The Dreaded D Word

For you non-military readers...I'm referring to "deployment."

We received a phone call on Friday night that has totally ruined our weekend. Danny was supposed to be leaving Tuesday for a 4 week TDY to Ft. Hood and Korea. Instead, he was told he'd be staying home since he's been selected to deploy in November for 9 months. Arrghhh...He's only been home 21 months from his last deployment. I know I have no right to complain. This will only be his 2nd time over there when we have friends who have been 3-4 times. It's also 9 months instead of the 12-15 months that other people are spending. We've been blessed and we know it, but we still don't want him to go. To try and stay positive, we are trying to think of it as a compliment. It sounds like an important job and they picked Dan for it. It's not 100%, but he should know something next week.

If he does go, we'll be putting our fostering plans on hold. That makes me really sad, but I am totally aware of my abilities. It'll be a stretch for me with just the 4 of us. There's no way I will be able to manage a child/children coming in and out of our house while juggling court dates, doctor's appointment, visitations and everything I have to do for my own kids.

As with all things, I know God really is in charge and I'm going to leave it in His capable hands! I don't have the energy to do anything else.

Smiles All Around

The school counselor called me back this afternoon. She met Allie on Wednesday when she was struggling so much so she knew who she was. She had already checked with her teacher and Allie was having a great day today. 0 meltdowns! We talked about Allie's fear of men and how she could facilitate Allie meeting the special area teachers so it wouldn't be so traumatic on Allie. She's going to spend a few minutes with each teacher and Allie throughout next week. I feel much better and think, with help, Allie can do really well in Kindergarten.

After talking with Mrs. E., I was very excited to get Allie off the bus. She came down the steps with a big smile on her face and immediately told me she had a good day. We high fived and then she went on to say she didn't have to see "the music man." That's not the music teacher's official name of course, but I'm sure it's what Allie will call him from now on. Miss Burriss wrote us a note saying she had a "great" day. I am so proud of Allie. Not only did she earn her first sticker (of 5) towards her mouse princess, she also earned donuts for everyone. She seemed very proud to tell Jaelyn and Caden that we were going to get donuts because she had a good day!

Thank you so much for your prayers. I'll keep you posted next week!

Caden's Bucket

Our preschool uses buckets instead of backpacks and I think it's a wonderful idea. It makes bringing home projects so much easier. Last year, Allie's bucket was by far the cutest in her class. It was totally girly with a pink boa glued around the top and hearts and jewels on the sides. I've been pondering how to make a boy bucket cute without it being too cutesy. Inspiration struck at Michael's today. I found foam pirate faces for a dime each. I added a rub-on pirate map and treasure chest and used a sharpie to draw a dotted line and an X. He loves it and tells me he can't wait to go to school. I'm sure all that will change when it comes time to actually go in the room without Mommy, but for now, it sounds good. Arrrrrr!

A Letter From Jaelyn's Teacher

I received an email from Jaelyn's teacher this morning. I have met dozens of people who know her and have not heard one bad thing yet. Everyone loves her and I'm so thankful Jaelyn is in her room.

Thank you for sending in your letter about Jaelyn; I enjoyed reading it. Jaelyn is adorable and cute but don't worry...I am not a sucker for a big smile :) She has had an amazing first week of school! Jaelyn is participating and engaged in our lessons. She has been a great helper in the room and seems eager to follow the rules. I will certainly let you know if I see any changes in her behavior. I look forward to a great year!

She Doesn't Want to Talk About It

Allie had another tough day and she came home saying "I don't want to talk about it." My heart just hurts for her and I think I feel the same way she does. I don't want to talk about it either.

I'm adding calling the school counselor to my list tomorrow to see if she has any ideas to help Allie adjust! :(

Caden's Cooking!

Caden and I have had a good day. We've gone to the library and the vet with Zack, read books and played with spacemen. He's even helped with cooking. This morning, he helped me make play dough. He dumped in the ingredients, mixed it up and chose the color. Then once it was cooled, he helped kneed in extra flour so it wouldn't be sticky.

We both miss the girls, but we are having fun together.

