School for everyone

We're in week four of school for the boys and things are going well. Jacob is enjoying 3rd grade. He told me yesterday, "I know this sounds weird, but I actually like going to school". Music to mom's ears. I love it! He's been working hard on schoolwork, spelling words and reading a lot of books in his spare time.

Kyle is adjusting to Kindergarten and the long school days. He's doing much better in the evenings, not as tired. He's making new friends and is becoming more and more independent every day. He doesn't even wave to me when he gets on the bus in the morning anymore. Sigh. He's growing up. He's beginning to learn how to read and has taken a new interest in writing. I love seeing it all come together. Kindergarten is such a transition year.

My classes are going well. I'm surprised by how much I'm enjoying being back in the classroom. I keep telling people it feels great to "use my brain again". Both Chemistry and Statistics are interesting and I love how I still remember stuff from high school and college 13+ years ago. I've met a couple other pre-nursing students who are also army spouses. One who lives in my neighborhood and another who has two kids, one in Jake's class and one in Kyle's. It feels good to connect with other women and hopefully we'll be starting the nursing program together next fall.

Mel is still in Master Gunner school. He's got about five weeks left. I think we'll definitely have a celebration when it's over (and he passes). It isn't unheard of to make it all 13 weeks and then fail out in the last week, so the pressure is always there. He's doing great though.
So that about summarizes our happenings right now. School, school and more school.

Exhausting

That pretty much sums up our week, especially for Kyle. Full day kindergarten is exhausting for him. A couple of times this week he's fallen asleep on the bus ride home from school. He's not the only one though. Most of the kindergartner's stagger off the bus with very sleepy eyes. On Monday I carried a very groggy Kyle home from the bus stop and he said, "Just plop me on the couch mom and bring me a snack." So that's become our routine. Evenings can be a little touch and go with a five year old who's physically and mentally spent. Numerous times I've had to remind Jacob not to "poke the bear". Any little trigger can set him off into an emotional melt down.
Mornings are rough too. Here's Kyle waiting for his breakfast on his makeshift bed of bar stools and a backpack for a pillow.

Back to school

The boys went back to school...on a very humid morning that caused my camera lens to fog up.

When they were safely on the bus, I quietly enjoyed my breakfast and coffee while catching up on a DVR'd show. I got in a workout, went shopping, did a little laundry and cleaning, planted my fall veggies and then put my feet up for a few more glorious moments before the boys got off the bus in the afternoon. Ahhh, a much needed "day off".

I get five more days like this and then I head back to school myself. I'm taking Chemistry and Statistics this semester as part of my prerequisites for nursing school. I'm excited, a little nervous and definitely a little concerned about the transition back to school while still maintaining balance with family and household responsibilities, but I know it can be done.

Summer break is here

Today is day two of Jake and Kyle's summer vacation. Day one consisted of a lot of bickering and fighting over the computer and arguing and pestering each other. Today, I set some ground rules. We still had a lot of arguing and pestering, but overall it went better. First and most important I set a daily video game limit (includes computer games, DS and Playstation) and got out a timer. Second, the boys each will do 15-20 minutes of "home school" each morning before going outside or playing. Today I worked with Kyle on his speech worksheets and Jake did Math problems. In addition, they both will read (or be read to) 30 minutes each day. I'm hopeful that if we can keep it up we can eliminate some of the knowledge loss Jake seems to experience every summer. Plus it's only 45 minutes. Very doable. Oh yeah, and I told a little white lie to help get them to comply. I told them that at military schools, the teachers expect the parents to home school during the summer. No harm in that, right?

Next week we start swim lessons and the following week Jake has football camp. I think keeping them busy and active will be the best way to keep them from pestering each other out of boredom.

Ahhhhh, summer fun has begun. ;)

Christmas programs

Jacob's class program was last night. He told me he was nervous all day, but he did great. They sang songs and each child did a powerpoint presentation. After the program, the families enjoyed a feast of foods from around the world. We tried dishes from Equador, Mexico, Germany, France, Korea, Norway and Sweden.


Kyle's classroom program for the parents was on Monday. He was so nervous that he hid behind the other kids the whole time. He didn't cry and he didn't come running to me so that was an improvement from his program at bible camp last summer. Can you see Kyle? He's the one hiding behind the girl in blue.



They have one more all school program tomorrow. I can't wait to see it.

