Starting Kinder

Aiyana started Kindergarten on Sept. 7. We all made it without crying! I came close... real close. As the students were gathering on the rug Aiyana asked me why I only stayed for such a short time. I almost lost it. I wanted to trample the other little ones and swoop her up and carry her out of there. Instead I just took a deep breath and shot her a kiss and moved towards the door. We watched for a moment and took a couple more photos before leaving. Whew! That was the first time Aiyana had ever been left in someones care other than close family. Well, there was one time when she was 1 and I trialed a "preschool" for 3 hours. I hated it and never went back. Other than that we have been doing parent participation preschool classes since she was 1 1/2. Anyway, this was truly her first day of school.

 AJ was enjoying the desks while the students were getting settled in at the front.

 She conquered the first day!

We decided to put Aiyana in a school that isn't in our neighborhood. We are very happy with our choice so far! The Kinder system is very organized and Aiyana comes home from school happy each day. The first thing she usually tells me is that they "learned MORE stuff she already knows"! She has really showed lots of independence the past few weeks with her new found freedom. She even asked me to drop her off at the front of the school and she could find her own way to her classroom. Not a chance!

Teamwork

Aiyana was playing with a tow truck- "I'm a tow truck and I will tow your firetruck & your fire station."
AJ was playing with a firetruck and fire station- " I only need my fire truck towed, not my fire station!"
Aiyana- But I want to tow the fire station.
AJ- But I am a fire truck and I need to be towed!
Aiyana- OK I will tow the fire truck and the fire station.
AJ- No! Not the fire station, Just the fire TRUCK!
Me- I have an idea... You can do both, tow just the fire truck and then tow them both!
Aiyana- OK! First we will tow the fire station then we will tow the fire truck!
AJ- NO- first we tow the fire truck then we tow the fire station!

Take a good look at this smile!!

It will be gone soon. Aiyana has 2 loose teeth! Soon these pearly whites will be long gone. We have been taking lots of big cheesy smile photos.

Mommies do bad things.

Yesterday as I walked into the kid's room I was greeted with two little rug rats pointing wrenches at me as they were whispering, "There she is, there is the thief!" I know we have recently read Aladdin at least 25 times so they were simply acting out new concepts. But why do I have to be the "thief"? Couldn't they designate some random stuffed animal?

I continued on with my afternoon folding clothes and dancing around the house with the kids as we listened to Reggae music. At bedtime AJ again said, "Mommy you are a thief."
Me- "Really? What do thieves do?"
AJ replied after a moment of thought, "They do bad things."
Me- "Oh. Bad things like what?"
AJ- "They take things from happy people."

I was satisfied with his thoughts and really wanted to get him to sleep, so I left the conversation there and continued with our bedtime routine of blessings and affirmations.

This evening I walked into another ambush at bedtime. This time AJ informed me that I was a bad guy sometimes. I asked him why and he replied, "You are a bad guy because bad guys do bad things."
Me- "Well, what bad things do I do?"
AJ- "You take things from bad people."
Me- "If I take things from bad people does that make me bad?"
AJ- "Yes. And sometimes you take things from the other happy kids also."
Me- "Really? What do I take from the other kids?"
AJ-"Sometimes when you are a bad Mommy you take banging things and bats away from the other happy kids."

He really does think I am a bad guy. Well, I let it rest a bit and when I was brushing his teeth I reminded him that bad mommies aren't really trying to make the happy kids sad. They just have to make sure that the happy kids follow the rules with the banging things and bats and don't hurt anybody or break anything. I think he is OK with that because he grabbed my face and gave me a perfect kiss on the cheek.

Bowling with Gram

Last Thursday we went the Premier Bowling in Bonita to watch the kids Great Grandmother bowl in her league. Gram Curry taught the late Gpa Curry, her grandson Rich (my husband), and now her Great Grand kids Aiyana and AJ how to bowl at the same bowling alley.

We went to watch, but when she was finished we decided to let the kids go for one game.

Gram taught them how to hold the ball correctly and gave them a tip here and there to keep them on track. AJ was so excited to pick up his ball by himself and roll it down the lane. Just after he rolled the ball each time he turned around and with a huge grin on face he would yell, "I did it!"

Aiyana was focused on making sure her and AJ's ball came to the correct side of the rack. She did her best to be sweet with Gram and it was such a joy to watch her have a big girl day. I think all of the "oh you are so beautiful and pretty" comments from Gram's friends gave Aiyana a dainty girl attitude.

but... I caught her "slippin"

After her little spill, Aiyana recovered well and learned to stay behind the line.

Overall it was a great afternoon! Spending time with Gram is always fun. We need to do it more!

Preschool fun!

Aiyana has discovered a new talent. The photos say it all!
This little girl pushes her limits.

Spring is in the air!

It has been raining and/or windy so much lately. Now that the sun is out and warm we took a trip on Thursday to see Shamu. It was a beautiful day!