School Days

Oh my heavens!  I could not have asked for a better school situation for my child.  I am so appreciative of her teacher (all of them, really) who have the perfect balance of high expectations and a high level of nurturing. 

Gianna LOVES school.  For the last three weeks, their school has had four day weeks due to election day, holiday and inservice.  It drives Gianna nuts to have a day off from school.  She cannot wait for Mondays.  (She's going to have serious withdrawals next week during the Thanksgiving break.)

Since parents drop off and pick up kids in a carpool line, we don't have much chance to see the kids in their learning environment or too even see the classmates we hear so much about.  We've been to a couple of birthday parties where I've met some kids and parents, which was wonderful, but I managed to weasel my way into her classroom during Halloween week.

Since I'm a room mother (did I mention that?), I asked the teacher if she would mind if another weaselly mom and I could bring their little treat bag and a small snack during their little recess time. 

We did super simple treats: mummy wrapped Hershey Bar and a couple of ghost suckers with a few other little pencils and trinkets. 

(We saw one of the other class's loot and gasped.  HUGE buckets filled with stuff.  We felt a pang of guilt and then kept saying.  They are FOUR years old. They don't need a lot.  The teacher told us, "They just got loot.  Our kids got y'all.  They enjoyed your presence more than the stuff you brought."  How much do I love that lady!

I offered to bring books and read to the kids to give her a break. She was happy to have us and the kids were beyond excited to have visitors.  When the other mom and I arrived, the teacher left the class to open the door for us, as we walked toward the classroom I heard a very loud, familiar voice addressing the class, "Okay, boys and girls, now listen to me...."  My eyes bugged out of my head as my head whipped to catch the gleeful glance.   Oh, my precious child!  The teacher told us they were beyond excited about our visit.

Silence fell as we entered the room and their smiles spread as they studied each of us while the teacher introduced us.  Gianna's face was ADORABLE!  She was so proud that I was there.  When I got a second alone with her I asked her why I heard her voice so loudly while Ms. Lisa was letting us in. "Oh, I just wanted to introduce you to the other children."  It's pretty amazing how God stuffed a 30 year old in a tiny 4 year old body.  :)

They had even prepared their favorite activity for us "Going on a Bear Hunt." I read several books to them and you could hear a pin drop. The children could not have been any more precious.  I forget how much I love, love LOVE this age.  It's easy to forget when you're in the midst of the daily challenges of parenting your own child.  I was glad for the reminder.

She is learning so much and her homework time is much more successful than the hellish beginning we endured. Whew. 

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Lately I have been very frustrated with how unproductive my time has been while Gianna was at school.  It's only about 2 1/2 hours from the time I got home from dropping her off until I left to go pick her up.  If I had one phonecall, one errand to run, one interruption (even a welcomed one)  my "to do list" was completely obliterated. I felt completely stalled out and no closer to do what I need to do to move Gianna and I into the next chapter in our lives.  I started fantasizing about having Gianna stay at school a few more hours and all the positive things that possibility could offer both of us.

Basically the extended day adds lunch (which they bring to school) and a nap.  They watch a video between lunch and nap and that's the rest of their day. Poof.  My main concern was was that Gianna wouldn't nap at school and possibly become a distraction or disturbance to other kids. I worried about the extra money it would cost (an extra $40 per week) and then I realized that it was a little over $2 an hour and I couldn't even get a babysitter that cheap.  I mulled it over in my mind for weeks. I grappled with feelings of guilt that half day should be enough.  But heck, I'm still only 15 months into the most difficult chapter of my life and grief continues to take it's toll on me, my child, my parent efforts, etc.  It's okay that I'm not operating at full capacity. It's just where I am.

Finally I decided to ask the teacher and director if it was even a possibility to extend her day.  Her response was, "Maria, she has transitioned beautifully to school.  She is ready and capable and YOU need this." I brought it to prayer and everything just seemed liked it was the right choice at the right time. Done. 

So as of November 1st, she started extended day and I pick her up at 2:15pm instead of 11:15am.  Gianna was THRILLED.(I did feel her out first and she couldn't wait to stay with her other friends.)  I got her a nap mat. We already had a lunch box and off she went. 

