have you filled a bucket today?

I just need to do a catch up post, and I have so many pictures from my phone it's time to do another phone dump.  I had forgotten about these pictures from my phone, and I wanted to share them because I think this is such an important thing for all of us to remember.  So many classrooms are already doing this, and I think it is just an amazing way not only to create a classroom community, but to teach children to take these lessons with them everywhere, inside or outside the classroom walls.

We read the book "Have You Filled A Bucket Today?" by Carol McCloud, which is mostly about how to treat people.  How to show respect, and make others feel good.  My students then came up with ways they could fill each other's buckets this year (which they created on their own piece of paper with a pre-printed bucket on it).  Then everyone shared an idea they wrote down and I added them to our list and posted it above the buckets.

The idea has taken off with the kids- they love it.  They can write notes to each other, or do an act of kindness.  If they do, they put a pom pom in their bucket and the person's bucket they filled (and I love that they get to fill their own bucket too when they make someone else feel good!)  When they fill their bucket they will just get a sticker on the outside and start again.  There is no prize for filling buckets- this is intrinsically motivating.  And it really works!  I want to bring this idea home to my kids sometime soon.  I already bought a bucket for Andrew and Kerigan!  She's a little young, but Andrew can certainly do kind things to fill her bucket, and others.  

While we're on the topic of school (ha!) I just threw this in so my kids could see what their mama does all day at school teaching other kids!  This is our sign outside our door as you enter our classroom.  I loved that the Olympics were this summer!  The kids love it, too!  They love seeing their pictures on a "gold" medal!

The first day of school I made these little survival kits for the kids filled with things that meant something for the year, like a fruit by the foot to put their best "foot" forward, a sponge to "soak" it all in this year, etc.  The kids loved it and they were so fun to pass out on the first day of school.

My little man has slowly but surely been adjusting to the new Kindergarten "all work-no play" days!  Ha!  He comes home with awesome things, and he is writing so well, we just can't believe it!  Above he wrote "I like to play" all by himself.  Then he drew his beloved Madagascar characters!  Love it!

I thought this was so cute, too.  Again, all his favorite characters.  And he knows every single one and tells me who each one is!

This amazed me "I see the _____" (not sure what he was trying to say, but I love how he's writing all by himself and spelling so many words!

This one floored me!  "I like dragons!"  Spelled out perfectly phonetically!  I simply cannot believe he is doing this already.  It seems like just yesterday he didn't even know his letters or sounds!

In other news... Little miss had to visit the ER the other night.  She had been constipated (sorry when you read this someday, Kerigan!  Ha!) but we thought we had gotten her going again so I wasn't worried.  About a week later, her tummy was bloated and felt very hard and she was wincing in pain whenever we picked her up or touched her.  It was very unusual for her.  I was terrified and my mind jumped to the worst conclusions.  She was such a brave and precious little thing in her little hospital gown.  She had blood tests and an X-ray, which concluded she was still constipated and so not to gross everyone out, but they got her all cleared out and we were sent home around midnight.  The nurses and doctors were all having a fit about how cute and good she was.  She just laid on my lap the whole time and I don't think she ever cried- not even when they took blood.

Shortly after that, mommy and daddy both got the flu!  We were so worried about the kids but they escaped it this time!  We were celebrating by watching "Big Miracle" (about the whales) because we thought it was a BIG miracle the kids didn't get sick from us!  Ha!

Here's Andrew having way too much fun in time out!  Ha!  (And please don't ask what that ridiculous alligator mattress is behind him... Oh okay, I'll tell you since I'm sure you're all dying to know!  We have to use it to block our stairs because nothing else works for a gate since we have spindles, so we just slide it through the spindles and it works perfectly.  We used to have it at the lake for an extra place to sleep.  Andrew loves it!  But I am more than ready to get it out of sight!)

Andrew experienced his first tootsie pop the other day on the way home from school (he's deprived, I know!)  He was so fascinated by them!  He kept calling them magic suckers!  Ha!

Over the weekend when Kerigan was napping I came downstairs to find this.  Ha!

Andrew and Kerigan both adore their daddy.  The other day when we went to daddy's game, we were walking in the gate and Andrew said "Where's my sweet little daddy?"  Ha!  I got a kick out of that one!  And Kerigan says "Dad-eeeee" all the time.  Just today when we got home from school she said it as we were coming in the house.

Last Sunday it was so beautiful out that we took a picnic to the park (ok, ok, so we picked up Quiznos and took it to the park, but still!  We had good intentions!)

Daddy coached Andrew in t-ball again! 

Little miss enjoyed her picnic and even sat up at the table all by herself.  When did she get so big??

After a little t-ball we played at the park, the kids had a blast!

Andrew calls it the "Spiderman park" because of this web-like thing to crawl on!

We met Andrew's best little friend from preschool, Payton.  They had so much fun reconnecting, since they both go to different schools now.  Andrew misses his buddies so we will have to just keep getting them all together!

Speaking of getting too big for things... Seriously?  Day care sent me this picture the other day and I just had a fit!  When did she get big enough for the big kid table???

The other day I had to laugh because Andrew had pulled out the princess stuff...

