We decided to surprise the kids with some fun today.....so I snuck out of work a little early and ran home to pickup Lillie. And then I got to surprise Paul by picking him up from school....my very first time! Since he wasn't expecting me or my car, I decided to park and then Lillie and I walked up to meet him outside the front door. The look on his face was priceless. We headed to the indoor playground in Ankeny so the kids could play inside the air conditioning. We have had record heat the last few days with temps at 100 degrees and sometimes higher. This was a fun and cool way for them to work off some energy. Little miss climbing the tree stairs....
Big fun on the inflatable slides.
Quick snack....pretzel with cheese.
We met daddy at the local hibachi place for dinner. Everything started well - she was clutching her chopsticks.....
....and slurped her soup.
And then she freaked out for no apparent reason and wouldn't sit at the table when the chef started cooking. Ultimately Jason took her home and Paul and I finished our meal. Not ideal since it was a dinner to celebrate HER gotcha day! But sometimes you have to go with the flow. Looking forward to a fun long weekend!
Dear Lillie, Hard to imagine it has been a whole year since you were placed in our arms forever. We waited so long for that moment and now we blinked and you have been home for 12 months. You have grown so much in the last year. You really know how to roll with the punches and go with the flow. We have learned a lot from you about perseverance. I love to hear you speaking more English - still plenty to work on but you have really come so far. You love to sing songs and act silly. You love your preschool class and teachers. You love your big brother (most of the time anyway). You are far louder than I would prefer sometimes. I love to hear you laugh! We see you get frustrated when you can't do something the way you want to do it....but trust me it will come in time my dear. I still find it hard to believe that we are a family of four. I can't wait for the year ahead when you will turn 3 years old and you will continue to learn more and more. You have amazed us this far and I am quite sure you will continue to amaze us. Your foster mom has been on my heart all day. One year ago her heart was breaking as she handed you over to us. Complete strangers. What a selfless act to care for a child for so long knowing full well that one day she would have to say goodbye. You clearly love each other very much.
Paul wrapped up his first full week of kindergarten on a really high note....FUN FRIDAY! The kids each have a behavior chart and Mrs. Balvanz marks each day with either a smiley face (good behavior day) or a number that corresponds to whatever bad behavior they had that day. The kids are quite aware that the amount of numbers that show up on their calendar for a week dictates whether they get to participate in Fun Friday activities. No numbers for Paul this week....and Fun Friday was the chance to make artwork with glitter pens. He was thrilled.
And how cool is his teacher for taking and emailing pictures from this week! The first is the group making playdough letters and the second is the glitter pen fun!
We had some fun with blankets the other night. Our kids could play with blankets and pillows for hours. Terrible phone pictures but they show the essence of the fun!
Lillie's selfie!
And Paul took one too!
Selfie of the 3 of us together.....everyone started out happy.....
.....and then Paul might have gotten too close to the princess. She definitely lets you know when she isn't happy about something.
Here is the blanket and pillow fun in action....
Miss Lillie had a great week too - her first time going to preschool for 3 whole days! She didn't nap any of those days but still managed to maintain a decent mood. She has been talking so much more at school - they are seeing the Lillie that we see at home. She seems excited to go and is a great mood when I pick her up. And finally, I think Jason had a nice week too! He got some free time back and could actually get a few things done while also allowing himself some down time too. Everyone is settling nicely into their new routines.
We live about 15 minutes from Adventureland...its a great theme park for younger kids. They have recently added a huge waterpark to it as well. Quite the gem for our area. We have not taken the kids before - we had big intentions to take Paul last summer but then things got crazy as summer wrapped up and we were planning a little trip to Korea. So, as a special treat for Paul after starting kindergarten last week, we took the kids today. It is also the last day of the Iowa State Fair so we thought the crowds might be a little lighter at Adventureland. We had so much fun - the weather was perfect, the crowds were totally manageable and the kids loved the rides. It is not a cheap outing and we are now convinced that we will likely get season passes next year which would help make it a bit more affordable. Can you see the excitement in their faces?!?
Paul and Daddy rode the swinging pirate ship. You can see them clear in the back row with their arms up in the air!
The kids waiting patiently for their turn on the tea cups.
Boys side of our tea cup.....
And girls side....
Lillie loved to spin around....heck, we all enjoyed it!