That darn southern drawl

Flame. That's what Kyle wanted us to call him. He wanted me to tell his teacher to call him Flame. At first I couldn't figure it out and I plainly told him that his name is Kyle and he can't change it to Flame. He was very distraught and said his teacher doesn't know his name and she calls him "Cow". I reassured him that his teacher knows his name is Kyle, but every day after school he would tell me again that he wants to change his name because his teacher keeps calling him Cow. What? It finally dawns on me that if you say Kyle with a very southern accent it comes out sounding like Kawl. And if you don't hear the L at the end, well, it does sound a lot like Cow. Poor kid. He didn't realize his teacher was saying Kyle. I explained to him that his teacher has an accent and her words sometimes sound different than how we would say them, but that they are the same words.
I feel so bad for not understanding sooner what he was telling me. This could have been the reason he was reluctant and nervous to go to school every morning. Ahh, glad it's cleared up now. He seems to understand and doesn't have any issues with it anymore.

Catching up

I've been really bad about blogging the last few months. We've had a lot going on and I just didn't take the time to sit down and write. So I'm going to attempt to now.
The boys are off to a good start at school. Jacob is enjoying 2nd grade so far. The first few weeks he was really excited to be back and see his friends, but the novelty of that has worn off. Now he looks forward to the weekends.Kyle started his second year at preschool and like a bad mommy, I forgot to take his picture on the first day. In my defense, getting both kids ready, fed, bags packed and to the bus (for Jacob) and to Kyle's school (five minutes later) by 9:00 keeps our mornings very busy. Kyle also started a speech class two times a week. Here's a few pictures of him enjoying ice cream after his first day at that school.



The big news on the horizon...Georgia. Mel is taking a position as an instructor at Fort Benning so we are relocating. Soon. We've been waiting since July for orders, but things finally seem to be progressing as far as paperwork is concerned. Hopefully we'll be there before the snow flies and we can enjoy our first mild winter!
At first the boys were a little apprehensive about the move, Jacob especially. But now I think they're excited. When Mel and I were down in Columbus in August we took a picture of a lizard we saw for Kyle and now he's ecstatic that we'll be living in an area with lizards. He's easy to please.Jacob is sad about leaving his friends and moving farther from his cousins, but we've been talking about it for so long, I think he's accepted it. We told him we can Skype with his friends and cousins so he'll be able to see and talk to them often.
We didn't sign Jacob up for sports this fall as we weren't sure of exact dates with our move. Somehow though, our evenings still feel full with homework and lessons with both boys, enjoying the fall weather and getting things in order for our move. My to-do list seems never ending and although I'm sad to leave my hometown of 35 years, I'll be happy when we're resettled in our new home.

More to follow on our move as we know more.

Jacob's First Day of 1st Grade

Yesterday was Jacob's first day of school. I think I was more nervous than him. I wondered if he'd find his classroom on his own, if he'd take everything out of his bag, and if he'd remember his bus number at the end of the day and get off at the right stop. Last year he "tested the waters" with his teacher the first few days and was a little disruptive and disrespectful (which was so unlike him) so I worried a little that he might do it again in his nervousness of being back at school.

He suprised me and thankfully found his classroom on his own, emptied his bag and turned in forms to his teacher, only received one reminder to stop talking when he wasn't suppose to and found his bus and got off at the right stop yesterday. He said he had a great day. He likes his teacher. He made some new friends and saw some old ones. However, immediately after he got off the bus he "let loose." He wasn't listening to me and he had this attitude about him and he tormented his brother throughout the evening (more than normal). It's like he was so good for seven hours and he just couldn't do it anymore. I hope he's just adjusting to school and this isn't a pattern. Maybe day two will be better.

Kyle starts preschool on Thursday. I'm so curious to see how he'll be in the classroom. He can be very social and funny or very shy and stubborn. Last night, we were reading a book together and Kyle pointed to watermelon on the page and said, "Us like watermelon.' I said, "Yes, WE like watermelon. Can you say WE like watermelon?" Kyle said, "No, I say US. I do it how I want. You do it how you want."

Hope he doesn't say that to his teacher...

No toys in 1st grade

Tonight at the open house at Jacob's school, we got to meet his teacher, see his classroom and drop off school supplies. On the way into the building Jacob said, "Wouldn't it be cool if school started today?" I'm thinking, Yea, he's still excited about going back to school!
On the way home he was reading the daily schedule his teacher gave him and he said, "What? We don't have free choice?" I had to break it to him that there wouldn't be toys in his classroom. Hopefully that doesn't change his opinion about going back.

He's ready to go back to school

Eight days and counting until school resumes for Jacob. He had a great year in Kindergarten last year and we're anticipating another good year for him this year. I'm not sure if he loves the social part of school or the academics better. He really works hard. His teacher told me last year that one day she accicently gave Jacob two Math worksheets and when he finished the first one, he went on to complete the second one. When his teacher told him he didn't have to do it, Jacob said, "I want to. I like it." He also likes to please people so he works hard to impress his teachers.

Jacob had a reading assessment at his school a couple of weeks ago and he told me that being back at school made him realize how much he missed it over the summer. Ahhh... music to a mom's ear!