And she had out the dinosaurs!  Ha!  I was cracking up over that one!

This is what she does lately when she's mad.  Ha!  She basically throws an all out fit, screaming, temper tantrum... then throws herself down on the floor like this!  It just makes me laugh so hard, I know she certainly doesn't think it's funny though!  Life is rough!  Ha!

Daddy surprised us and came home early the other night and brought pizza!  I was so thrilled! (No cooking!  Yippee!)  Those of you who know me know cooking is not my best subject... Ha!

And yes we order from two different places because we can't agree on where to get it!  Ha!  Yes, people make fun of us.  But this way we both get what we want and have leftovers!  It works out nicely actually!  (And for those of you wondering... I am Papa Johns, Craig is Dominoes!  I can't even hardly stand looking at his!  But I do admit to loving the cheese filled breadsticks, which he reluctantly shares with me while reminding me that I HATE Dominoes!  Ha!)

Last Friday night it was so gorgeous and daddy's game was close so I took the kids.  Andrew was enthralled with the mascot from the other team! Craig was a little embarrassed when Andrew wanted a picture with him!  I just told him to walk away!  Ha!

All the girls were having a fit about Kerigan and how cute she was.  They all wanted to hold her and they just passed her around as she's so laid back.  She loved all the attention and she thought she was really big stuff hanging with the big girls!  Soon enough she'll be one of these big girls and I just want time to slow down!!

Andrew had fun playing on the bleachers and not watching the game!  Ha!

I think I'm almost all caught up now.  Andrew started soccer this weekend and we made our first trip of many to our local apple orchard to get our season passes.  School feels more "normal" and routine now, and fall is definitely in the air!  I'll be bringing out my decorations soon and whipping up my first batch of pumpkin bread!  I can't wait!  More to come soon!

baby steps

Kindergarten is hard work!

(This is Andrew crashed after the first week of school on a Saturday afternoon).

I'm not gonna lie.  It's been a rough couple of weeks.  It just isn't fun for anyone this time of year trying to get back into the routine of school and work.  Getting up at the crack of dawn and rushing to get ready, barely making it to day care in time for Andrew's bus to school.  One day we missed it.  Seriously.  I just cannot get my act together.  I am having enough trouble adjusting to the fact that not only can I not be late for work, but I now can't be one minute later than 7:20 because Andrew's bus leaves on time.  My real issue with it is that I'd rather just drive him to school myself, but I have to leave for work about 10 minutes before I am allowed to drop him off at school, so I literally drive past his school, only for him to get out of the car and immediately onto a bus that drives him straight back to school.  Nice.

The first few days of school were pretty rough for the little man.  I think he is quickly learning that Kindergarten isn't all it's cracked up to be.  It is basically all work and no play.  That's what Andrew reports.

But let me back up.

The other night I came across these precious little shoes that Andrew wore when he first learned to walk.  Of course, now they are all beat up, filthy dirty and I think there is even a hole in the front of them where the toe is wearing out.  But I saved them all these years, and I plan to save them forever.  These shoes mean so much to me.  They are a symbol of Andrew's hard work early on in his little life.  A reminder that things didn't come easy for him, but after many baby steps he beat the odds and has become a pretty amazing five year old little boy.

This has always been a favorite picture of his very first steps (22 months old).

I brought the shoes inside to show Andrew.  I explained to him that they were the shoes he wore when he took his first steps when he was a baby like Kerigan.

He looked at them.  And his eyes got tears in them.  He actually cried.

Not exactly the reaction I was expecting.

Andrew is a pretty sensitive little boy.  He has a very big heart and is very caring towards others.  I guess you could say he is emotional at times, especially when I least expect it.  I immediately put my arm around him and asked him why that upset him.  He said that he was crying because he isn't a baby anymore.  (Believe me, by this point I was holding back the tears myself!)  Oh how I longed for him to still be my baby.  Back to those special days we spent at home together when I wasn't working.  The memories that I cherish so much came flooding back.

I really believe that in that moment, he wanted to go back.  To be that baby again that didn't have to grow up, learn so many new things and have so many expectations.  When we drive by his preschool he always says "I want to go back to that school."  When I ask him why, he simply says that they got to play and they don't play anymore.

Seriously?  It's Kindergarten, people!  They are just 5 year olds.  Does everything have to be so rigorous and daunting?  Here's the thing.  Andrew loved preschool.  He adored his teacher and he learned so many new things I wasn't sure his little brain could house much more information.  He absolutely loved going to Miss Erin's class and everything about it.  Miss Erin reported to us that he was a "model student" for her and was one of the best kids on the carpet for  group time.  He was more than ready for Kindergarten.

So... you might be wondering why I was slightly shocked after day 2 of Kindergarten and his teacher told me he was having trouble sitting on the carpet and paying attention.  He needed many redirections at table jobs and he often didn't know what to do because he wasn't listening.  Yeah, I almost lost it right there.  Here I am, a teacher myself and it is certainly a tough pill to swallow hearing these things about your own child.  I'm normally the one who delivers this information to parents!  I tried to hide my embarrassment and promised to talk to Andrew about it, hopeful that he would magically turn back into that model student.  

