And this was a big year for us. Brock started Kindergarten!
Brock loves his class and his teacher (Teacher Jill). We live close enough where he can walk or ride his bike to school. We tried riding his bike a few times (with me running behind pushing Cade in the stroller) but the street we need to ride on gets congested with school drop off and it frightens Brock. So, walking has become the preferred choice of transportation. In all honesty, running in my flip flops wasn't ideal so I'm perfectly okay with walking. We walk with our neighbor who started first grade this year but had Teacher Jill last year.
One of the most treasured parts of the morning drop off is a program called DEAR, Drop Everything and Read. When we enter the classroom, the first 15 minutes is spent reading to our children. Not only does it help wind down the energy in the room, but creates a healthy transition for both the parent and the child. I personally love it because I get an extra 15 minutes to hold him in my arms while we read a book or two. One day, and it will happen sooner than I want it to, my kids won't want to snuggle, so I take every opportunity to snuggle up!
After school, Brock attends Kid's Club a few days a week for a couple of hours. Given the alternative, grocery shopping and running errands with me and Cade, why wouldn't Kid's Club be the obvious choice, right? He loves it! Being at Kid's Club, he gets to run around, socialize with the classmates from both Kinder classes, play games, make art projects, and read books. Every morning he asks if today is a Kid's Club day. I may be biased since I am on the board of directors for PACCC, who runs Kids Club, but I think it's a pretty special place, too. The staff is fully engaged, well qualified in their professions, and you can tell they genuinely love their jobs. It makes me feel incredibly satisfied picking up a happy, smiling boy from Kid's Club.
There is lots of learning taking place in school and our home these days. Brock is starting to identify upper and lower case letters and simple math skills. He's very interested in learning so we do what we can to support him at home. He is still a lover of books. We read at least 10 books a day. He also loves building lego creations and drawing. He's even getting pretty good at staying in the lines.
Outside of learning, Brock lost his FOURTH tooth on the first day of school. He was very excited to receive Teenage Ninja Turtle stickers and a crisp $1 bill from the Tooth Fairy. And, he couldn't wait to tell Teacher Jill the next morning.
But let's not forget about the late summer adventures of Cade. The day before elementary school started Cade turned THREE! And like most three-year olds who have very opinionated thoughts and feelings, Cade was very specific about what type of party he wanted. He wanted a pajama party at the park with cupcakes and macaroni and cheese. So the day before his actual party, which happened to be one of the hottest days this calendar year, we had a party in our pajamas at the park. We were soooo hot and uncomfortable, but he enjoyed it nonetheless. And his friends were troopers! They all showed up wearing their favorite PJ's and enjoyed eating melted cupcakes.
And here is Cade at his three-year check up. His report was outstanding. He's in great health, happy, and well. That's all a parent could ever ask for.
Both Brock and Cade's preschool (ran by PACCC) is year-round so during the summer months, the boys attended twice a week for some good old fashioned play-based learning. I loved the break in the week; not gonna lie...Tuesday and Thursday mornings were my most favorite time of the week. Since this preschool is year-round, Cade continues to go there. He really misses going to school with Brock but he's slowly building friendships with other kids in the program. Last year Cade was a Koloa and this year he has moved up to a Safari! He feels pretty bossman telling everyone he's a Safari now.
Cade also started back at Preschool Family in the Three's class. This means I get to work one day in the classroom and drop off two days, whoot whoot! Preschool Family is a very special place for Cade. He is genuinely happy there. He looks foward to class days and is never in a rush to leave. The flip side to this is the parent involvement. It is technically an adult ed class run through the school district so I am actually the student and for lack of better explanation (and because y'all really don't care, do you?) Cade's class is the "lab". My "lecture" is held 2-3 evenings per month and we have a ton of projects due througout the year. I will say, it is a pain in the rump to finish all of the projects, attend the evening classes, and work in the classroom but it is SO worth it! I have learned a great deal not only about parenting and child development, but about myself. And I have formed a community of like-minded parents. So the best way I can describe Preschool Family is magical.
And I would be remiss to not give a little shout out to Brian for celebrating his birthday just days before Cade's. The boys, on their own, dressed themselves (I could even hear Cade asking Brock to help him put on his shirt). They chose their "fancy" shirts, as they call them. Too much adorable to even describe in this blog post so you just gotta trust me. Like, super, ridiculous adorableness going on. We made an early reservation at one of our favorite restaurants and took our birthday boy out for a family dinner. The boys were so well behaved (I think it was the power of the fancy shirt) that our dining neighbors complimented us on our children. It took every ounce of willpower to not high five and happy dance with Brian as they said that because anyone who really knows us knows that my kids are WILD! I guess this birthday dining experience is the equivalent to all of our Facebook lives - perfect, simply perfect.
(This is what happens when you entrust a 5-year old to take your picture)
Then, just a few weeks later, we celebrated our 9th anniversary! It truly seems like time is soaring faster than we will ever be able to keep up, but there is no other person in this crazy world I would sit next to on this wild ride. I love this guy more than he will ever know. Unconditional, unwavering, pure love and friendship. Yep, he's the package and he's mine all mine. I'm one lucky gal.
The sweltering hot days of summer are finally coming to an end and there is a slight crisp in the morning and evening air. Dare I say fall is finally upon us? The boys are already starting to talk about Halloween and Christmas, I have to remind them there is a holiday in between called Thanksgiving and the importance of being thankful (see, my job is never done - always parenting!). Until my next post, pull out your favorite sweaters and enjoy the fall, y'all!