Vinegar and a Willing Heart

I've used vinegar for a very long time as "fibby juice." I've also used it as "sassy juice." It's always been a fight to get the kids to take it though. I recently had a discussion with some friends about how they use it effectively with their kids. I've learned the phrase "willing heart" and I'm using it. I no longer have fibby and sassy juice and instead am calling it what it is: vinegar. The other day, Jaelyn was being rude and was mad at me for getting onto her for something. She stuck her tongue out at me and I decided it was the perfect time to teach them about having a willing heart. I told Jaelyn she would get a dot of vinegar on her tongue. Of course, she clamped her mouth shut. I took her to her room and told her she could come out when she was ready to take her vinegar with a willing heart. It took her about 45 minutes to come out of her room (and thankfully it didn't escalate - it must have been after she'd eaten). She came out and said she had a willing heart. She took her dot of vinegar on her tongue, drank her water and went on her way.

We've had name calling issues, which is what has made me rethink how I use vinegar. This weekend, Caden called one of the girls a name and he earned a dot of vinegar. Man, he didn't want it and sat on the step just bawling for at least 10 minutes. He finally calmed down and said he was ready. He took the vinegar (gagged a little, poor guy), drank his water and went on his way. I haven't heard him call anyone a name again.

I'm really hoping my new approach will cut down on some of the issues I've been seeing. Thanks to all of my friends who shared their thoughts and ideas.

She's Bored

Will you please pray for Allie today? She told me a little more about her day yesterday. She apparently declared she was bored several times. One time during circle, she says she was sitting indian style and leaned forward with her head on the floor and her arms out straight and then yelled "I'm bored!" No wonder her teacher called me. We've talked and talked about following directions, listening, not being sassy, etc. She knows what she has to do to stay out of the thinking chair and what she'll earn when she has 5 good days! Pray she takes it to heart. It's killing the perfectionist side of me this morning. I don't even want perfect. I want her to be her, but the good her, not the head strong her! Thanks.

Wednesday: Great, Better and Worse

Caden did so good in the gym today. Not only were there no tears, he actually had fun. Every time I peaked in, he was laughing and playing with 2 other little boys. It was wonderful. I also had fun with him this morning. We put together puzzles and played with his cars. I'm going to enjoy my time alone with him!

Jaelyn had a better day too. She made a new friend, Nikki, and saw several old friends on the playground. She liked school today. I might have to remind her of that in the morning, though.

Allie did not have as good of a day. She said she had a good day, but then her teacher called. She had to go to the "thinking chair" three times for little meltdowns. Miss B said in the morning when they were sitting down to do work, Allie declared "I'm bored with school. When's lunch?" I know it's funny, but it's not. I want her to do well. I couldn't figure out what triggered her meltdowns other than it's a big transition and Allie doesn't do change well. I made up a sticker chart for her tonight and have a much wanted mouse princess stuffed animal to use as a prize. I'm praying she'll have better days.

Servant???

Our friend Lyssie came over to play this afternoon. We went on an outing and Lyssie and Caden were in the car discussing what they were going to do when we got home. Here's how the conversation went:

Lyssie: Let's play restaurant.
Caden: I want to be the cook
Lyssie: Okay
Caden: and you can be the servant
Lyssie: Okay

Ummm...I really think I need to explain a thing or two to Caden about male/female roles or maybe I need to teach him the word "server" OR maybe Daddy should help more around the house :p!

Tuesday

Sorry to keep you waiting, Mom. I am impressed that you were checking ;).

Caden and I were very anxious to get the girls off the bus yesterday. As soon as Allie came down the steps, Caden ran to her and hugged her saying "I missed you so much today, Allie." It was really sweet.

She said she had a good day. They ate lunch, played at recess, talked about a fire drill, had circle time and had rest time (I'm sure not in that order). There was only one time when she said she cried a little and got sad. She was worried about me. I assured her today that I would be okay and she didn't need to be sad or worry. Jaelyn said she peeked around the corner and watched Allie go into her room without any trouble. They saw each other in the lunch room so I'm sure that made Allie feel good. She didn't make any new friends that she was interested in talking about. That doesn't surprise me though since she's always been pretty good at keeping to herself.

