Back to School Night

Last night Josh and I went to Haley's first Back to School Night. Yes, I got a bit weepy and sentimental. The night was great as the staff talked about the school and we had a chance to look around and see the work Haley has been doing. We walked over to the little student tables and found her folder. She had decorated it in flowers and faces and people. Again, a bit weepy. :) We then opened up her folder and saw a few project she had been working on. The themes have been family and community. There was a cut out project of our house and a picture Haley had drawn of our family. It was very colorful and had three people on there that the teacher had labeled. There was "Mommy," "Daddy," and "my brother." Just the three of us without her. On the bottom there was a quote from Haley that said, "I am not in this picture because right now I am at preschool."
TOO FUNNY!!!

I Spy

4 things I saw at the track the other morning all within 30 minutes.

1. A young teenager running the track barefooted= funny

2. A little old lady (mid 70s?) in full protective gear riding a razor scooter around the track= funny.

3. A different little old lady texting on her iphone= funny

4. A pop warner football coach yelling at a little guy for missing a tackle= not funny

First Haircut

I don't need words to tell you how it went.

Comforting Reminder

Ok, Josh just emailed me with a very comforting note regarding the concerns in my post below. He reminded me that Haley did this with Diane's house too. It always happened after a break like summer or holiday. She would cry that she didn't want to go and then was totally fine and would have a great day according to Diane. How did I forget this? This makes me feel better. Must be a transition thing?

It Happened and It Sucked

This morning I mentioned that we should go get the book that Haley decided to bring to Show and Tell. She started to cry and she said she didn't want to go to preschool today. I asked her why she didn't want to go and she said she felt a little bit sick. I asked her if she liked her teachers and she said yes. I asked her if she liked the kids and she said yes. I asked if anyone was not nice to her or made her feel sad and she said no. These are things she has been honest about in the past so I believed her answers.

Let me rewind just a little bit. Yesterday when I picked Haley up she said, "Mommy, I love preschool. Can I go there forever?" and continued to ooze about show and tell and what she was going to bring. Her teacher talked about how she seems to really love it and has adjusted quickly to the school. Haley talked about her new friends "Sophia and the boy with the glasses."

Fast forward to this morning. The moment didn't last long and soon enough she was dressed and talking about how she is going to share her book today and that she didn't feel sick anymore. I don't know what it was. Is there something that scared her? Was she just tired? It was a moment when I wished we could afford to do part time preschool and part time Diane's house. It was a morning when I wished I could take her to school personally and be late for work.

Yes, she was great and excited when she left, but the moment was not fun.

Art Show

Come on out this Saturday to the festival in Saratoga. Joni (mom-in-law) will have a booth filled with her art from noon to 8pm. It's a nice outing for the family and you'll get to browse and buy this original artwork! Make sure to come and say hello!

First Day of School

She woke up and said "It's preschool day today!" Yes, Haley started preschool and I can't believe that at this time next year she will be in kinder. She was VERY ready to go. We took Ryan first so Diane could see Haley on her first day. On the way to school I kind of panicked and started reminding her of little things. She nodded her head and responded, "I know, Mama" to my comments such as "remember to get a tissue if you need to wipe your nose" and "remember to use your best manners." We got there and she told me and Josh that we could wave goodbye to her from outside the window...nice try, we are going in! We got in and Haley went straight for the kids after she was shown her little cubby for her things. As she began to play we were shown where to sign in and out, parent info, etc. As we said "ok..." Haley waved, gave each of us a hug and kiss (because we made her) and said "bye!" Off she went. I picked her up this afternoon. When I walked in she was getting her bow fixed by her teacher. I was the first parent to be there for pick up. She was happy to see me and especially her brother, but took her time to get some water and say goodbye to her new friends. She liked school. Her highlights: circle time when she got introduced by the teacher and got to say her birthday, getting to play outside on the structure 3 times, and lunch which was chicken and rice and veggies. She is looking forward to going back tomorrow. Did she have a melt down at bedtime from being tired? Ummm...you could say that.

Entering a new stage of life. Lovin' it.

Sweet Taste of Victory

There she is. Number 3. Haley has had 3 games so far and just won her first. She doesn't know that she has won or lost. Not sure if she has grasped the concept yet and it really hasn't been mentioned by anyone! Haley is really enjoying soccer. She is not at all aggressive and happens to kick the ball if it comes to her by accident. A few times she didn't even know it was there because she was too busy watching another game or looking at her family on the sideline. She does run around with the mob most of the time. Other times she may not (see below). She likes it and that's all that matters.

Our favorites moments so far: when someone on her team made a goal and we were all screaming and jumping up and down, Haley turned to all of us and waved with a huge smile on her face. Another favorite was when she was running down the field and stopped dead in her tracks and yelled, "Grandma! I have braids!" Needless to say we are fully entertained by the whole scene out there. Just picture 16 4-5 year olds going after a ball and when they get it only knowing what to do with it half the time. 
We have still been enjoying the nice weather and doing summer things for as long as we can. Ryan is keeping us busy with his crazy self. He is getting a bit tired of strollers and high chairs and he always wants "dow" (down). He is daring and fearless and it makes me scared. He did fall off one step and bonked his head so now he asks for help on only that step. He still has no problem heading right up the big staircase. 
We have been able to spend some fun time with Aaliyah and she is just so cute. Her whole face lights up when she smiles. A doll!

Aaahhh...the good life. We enjoyed our 3 day weekend.