School

Wow…what a first week not to mention busy...

To begin, Steve sent me this photo of the boys earlier in the week of their first day home together. They were 3 weeks old. It is hard to believe they are going to be 3 in a matter of a few months, and here I am talking about their first day at school!

Jack and Zach have been doing very well, surprisingly well, adjusting to their new environment. This time last week I was excited for them but yet very nervous for the first day in a school setting. Their big day was upon us and they knocked it out of the park, AND we are very proud of them. I will never EVER get tired of saying how blessed I am to have these little boys. They truly do amaze me each day with their kind spirit and gentle soul. I wanted to share with you each day as they experienced school for the first time.

Steve and I have our routine down in the morning to help ease the boys into getting ready early in the morning. As I am getting ready for work, Steve is downstairs prepping our lunches and getting the boys’ breakfast ready. Just as I am getting done he is ¾ of the way done getting himself ready. HA! Yes, it is a jammed packed morning, but we have a solid routine that works well. And, thank goodness for delayed brewing on the coffee maker because that is one less thing to get going for the day AND Mama needs her mojo. J Our goal is to be in the car by 7am so we allow an hour in the morning to get the boys up and moving. We know how it feels to be rushed and we don’t want them to feel on the go from the time they wake up to out the door so we give them an opportunity to drink their milk and...to simply wake up. By that time they are ready to get moving on with their day. I appreciate their support in helping us make the mornings go seamless. I am sure there will be moments when this is not the case, but hey, don’t we all have mornings when we wish that we could just stay in bed?! They are super excited to leave and love to put on their new backpacks we got them. They do a great job at making sure they have Coco and blankey packed inside for nap.  If Steve and I do not car pool, he will still meet us there to help make the mornings memorable for the boys, and I like that we have the opportunity to be part of this journey from morning to afternoon pickup. The boys and I make our morning commute fun. Not only do we get to see the awesome ocean, but we try to “catch” Daddy while we are driving. No this is not NASCAR racing, rather I tell the boys let’s see if we can catch Daddy…uh oh, we are gaining on him.  They get such a kick out of it and laugh hard. If we are stopped at the light and are side by side then we roll the windows down and say hi to Daddy. J

Each morning the boys have done a fabulous job of walking into the school and taking their coats off. On their second day they even went as far as taking their shoes off while on the carpeted section. I have to appreciate the boys desire to follow the rules we have at home while at school. We do not wear shoes in the house at all. So, I did have to chuckle as Jack was taking his shoes off and had to tell him if at school you can keep them on. The morning transition teacher, Monica, had to smirk and she said well I like they are so comfortable!

The boys’ first day went well. They gave us the biggest hug and kiss ever and said bye. Not one tear. Although not certain what to expect, there was part of me envisioning leg pulling, kicking, crying, no no no, but this is not at all what happened.  Off to work we went just like that. I have to say this moment in my life was bittersweet as it is another adventure and milestone we are working towards.  It was hard concentrating at work because I was so curious to know how they were doing. I checked in with Sabine during the day and I have to say she is so good about responding back. She commented the boys are very sweet and adjusting well to their day. When I picked them up at 3pm Sabine noted that nap did not start off well but there was miscommunication, as she was not aware the boys enjoy sleeping with their Coco and blankey. Sabine let Zacharoo get up to see what it was that he needed and he went to his cubbie and got their Coco and blankey for him and Jack. Although by that time his brother gave in and was already sleeping but normal for Jack. J Zach got back into bed and fell right to sleep. They only slept for an hour…yikes, and you could tell they were tired when I picked them up in the afternoon because of their, ahem, demeanor with me. So, I already had it in my mind they would be going to bed early, which they did. To keep up with the spirit of their first day I stopped at McDonald's with the boys and brought it home. Whenever we drive by you hear the boys call out Nonald. HA!

