Potter.

 

1ST DAY OF PRESCHOOL

Sylvia took her new monkey from Granny with on the first day of school.  She was very excited. 

 

Sylvia's 1st Day of Preschool

This little girl was very excited for her first day of preschool.
Firedog got to come to school with Sylvia today.
Standing by her coat hook.
Sitting by friends, Samantha and Elizabeth, at the start of the day.


Quotes of the day...
Sylvia was dancing around the house and singing this morning. "I'm going to go to preschool. I'm going to go to preschool. I'm going to go to preschool, because it's lots of fun."

As we got in the car after preschool Sylvia told me, "Eric doesn't know what to do at preschool but I do."

While playing with Eric at home after preschool I heard Sylvia say, "Eric, I'm so excited to see you."

Sylvia told me, "We read a book called Bear is Scared." She was also singing "Five little hot dogs frying in a pan. One went pop. Four little hot dogs..."

First Day of Preschool Interview
Where did you go this morning? - Preschool

Who got to go to preschool with you? - Firedog

Who is your teacher? - I don't know.
Do you remember her name? - Mrs. Potter, Mrs. Fink
Did you have any other teachers besides Mrs. Potter and Mrs. Fink? - Yeah
What was her name? - I don't know.
Do you remember who was at the art table? - Mrs. Berends

What friends are in your class? - Samantha
Any others? - I met maybe Abby or someone

What did you play with in centers? - What's centers?
What did you play with in your classroom? - Light beads at the light table and I played with the ice cream.

What did you do at recess? - We played with some things.

What did you have for snack? - Those little tiny things. I don't know what they called them. A friend brought those cookies.

What books did you read? - I didn't ready any books, but I poured my own juice with the little pitcher and someone.

Did you sing songs? - Yes

What was your favorite things about preschool today? - Recess

Did you go potty? - Yes, two times.
Did you ask your teacher? - Yes, that's what you do at preschool.

Do you remember what your Bible story was about today? - "About Jesus. And there was a man there and he didn't want the people to see Jesus."