She has napped every single day at school (I guess I would too if the director came and rubbed my back!!!) and when I pick her up at 2:15, I've accomplished things, she's rested and happy and we have the rest of the day to spend however together with much less stress.  What a blessing.  BEST money I've ever spent.  BEST decision I've made for both of us.  I'm glad I started the year the way we did - easing in to the transition of school, but this has been great for us.  I'm glad I made the tough choice.

Halloween 2012

We celebrate Halloween in a fun, understated way, but I have a friend who does it up BIG!  We happened to be at her house while she was decorating her front lawn.  Gianna got into the action.  Silly witch.

 You think she has a hard time getting into character?

She got completely tickled at herself in a pair of vampire teeth.  Funny kid.

After Gianna's ballet recital in May, we realized that without its tutu, Gianna's costume looked much like a Tinkerbell  outfit.

  I figured that would be an easy, cheap Halloween costume. The closer it got to October the more I worried about cooler weather and mosquitoes, so I managed to suggest Gianna wear another dress-up costume she already had.  Ariel won out. 

Meet my Little Mermaid.

We have a red wig from Brave - but it swallows her and figured she shed it at some point along our walk.  I told her I'd do a little 'mermaid makeup' to help her get into character.  Her seaweed boa served as a lovely cushy handle for her pumpkin.

We went to see my old neighbor and realtor and precious friend, Karen.  Last Halloween she was diagnosed with breast cancer.  This Halloween she has a clean bill of health. Praise God!

Then we went to Gianna's godmother's house.

 Her lemon tree is prolific.

So is Nanny's love....

Then we were off to meet our sweet friend and neighbor, Matthew (and family) for a round of Trick or Treating.

How cute are they?

Matthew's baby sister, Anna Catherine.

Isaiah and Isabelle were supposed to come with us, but poor Isaiah was traumatized by some zealous, scarily dressed teenager.  We ended up making the rounds of the neighborhood with just Isabelle.

She was a great sport.

She got a ridiculous amount of candy.

RIDICULOUS!

So, we packed up several bags and brought it to a local dentist who trades it in for little toys.  They send the candy to military members overseas.  I'm sure they enjoy the treats, but I've heard they mostly want the candy to pass out to the children they meet.  How wonderful is that?

Now we're saving the little toys for Operation Christmas Child.

Ms. Heather's Pumpkin Patch

Gianna and I recently drove to Covington to visit our friends, the Jenkins in their new home.  Finally we have made it to the point where Isabel and Gianaa can now have fun playing together -- and boy, did they ever!

On Saturday we took them to a Pumpkin Patch in Hammond that Laurel heard about.  As much as I love the Pumpkin Patch we visit in Moss Bluff every year, I was REALLY awed by what this set up had going.  IMPRESSIVE!!!!!  It was really chilly when we got there, but warmed up nicely as the day went on.

A whole lot of sass in two little bitty bodies...

 The scarecrows...

 Time for face painting...

 Love this one...

 And Caroline was chomping at the bit to particpate like the big girls.

I could nibble on her for hours.

 What an amazing trooper she was.  Three hours of following two busybodies and she still had a smile...

The girls' jaws dropped when we approached the pumpkin patch and they saw the great big jumpy pillowy looking trampnoliny things.  It seemed like hug tarps tucked into the ground which had air pumping in them. Hilarious. 

And they had these slides made of some kind of tubing. It would shoot the kids out like rockets. We could stop belly-laughing.

 And how much fun can a big pale of corn be?

Apparently, LOTS!!!! 

 Talking to the corn!!!

 How beautiful is this baby?

 Mommy and Gianna 

Oh yeah, there were pumpkins too.

I think we'll have to make this excursion a yearly tradition.

And just in case you were wondering, these are about a tenth of the pictures I took.

Consider yourself spared. :)

Pumpkin Patch 2012

It was the first time that we went to the Pumpkin Patch in Moss Bluff - not being a resident of that wonderful little community.

 I don't know why I have expectations each year that my child will actually want to be still for pictures.  The pumpkin patch she loves.  Pictures, not so much.

It's such drudgery for her.

 She's got this head tilt thing going on that I'm having a hard time correcting.

  

 We've been doing the Pumpkin Patch with Nate since he was born. 

 One day I'll collage all those pictures throughout the years.  One day.

 Beautiful child of God.

 These two are so cute together.

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Here are some pics of pumpkin patch past. You can get to each link by clicking on the corresponding year.

2008

2009

2010

2011

Happy Fall Y'all!!!