Wednesday was off to great start! I had nice chat with the morning transition teacher, Monica. She gave me some words of encouragement as our little ones go through this exciting time.  She did make certain to tell me that there could be some moments of uncertainty with the boys, but this is to be expected. She is right. They do very well during the day, get along great with the teachers and their peers, but the moment I step foot into their environment it appears their demeanor changes with me.  I commented to her that our evenings have been less than stellar, but this too will soon pass. Monica noted this is new for them and as they get acclimated they will be back to normal. It just takes a little time and patience for the new schedule/routine. Jack said bye to me Wednesday morning and even went as far as shutting the door behind me. J Sabine spent a little time with Zach and he helped her feed the chickens they recently got for the school. Since they grow their own veggies for lunches, they walk over to the garden and pick out some items to feed the animals. It probably made his morning since we were just at the petting zoo over the weekend. J I really like how Sabine spends quality time with the children. When I picked them up that afternoon I was able to get more particulars regarding their day. They had circle time, reviewing counting, story time, and learning the day of the week. The boys also participated in a craft project and I look forward to hanging their projects up with pride and joy. Zacharoo had a little melt down mid morning because he REALLY wanted to go outside and play with the cars. The teacher had to talk to him that at some point they could go outside but not at that moment. He looked at her said okay and put his hand up and said later. J He quickly moved on. Nap has been a little bit more challenging. I know that as they get more comfortable taking naps at school they will sleep longer. In the meantime, we will hold on tight (remember tuck and roll) and let them have their tantrum in the evening ;). As Steve and I reflect on each day they are in school, and regardless of how our evenings might go, they are adjusting quite well with the school/teachers. You have to remember that for the past couple of years even though they had structured times to do things (breakfast, lunch, nap, etc), for the most part they got to “play” whenever they wanted. Now they have to do projects/tasks at certain times of the day, so we have to let them get acclimated to this routine as they have had to do in the past. I will say this until I am blue in face, but one day at a time. This is still so new to all of us!

Thursday the boys got some much needed sleep and worked smoothly with us on getting out of the door. So far this has not been an issue. Insert here knock on wood. However, Jack wanted me to hold him for a little bit when we first entered the transition room at school. Now that I think about it, his fear could have been because of the little girl, which I learned that morning she is not good about napping and will scream bloody murder so they have to do something different for her at that time. No wonder the boys have a hard time. HA. This poor little girl gets there right at 7am, does not nap, is at school until 5:30 or 6pm, and then does not go to bed until 9pm. My heart sank when the teacher was telling me this. I just could not imagine.  Daddy did take Jack out in the hall and had a little heart to heart while Zach played with Thomas the Train and all was good. They both waved good bye. I heard from Sabine the boys were doing great. I got there just as they were all having snack outside on the playground. I was in complete aw watching my little Jack. They both were sitting with their peers enjoying bananas and graham crackers. Jack would rub this little boys back who was sitting next to him and pointing to the little girl…aka the screamer, and talking to him. I could not hear the dialogue but the little boy just let Jack comfort him. I thought it was the sweetest thing in the entire world. I did not have an opportunity to talk with the teacher about their day because there was another kid in need of help, but I expect there will be days like that. The nice thing is I always get the privilege of catching up the next day. I did learn the boys napped a little longer, which was good. I also had a nice chat with Sabine when I got to the school and she reassured me the boys are doing well, VERY WELL. *You can see I ask each day because it is important to me! She was quite surprised at how well they took to their first week as she doesn’t see this with most children. Overall, Thursday was much better, 100x’s better.  Since school, we have been putting them to bed much earlier and doing very well with their new bedtime routine. They are still doing a great job with their big boy beds…they don’t even get up and run out…they just lay down and talk with Coco for a little. I would say after 10 minutes they are done for the night. At the end of the day, they are doing amazingly well! Plus, Steve and I are happy to get extra time in the evening! Today I brought home some of their art. I am so excited to hang it up! J  

Happy Friday Folks; another great day and I mean GREAT from beginning to end! This tells me they are adjusted and content. Zach slept for 2 hours during nap while Jack slept for a little past an hour. I can already tell the more they are there the better the days. Thursday and Friday night were amazing. Steve and I were able to get out for a little Friday night even though we were a little tired from the week. I captured the music of LeRoy, a musician at Zona's. He is awesome and would like to go see him again if he is the nearby area. Also, Ryan Sheckler’s Dad was sitting behind us! I guess they live in San Clemente. Sort of neat if you LOVE skateboards.

I am so proud of their big accomplishments this week. I look forward to hearing about all the wonderful things they do each day and sharing their progress with our family and closest friends. A new week is upon us!!!

Sincerely Yours,

Julie

[Tuck n Roll ;)]