Confused, I asked Andrew why he was acting so different in Kindergarten than he was for Miss Erin.  All I could get out of him was that he didn't want to do the work.  Ha!  I chuckled, but I was really thinking how sad it was that he is just starting at the beginning.  My heart broke to have to tell him that for the rest of his life he was going to have to do work, and do things he didn't want to do.  That school isn't all fun and games and play time.  It was reality check time.  And I just kept thinking... He's only in Kindergarten!  I'm having this conversation with my baby, who has only been in this world for five short years.  Yes, from the mouth of a teacher... why do things have to be so tough so early in life?  Why can't Kindergarten be more play time and more fun?  I feel like back when I was a kid it was.  But it's no secret that education is changing.  And for the sake of avoiding a debate... let's just say I'm not sure I like the direction it's heading.  There definitely isn't much time for fun anymore.

So, Andrew has had a lot of talks with mommy and daddy lately.  One day after another email I received from his teacher I was at my breaking point.  I will spare you all the details, but let's just say there were a couple of things that concerned me.  I sat him down and we had a heart to heart.  I was a little bit more rough on him that night, and he told me he was "done" talking!  Ha!  Then daddy came home and talked to him again, and by then he was really tired of hearing us talk!  I promised his teacher I wouldn't bug her too much (ha!) but finally last Friday I emailed her to see how his week went and she was much more encouraging.

He has been doing better, and he was observed by his wonderful teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing who has worked with Andrew since he was 5 weeks old.  She made me feel better about things, and offered some suggestions for them to try.  I also had a long conversation with his other preschool teacher at day care, Missey, who we love and trust so much.  She also has known Andrew since he was 2.  What she said really hit home with me, and I shared it with his teacher.  Missey said that Andrew really has to earn your trust.  He is cautious and doesn't just automatically buy into relationships.  It took her a long time to get through to him, but she said once she did, he was also a model student for her.  He just has to know that he can trust you.  As his mom, I don't see this as much, but it made perfect sense to me when she mentioned it.  Bless these people for loving our son, and trying to find ways to help him adjust.

The bottom line is that this has been a tough transition.  It wasn't as smooth as I thought it was going to be.  I knew he was ready, but "ready" can mean so many different things.  He has the skills.  His teacher said that he does less work than other kids who don't have half the skills he does (Nice, he's going to be the lazy kid!)  But he can do it.  He just doesn't want to.  Not just yet.

He still wants to be that baby taking his first steps... and the truth is that I wish he was still that baby too.  But now he's five.  He dresses himself, brushes his own teeth and puts his own hearing aids in in the mornings.  He is independent and confident.

But he's still a kid.

He hit all of his milestones in his own time.  He took his first steps in his own time.

And I know this transition will get easier with time.

He'll get there... We all will.

It's just going to take baby steps.

first day of kindergarten

How did this happen?  How is my baby a Kindergartener already?

Last month Andrew started his very first day of Kindergarten.

This is what he did during my photo shoot!  Ha!  That's typical Andrew!

We all got up that morning and took him to school.  He wasn't scared a bit.  He seemed happy and excited, and we were so proud of him.

Doesn't he just look too little to be attending a school this big??

But he walked in with confidence...

We practiced the routine- he'll stop in the nurses office every morning to get his FM system hooked up to his hearing aids.  His teacher wears a special microphone so her voice is heard louder than everything else.

Then he joined all the other kids in what seemed like the longest line of kindergarteners ever.

But his happiness made me so happy.  He was ready.

Walking down the hall to his new classroom.  They didn't let us go into the classroom with him, which made this picture-loving mama not very happy!  I wanted so badly to watch my boy get started with his day.  But I guess it was better this way.  

Sister walked the big hallways too...slow down baby girl, it's not your time quite yet!!

Andrew is so happy his best friend Mya goes to his school too.  They have gone to day care together since they were 2.  She is in a different Kindergarten class (which is probably a good thing!  Ha!) but they play together at recess and see each other at lunch.  How precious are they??

I was so glad Andrew started school the week before I had to go back, so I got to drop him off and pick him up the first 3 days.  When I picked him up the first day he had a little surprise waiting!

He had been wanting this movie and I waited until he started school to give it to him.  This is the dinosaur from his favorite book "How do Dinosaurs go to School?"

Reading his book to his dinosaur. 

So...there were no tears.  Andrew has been going to "school" since he was 2.  We always called day care "school" so he would get used to it.  He has learned so many things since then.  I'm not sure if I'm happy or sad that he doesn't cry or tell me he misses me.  I am happy that he's well adjusted and confident.  But part of me still wants him to be my baby and crawl into my lap and rest his head on my chest.  The truth is, it's time to let him grow up.  Be independent.  Try new things and explore his little world.  Yes I'm fearful of the not so good things that happen in school- mean children, teasing, bullies...I'm a teacher, I've seen it all.  I just have to hope and pray that he will be able to stand up to those things.  That we've equipped him well to conquer the world.  It won't always be easy, but God has had Andrew in His hands from day one.  

I know He'll hold him forever.

And just for fun...here's last year's list!  Look how much he's changed!