Meeting and Greeting

While so many of you have already sent your littles ones off to school this week, I have been holding on tight to mine.  I still have two more full days with all of them at home and I plan to use it wisely.

Today was a slight prep into my having to let go next week.  I hate that part...the letting go.  But, seeing  both Jack and Maggie's excitement has got me feeling a bit giddy all over.

Not to mention they both have ahhhhhmazing teachers.  You know the kind you cross your fingers for and pray really hard to get.  Well, this year we are two for two.  Amen!

Naturally, both kiddos had their Meet and Greets this morning.  At two different schools, miles from one another, and only 30 minutes apart. Why does this continually happen to me?  We pulled it off though even with a few minutes to spare.  I was quite impressed with my time management skills.  It certainly helped that both Jack and Maggie cooperated to their fullest capacity and I've had practice.

We started off with a Kindergarten preview.   Oh, how I love Kindergarten.  And it seems Jack does too.  He was shyly in awe of his new tropical themed classroom complete with turtles for class pets.  We also discovered that three boys from our street and around the corner are in his class...score! Add the best K teacher to that and I think we've got a winner this year.

Next it was off to Maggie's preview.  She was definitely excited and happily drug me into the room by one arm.  Then she realized... this is new.  And with a bit of uncertainty she asked, "are you staying with me?".  I explained the whole 'yes I am today, but not once school starts' and that easily she was perfectly content.  Before I knew it Mags was exploring her new room with all her confidence in check.

She made herself right at home in the kitchen and then proceeded through the entire classroom checking out every nook and cranny.  She was so busy that she didn't even realize that we did not know one single friend in the room.  And I dared not point it out to her.   I'm hoping her Maggie charm can pull her through this one.

Thankfully she has two wonderful teachers by her side.

Off to enjoy my last weekend before the back to school rush begins.  If my predictions are correct, this is going to be one absolutely fabulous year.  *exhale*

Until Monday...

Decisions Decisions

As a parent I'm always finding myself  having to make decisions.  Decisions that are in the best interest of my kids.  It's not always easy.  And I certainly find myself questioning if what I am doing is "right".

Clay and I found ourselves in a bit of decision debacle.  Luckily the debacle part is over.  We've made a final decision.  One that I think we are both confident in.  And now, I suppose it's time to share that decision, if you don't already know.

We have decided, after much pro and con weighing, to give Jack the gift of another year in Kindergarten.  I feel it's important that we share this as a new school year approaches.

So how did we get there?  Well, it pretty much started Fall of last year.  My gut kept saying it just wasn't time.  But, my head questioned my gut and my 'just had a baby' hormone crazy self.  As a former, Kindergarten and First grade teacher, you would have thought this was a no brainer for me.  But, it was far from that.

He's tall.  He's super bright {and I can say that confidently with my credentials, not just as his mother}.  And he is an April birthday.  That stinkin' Spring birthday.  Not an obvious summer hold back...just right there on the line.

So we went forward last year.

By September, I felt I had made a mistake.  Oh, he was doing fine academically and loving e..v..e..r..y minute of it, but he was tired.  I mean really tired {like naps after school tired}.  And he was realizing rather quickly that he was, and I quote, "the second youngest kid in the class".  Then the being "second youngest in the class" turned into, "the other kids are faster than me because they are older, the other kids are smarter than me because they are older" and so on and so on.  His confidence was suffering.

Obviously none of this was true.  Jack is just so, well, bright and in his head, that he was picking up on the age thing rather quickly.

I beat myself up over it.  I deemed myself as a failure of a mother.  And I concluded, that I had ruined his life and we had to live with the decision we had made.

By December {right about the time I started getting the hang of the Lucy thing}, I had myself in his classroom every opportunity I could get.  I did see the age thing and the confidence issue as a source of concern.  But, I was also very ill impressed with the way his classroom was run.  It was doing nothing for my rule bound, keep quiet until I'm called on, don't let anyone know how smart I am, kiddo.  {I also think it is worth noting that if Jack is comfortable in any given environment i.e. home, those character traits go out the window}.

So here I was again, mid winter, questioning it all again.

We headed back to school after Christmas break and for the first time in 80 something days, I confidently felt Jack was READY for Kindergarten.  Hmmm...there was that six month birthday delay issue again.

I basically put the whole thing out of my head and decided what was done was done and this was just a challenge we would have to live with.

Fast forward to Spring, we are sitting at the dinner table and Jack says, "Mommy, I want to do Kindergarten again.  Then I can be the oldest in my class and the smartest and help the other kids.".

And just like that...Wah Lah...the seed was planted. Now, would I have entertained this idea of his if it weren't already in the back of my mind?  Certainly not.  But, to me it seemed God just wanted Jack to verbalize what I had already known at that exact moment before the opportunity was missed.

Clay and I discussed the possibility of the Kindergarten gift.  We debated and researched.  We conferenced with staff at his school and were only met with resistance based on his intelligence.   But, we were fully supported in our decision.  In fact, both female administrators said they had regretted not making the same decision with their sons.

At the start of summer, we gave Jack the great news...He had been chosen to go to Kindergarten again to be a helper!  And all was well in his world complete with that boyish grin I, oh so, love.

This story does have a happy ending.  And I'm pretty sure it will have a very happy beginning too.  Did I ever look back though?  Of course.  And not only that, I mourned the loss of a year that never really had to be.  I could have had my Jack home with me all along.

But, I am confident in my hormone free gut this time.  It just feels right this year.  Not to mention, I get  a do over in Kindergarten.  My favorite grade.  Who could ask for more?