When we asked Jaelyn what she did yesterday, she said she sat all day and went to lunch and recess. "Did you do anything while you were sitting???" "No," she said. I mentioned having to call her teacher and ask why they did nothing yesterday and she quickly started telling us about her math games, number book and the reading they did. Silly girl. I'm afraid this year might be a struggle. She started her day today by whining and crying that she didn't want to go to school. It's only the 3rd day. I convinced her she has to finish 1st grade, but she said after that she's done! No more school! Oh dear.

Caden and I are heading to the gym this morning. It'll be his first day by himself. I'm only planning on staying about 30 minutes. I'm going to drop him off with fruit snacks and a lollipop in his pocket (as a reward afterwards to doing well). I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he'll do okay. He got weepy on Monday without Jaelyn there.

Grocery Shopping With One

Dan and I jumped into the deep end of parenting without knowing how to swim. I've always envied my friend who did it one kid at a time. They had time to get their feet wet and get used to the water while I've barely had a chance to come up for air. Maybe that's a bad analogy, but 0-2 instantly and then adding a third 13 months lately was really hard work and a little bit crazy! I've always dragged my kids with me where ever I went. I haven't had the luxury of babysitters (well, I did for that 18 months, but I tried really hard to not abuse it). It was great going from three to two when out shopping last year. Well, let me tell you...two to one is even easier!

Caden and I went to the commissary this morning and I must admit I've been looking forward to it all summer (after shopping with three). With two, I usually could make it out in under an hour with $200 worth of food, but I would leave feeling like I'd run across rush hour traffic. Very stressed! Today it took me an hour and a half. We leisurely wandered up and down the aisles. I took time to look at prices and go through my coupons. I even back tracked for items I missed. I left feeling relaxed which is something I haven't felt when grocery shopping in a very long time. I think I'm going to like this one kid thing.

Allie's First Full Day

It took a while to settle, but everyone got a good night sleep last night and woke up after 7:00 well rested for another exciting day today. Dan was able to walk with us to the bus stop this morning. It wasn't quite as hard as putting Jaelyn on the bus for the first time last year, but it was sad. Allie climbed right up and Miss Cathy had her sit in the front seat. She looked out the window kind of sad and then gave me a thumbs up with a big smile. They'll be home in about an hour and I can't wait to hear how the day went.

Allie's First Two Hours of Kindergarten

Allie bugged me all morning..."When do I get to go to school?" One o'clock took so long to get here. We dropped Caden off at a friend's house and then headed to school. I feel much better about her teacher today than I did on Friday. She seemed so young and inexperienced on Friday. Today, I'd say she's a few years out of college. It makes me feel much better to know that this is not her first year teaching. There's so much to learn that first year and kids get lost in the cracks (speaking from experience). I don't want Allie to be one of those kids.

We met half of Allie's class. They seemed to all listen and follow directions or maybe that's just because they were scared and their parents were watching. My biggest worry is Allie getting to and from her room and the bus. I'm going to ask Jaelyn to walk Allie to her classroom the first day and pray someone helps Allie find her bus in the afternoon.




I did run into Jaelyn's teacher in the hall and she told me Jaelyn was having a good day. Jaelyn also reported having a good day. She says she likes Mrs. Meerholz and is really excited that her friend Catherine is in her room. Liam didn't talk to her today, apparently (I couldn't resist asking).

I think the hardest part of the week will be tomorrow morning when I put Allie on the bus and watch it drive away. I was fine with Jaelyn today, but there's something about sending your Kindergartener to school for the first time.

Funny at the Bus Stop

Allie is totally infatuated with a girl who lives across the street. Allie likes to tell me that Taylor is her best friend. Taylor is in 4th grade and is really nice to Allie (thankfully). She has a new baby sister and her parents walked with her and the baby to the bus stop this morning. Allie went right over to them and said "My Daddy is going out of town and when he gets home, we are going to get a baby." They gave me the weirdest look, but I didn't say a word.