Lillie had a snack while we waiting on Paul and Daddy. They did lots of big kids rides today that would leave me in a heaving mess if I had to ride them!
While we were waiting (because those "cool" rides that Paul and Daddy like tend to have the longer lines), Lillie and I headed over to the ladybug ride.
The boys waiting in that long, long line!
Finally, they got a seat......
And loved every minute of the high flying fun!
And just to prove how high flying The Zinger is.....
Paul decided to be the Red Baron with Lillie as his passenger.
Driving a big rig at age 2.....no worries.
She was clearly having NO fun at all!
Paul's very first big roller coaster....the classic, Tornado. He was super excited! Maybe not quite as excited when they got off....he had fun but said it went too fast.
The Frog Hopper was pretty funny....a smaller version of the slingshot ride for adults.
This boat ride was quite the hit....first up was Lillie.
Then it was Paul's turn....
And finally Paul and Lillie together....
Next up was the Himalaya for Paul and Daddy. Hands up all the way!
Big bump as they come around the turn....Paul laughed the entire time.
Kids on the dragon ride while Daddy went on the Dragon roller coaster.
What a FULL day we had. Lots of fun but we were all pooped when we finally made it home. Kids were in bed and sleeping by 6:45. It will be a full week for Paul with 5 whole days of kindergarten! We've had some nice email exchanges with his teacher too - can I say again how much I really like her!
Paul gave his first day of kindergarten two enthusiastic thumbs up and he can't wait to go back tomorrow. He wasn't all that forthcoming about his day but I pressed him and got some answers......
1. He loved lunch but we didn't put the popsicle stick in the right bucket to make sure he got a carton of milk with his lunch. Whoops! He has decided to try hot lunch tomorrow (cheeseburgers are on the menu). 2. One of the girls was crying today and he said he gave her a hug because his teachers at Creative Kids taught him that we have to use helping hands when someone is sad. Swoon. 3. A few of his preK classmates from Creative Kids are at his school but in other classes. Since all of the kindergarten classes at his school eat lunch together and go to recess together, he got to spend time with some familiar faces today. 4. He has already decided that he will pick "excited" for the mood chart tomorrow morning. I am so pleased that he had such a great day. We promised him a fun dinner out and he got to pick the place. That meant it was a 50/50 shot that we would eat at either Culvers or Buffalo Wild Wings....and he chose Culvers! He ate his entire dinner in no time flat and then enjoyed some ice cream. And when I say enjoyed, I mean ENJOYED.
We came home and checked out his red take-home folder. This folder will come home in his backpack each day and will be emptied and sent back the next morning. This is also the folder where we will see his behavior chart although they must get a pass on this for at least the first day of school because we didn't see it in his folder! A few cute pieces of Paul's work from today. He is getting pretty darn good at coloring in the lines!
And he got to have some of his new friends to write their name and draw a picture on his paper. Even Mrs. Balvanz got in the action. Too cute!
Here's hoping for another fabulous day tomorrow. And then a fun weekend before he starts a full week of school! I am one proud momma tonight.
The day finally arrived...all the anticipation leading up to this.....and he was SOOOO excited this morning. First up was breakfast which kicked off with a PopTart in his undies.
And then it was off for the time honored tradition of first day of school pictures in front of the house. He looks SO old to me! He knows he is responsible for his backpack and his lunchbag and he is taking his responsibilities very seriously.
Happy parents with a happy child.
For his first day, we parked and walked him into the school and to his classroom but I showed him where he will be dropped off starting tomorrow. Here he is making the walk into school.
He found the room all by himself - after having only been there once! I did show him the map of the school at breakfast but I was pretty proud he remembered where to go! Lots of distractions - hence the sideways eyes.
Finding the locker he picked out on Tuesday.....just a little to the right Paul!
After putting his name on the "how are you feeling today" chart (he picked happy), we headed over to the lunch bucket area. You find your name on a stick and put it in the bucket that represents the lunch you will have (hot lunch, cold sandwich, bring your own lunch).
Here is his seat with his name on it!
A few words of advice from big daddy.....and one last hug.
Loving his teacher already!
And that was that....we hugged and told him to have a good day and we were off! He looked happy but I am sure today will be tough - new schedule, new people, etc, etc. I didn't actually CRY but I did get teary when we left. Hard to believe our little man is now a full fledged kindergartner. I hope he has a great first day.....
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