So with all that said, Kindergarten here we come...again! {I just love saying that!}  And now you know.

Summer's Last Blasts

It's incredibly hard to believe that August is already here. With August comes Back to School {sniff sniff}, Grandma's birthday, and the littlest First Birthday celebration.  In true Cibula fashion we are squeezing absolutely all we can in until the school rush starts.

We woke up on August 1st and I announced to the kiddos at breakfast that the count down was on.  12 more days until school.  Jack got a boyish grin on his face.  I asked him how he felt about it and he so sweetly said, "Mommy, I'm really going to miss you, but I'm excited to go to school".  My first born sure knows how to melt my heart and break it at the same time.

I'm sure I will find these next few days very bittersweet.  The bigs started the month off arguing {a first for the summer}, we've completed two "summer lists" and then some, and I have an errand list a mile long that needs to be tended to.  Maybe it is time.  However, I'm going to miss breakfast with a full table, it's going to be very quiet around here come nap time, and Lucy and I sure are going to miss the pitter patter from extra little feet.

But like I mentioned, we are managing a few last blasts before it all comes to an end, or as I'm trying to train myself to think, it all starts.

We spent a few last days trying to swim.  I say trying for a reason.  The cold water {due to all the rain} has been miserable.  And the fact that I chase a crawling baby around trying to deflect her from any edges has added its own challenges .

But , when I wasn't chasing Lucy, Jack and I lovingly engaged in a water gun fight.  I'm pretty sure I won.  He might try to tell you differently.

We celebrated our dear friend, Lucas's 3rd birthday fire truck style.  My favorite part was watching Lucy get sprayed by the fire hose.  {she asked for it, trust me}  My only regret is that I didn't get a picture of the sweet birthday boy, who was all smiles.  I think it had something to do with that mobile baby poolside again.

And Jack completed his culminating summer activity...camping with Daddy.  I just didn't see how the girls and I could hack that, so we took a trip to the Princess store {aka the Disney store}.  It was Maggie's first time in a mall and possibly my last with kids.  It was a very quick reminder of why I've never gone to the mall with kiddos in tow. {yes, you read right...never}  The looking for an elevator part was enough to wear me out.

But, Maggie loved it.  She picked out Rapunzel dress up shoes and an Ariel water bottle and totally forgot about how she really wanted to "sleep in the forest with Jack and Daddy".

Since I, of course, did not attend the camping trip, Daddy so graciously kept me up to date with camera pictures.  Which are a necessity to share despite their quality.

I knew Jack must be having fun when I got these pictures on day two with bed head and the same outfit on.  As you can imagine, one dirty and very tired boy arrived home.  I was sure glad to see him though.

Those are our last blasts for now.  Summer 2013 has been amazing!  Next up, I'm sure we will be meeting teachers and seeing new classrooms.  So...until it all starts....

Medieval Times

We got a taste of the Medieval Times on Friday.  The things my kids have come up with this summer.  Actually, if I'm being honest, I planted the seed for this one.  Don't judge.

Back in January, Clay and I attended a very elaborate auction night hosted by Jack's school.  We couldn't leave there empty handed {ie. not donate to the cause} so we bid on tickets to the Medieval Times show at the local castle.  Surprisingly, we won {totally joking on the surprise part}.  I did, however, think it would be something unusual and fun for the kiddos.  So why not?

Up until today, we kept our win a secret.  Since the castle visit never made it Jack and Maggie's "summer list", I made it a point to exclaim each time I saw a billboard around town.  Soon enough the seed was planted, soon enough they were begging to go, and finally I was able to pull out the surprise.  The day seemed fitting for a royal outing with the birth of the royal baby and all.

Maggie chose to wear a dress because we were going to a castle, naturally.  She was completely mesmerized when we arrived and were greeted so eloquently by the King and Princess themselves.  And though Jack would never admit it {that whole princess thing} he was pretty awe struck by the castle interior and it's housed royalty.  But nothing like when the show actually started.

It didn't take Jack long to get entranced by the thought of knights and a royal castle.  He immediately chose his souvenir and donned his suit of armor.  He took this role very seriously as he convinced Maggie that it was his job to protect all princesses.  Maggie was way too enamored with her new sparkly princess wand to participate in his game of charades.  But I can promise that since we have arrived at home the role play {costumes and all} has been going on all weekend.

After the gift shop and castle stroll we were given our tickets for entry. We were seated in the Green Kingdom or more technically the Kingdom of Leon.  As we prepared for the Knight's games and the final battle we were served some serious Medieval food.  A chicken leg, corn on the cob, and potatoes {all to be eaten with our hands}. That's a really heavy lunch.  I can't say that I would have survived in the Medieval period.

When the Knights arrived in the arena on horseback our Royal family did all we could to cheer on the green knight.  It seems he was very smitten by our support because he gave Maggie and I a pink carnation.  Since then it has been placed in a vase on her dresser.  We've all been strict instructions not to touch it, move it, smell it, you name it.

I would be remiss if I didn't give you a visual of the show itself.  Jack could not get enough of it. And  I mean seriously. While Maggie spent her time concerned that the bad knight would win and the princess would have to marry him.  As expected there was a happy ending.  Maggie left with a sigh of relief.

However, I won't give away which Knight did prevail.  I would hate to ruin it for any of you future castle goers out there {because I know this post has enticed you}.  I will say the kids thoroughly enjoyed it.  It was definitely worth an afternoon {we hit the matinee} and it was certainly worth the countless hours of knight and princess play that has been going on around here all weekend.

I'll leave you with this...my very valiant Knight and my very over tired Princess...at the castle drawbridge...