And Off Jaelyn Goes

Today is the big day. We picked out clothes last night and Jaelyn and Allie were up bright and early getting dressed. I stuffed Jaelyn as full of food as I could get her (waffle, cheese stick, yogurt, apple juice and raisin bread) because she won't eat lunch until 11:30. She's going to really miss that morning snack. I think she was excited this morning.

Allie was happy with her 1st day of school outfit, but then she dropped her lollipop from the gym on her dress and has had to change.


Waiting at the bus stop. Look - her backpack matches her outfit. We didn't even plan that.
The bus came right on time and we were so thrilled to see Mrs. Cathy driving it. She looked just as thrilled to see Jaelyn. Allie's excited to be allowed to ride the bus tomorrow!!!

I'll post later with pictures from Allie's first day of kindergarten.

School Starts Tomorrow

We start back to school tomorrow! Jaelyn is not excited about it and pretty much doesn't want to go. We've had too much fun at home this summer. I might have to drag her to the bus stop in the morning. Allie is super excited. She only goes from 1-3 tomorrow with me and then her first entire day will be Tues. What are Caden and I going to do???

I Love Garage Sale Finds

The kids and I were on the way to the gym this morning when we passed a garage sale. Well, actually I guess I should call them yard sales now since most people don't have garages and just lay things out by the side of the road up here. Anyway...I've seen lots of baby things over the last few months and passed them all by because I just wasn't quite ready to start buying stuff (especially the big stuff since we don't know what age we'll be getting). This morning, I saw a pretty bassinet on the side of the road. It was just irresistable and I stopped and bought it. $20 (talked down from $30) for a really fancy, well kept bassinet that we might or might not need. If we can't/don't use it, I'm sure I can find someone to pass it on to. I washed all the fabric on it on the sanitary cycle in my washer (LOVE my washer - it deserves a post all by itself) and then Caden and Jaelyn had a fine time cleaning it with wipes. Of course, I'll go back over it with something that'll actually kill germs, rather than just getting the dirt off ;). I think Caden and I might hit the thrift store next week to start looking for clothes.

Meet the Teachers

Today was Open House at the girls' school. When I was teaching, I know I looked young and I used to get questions like "Are you sure you're old enough to be teaching?" It drove me crazy because I knew I was the same age as some of the parents. I didn't ask Allie's teacher if she was old enough to be teaching, but she looked so young to me. She was nice and Allie was excited about her room. She couldn't believe there were dolls and clothes. All she wanted to do was dress them. She even asked if we could come back tomorrow so she could play. We only know 1 other little girl going into kindergarten at the school, but she's not in Allie's class. I'm disappointed. I was really hoping she would be. Allie's class is right across from Jaelyn's last year and Jaelyn's is in the hallway leading to the kindergarten rooms. They'll be close which for some odd reason makes me feel better about sending Allie off to school.I was happy to walk into Jaelyn's room and recognize one of our neighbors and their son. Jaelyn's friend, Catherine, is sitting across from her right now and (drum roll please) Jaelyn's former love is sitting across the room. That's right...Liam. She actually didn't recognize him. She asked me who he was and I had to tell her. He's gotten bigger since June and when we got to the car, she asked me what he did this summer to make him so much bigger than her. Too funny. He's a boy! Anyway, apparently, that crush has ended and I'm sure we'll have a new love by Wednesday. Her teacher is very nice and apparently lives somewhere behind us.
(Allie wandered into Jaelyn's picture making Jaelyn very unhappy. I promised to crop Allie out)

Just For Uncle Clifford!!!

I expect a comment from you on this post!!! :p

I had someone recently wanting to leave a comment for me, but they didn't know how. I know there are a few less than computer savy people reading (how's that for politically correct) so here's how to leave me comments. At the bottom of each entry is the word "comments" with the number of comments that have been left. If you click on it, it'll take you to a new screen. There's a text box to enter your comments. After that, you retype the word verification and then you can either enter your google account and password info or if you choose, you can click on anonymous (just sign your name in the text box if you do that or I won't know who the comment came from). Click "publish your comment" and you are all set. No logging in required.