Another First....Field Trip!

Alex got to go on his very first field trip in nursery school today!  They lumped the two classes together to go all as one so he got an extra special day out of this week (he usually only goes to school M/W/F) and was able to see the friends he made on Open House night before we switched classes on him.

We met at Partyka Farms at 9:45 and got our apple picking adventure off to a quick start!

The whole class (and parents) took a tractor drawn wagon ride out to the orchards.  Mrs. Grimm led us in a spirited rendition of "The Wheels on the Tractor" while we bounced our way to the apples.

 

 

 Once in the orchards we learned all about what the apples are used for (the Jonagolds they were picking today would be sent to Motts to be made into applesauce, sold at Wegmans' Food Marts locally, and hauled off by Peterson Farms to be cut up into apple slices used in McDonald's Happy Meals!). 

We learned where the Jonagold variety came from (it's a mix between the Jonathan and a Golden Delicious).  And we learned the proper way to pick an apple (Everywhere your finger touches on an apple leaves a bruise so you want to twist it at the stem). 

We got to meet and talk to an experienced apple picker, Louis who has been traveling the harvest circuit for years perfecting his apple picking speed, skill, and finesse!  He was impressive!

Then we got to get into the action with our own picking! 

 The best part, though, was yet to come!

The EATING!

A quick wagon ride back to the store and then we got to feed our apple cores to the goats!

 

Just when you thought the fun was over, we got to play on the playground!  What a fun day at the farm!  I'm so glad the rain held out for us and I'm even more grateful for having the flexibility at my job that allows me to participate on these fun excursions!  I wouldn't want to miss these moments for the world!

 

Another First - Pre-School!

It's hard to believe but my baby started pre-school today.  Two weeks shy of his 3rd birthday, he started in a 3/4 yo program offered three days a week through a local church.  He could not have been more excited!

I was a little nervous about dropping him off with Daddy.  He has a bit of a Mommy complex so my leaving threatened to be more dangerous than if Daddy had simply dropped him off.  However, I couldn't even consider missing his first day.  

So, I risked it.  

And he did better than I could have hoped!  He was so happy to be there with his new teacher and new friends (all girls!) and kissed me goodbye with a "Goodbye, Honey!" and carried on about his business.  

I was so happy to get a call from him after he got home with Daddy for lunch and hear all about his coloring with markers, feeding the bunny, and remembering to bring his (red!) car home from show and tell.

I can't believe how quickly my littlest man is growing up.  But he finally got to go to a school all his own instead of just standing at the door with his backpack on crying as Nate went off to UPK last year!  And he couldn't be happier about it!

Another First - Kindergarten!

Obviously, it's been a busy week around here!  September marks Birthday Month for most of my family members so it's a busy month anyway.  Add in new schools and new schedules and paperwork and appointments and preparations and you have crazy time!

As you may have read, Nathaniel started Kindergarten last week.  He loves it and is even enjoying latch key after school.  His teacher is nice and he recites her motto "zip it, lock it, put it in your pocket" about 100 times a day!  I'm not quite sure how I feel about that yet.  He says it with so much spunk it sounds attitudinal.  Anyway, I digress....

So, because I had a few more photos I wanted to share, I thought I'd write this "update" of sorts on how the first week (ok, 4 days) of Kindergarten has gone.  He loves to kiss his baby brother goodbye before he heads out the door.

The days are very long.  Nate starts his day waiting for the bus around 8:15 and doesn't get out of school until 3:40.  Then he spends an hour or so in latch key until I get there to pick him up so by the time he's home, he's a bundle of fun (sarcasm).  I'm hoping his tantrums and crying streaks diminish as he adjusts to the long days, but until then, my limits of patience and understanding are tested daily.

Every night last week ended with him screaming "I don't want to go to bed, I'm not TIRED!".  Followed by minutes of complaining about anything (the temperature, his itchy underwear, his uncomfortable bed, his brother's Big Fuzzy Blue Blanket touching him...you name it).  It's a mere minutes later when I hear the comforting sound of yawning and finally SNORING to know he was in fact tired and Mama always knows best.

So, as he goes off on the bus tomorrow and for days/weeks/years following, I am thankful for his independent spirit, his uncanny ability to make friends where ever he goes, and his insatiable curiosity and thirst for learning.  Go get 'em, Bug!

A Letter to Nathaniel…as you start Kindergarten.

My Dearest Nate,

Today you will officially start your school “career” in Mrs. C’s Kindergarten class at KCS.

I will wake you up at 7 AM, feed you breakfast, make you brush your teeth, let you pick out your favorite outfit from your new school clothes pile, and get you out the door to wait for your school bus. As the bus rolls into view, you will no doubt jump and shout with glee. I will cry a little inside. Not because you are leaving, or even because you are growing up too fast (though you are!). I am crying tears of pride for the handsome boy you are growing up to be.

You are head strong and independent, opinionated and strong-willed. You don’t take disappointment easily and often live in your own creative world. Yet you make friends effortlessly, have a tremendous heart of gold, an imagination that entertains for hours, and a sense of humor that warms my soul and makes me laugh daily.

I know you will do well in Kindergarten. You have been blazing a path for yourself from the very beginning. I am so proud of you and amazed every day by how much you have learned already! Every day you teach me something new and I love learning and growing each day through you.

I only hope you know that I am here for you every step of the way. If your classmates are mean (as kids so easily can be) or someone on the bus hurts your feelings, I want you to talk to me. If reading or writing challenges you, I will be there to help you figure it out. If you have exciting stories of grand adventure to share from your days at school, I will listen to every word and thrill with you in every turn. And if, at the end of a long day of running, laughing, and learning with friends, you simply want to be, I will gladly snuggle up next to you (and Green Blankie) and quietly watch Good Luck Charlie.

Go get ‘em, Bug.


Big Bug Hugs and teeny tiny kisses,

I love you,

Mom