Preschool, Firetrucks and Cookies!!!

Navia has been going to Preschool on Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons. She LOVES it and the teachers are great! Yesterday I was the "duty parent" and of course I came armed with a camera!!! It was a busy day because they just brought out new dress-up clothes that were clamored over by all the girls, and even a couple boys. They also made cookies as a group and got to ice them and eat them as a snack - which was very yummy (and very messy!!!)

(Navia is leaning over with the pink tights)

Yummy!

Check out Ms. Princess, cape, muffins and all!

I went to take a picture of Navia and suddenly all the kids wanted to be in it too - soooo cute!

Last month the school went on a field trip to the Firehall in Manotick and all the parents could come along. Navia had a blast and was very, very fast!!! They could explore 2 different firetrucks and an ambulance and she was popping in and out of each one as I was having to go around each one.

Navia was enjoying the firemen UNTIL they put on the masks and started breathing like Darth Vader. When the fireman asked the kids if they were in a fire and saw a fireman dressed like this and sounding like this what would they do . . . Navia's response wasn't the right one . . . she thought she should go under her bed. Yep - she's now scared of firemen!!! So I'm thinking that we're going to be going to meet a few more of these guys to help her get over her fear. I guess the field trip wasn't exactly helping my little girl, although it did for so many others!

It took a long time to get Navia this close to the fireman - and even then it was just for a second!

Preschool, Grade One and Teacher Gifts

Well, since giving Navia her ballerina outfits this is what she looks like every single morning . . . we then have to get her out of them so that she can go out into the world . . . the very COLD world :)

Navia had her preschool Christmas sing-a-long day on Wednesday . . . all the parents were invited to watch them perform a little skit ("The Mitten" by Jan Brett) and a few songs/rhythms. Afterwards they made a Christmas Tree craft . . . Navia LOVED the icing and candy part of the craft!!!

Check out the concentration and the tongue - so cute!

Then on Thursday it was Kaleb's turn to do a Christmas afternoon. Navia, Emma and I went to watch his class sing and act out "Frosty the Snowman" and then they showed off their books they had made and snowmen that they had done . . . oh, and of course drink hot chocolate and eat the cookies they had decorated :) Kaleb did great!!!

Kaleb and his Grade One Teacher, Ms. Browne

Then today it is the last day of school before Christmas holidays for the kids and they HAD to bring gifts for their teachers. As a teacher myself I know how sometimes getting gifts from so many students can be, how do I put it, um . . . fattening!!! (hehehe!) Although I don't have to do as much Christmas baking and there are always plenty of chocolates of all sorts in the house just waiting to be eaten up!!! I wanted to do something a bit different for the kids' teachers. I searched on the web and found this great idea on a Just a Girl's Blog. It didn't look that hard to do and it looked like it might be useful as all classes have these in them. The kids went to the craft store and each choose their own stickers for them and then we changed these ugly purell bottles into . . .

(just use Goo Gone and ta-da, the sticky label disappears!!!)

Now, wouldn't you much rather have these sitting on your desk than the ugly ones that everyone else has?!?!?! I actually think that I might do one for myself now, as I use them in each class. Oh, and aren't the bubbles cute!!! And if the teacher wants they can refill it so that they can keep the bottle . . . or not.

So, today they kids are off to school, Navia will go this afternoon and then they will be home to stay until the first week in January . . . so much time . . . now I just need sooooo many ideas to keep them busy!!!

They all left me!!!

This morning there is a first in this house - a never before in the history of this family first . . . all my babies left for school and now it's just me in a big empty house - blogging about it because what else am I supposed to do?!?!?

Navia is now going to the playschool at the community centre (just 2 blocks away - yep - convenient!!!) on Monday mornings from 9:15 - 11:15. This morning when I was getting Navia dressed she just looked at me, gave me a big hug and kiss and then said, "Mommy, good-bye, I go to school now." Awww - she was already to go and now it was just me who is going to have to adjust to this. When we got to the school she couldn't wait to get into the class and ran up to Miss Susan and shook her hand and then set her lunch on the table and then Mommy did the unthinkable . . . she had to take pictures - hehehe! Yep, I took her and told her that she couldn't go into the circle until I had taken some pictures and you can tell by them that she was a little impatient with me - oh well - pictures are worth a thousand words!

I peeked in after a few minutes and my little girl was singing and doing actions with a huge smile on her face! Yep - this is what she needed!

So, this means that on Mondays I have an entirely new schedule . . .

* 8:40am - bus stop to drop off Kaleb

* 9:00am - drop Emma off at school (usually biking)

* 9:15am - drop Navia off at the community centre (biking again)

* 9:16am - wait at the centre so that Navia doesn't see me, but I can hear if she is alright or not

* 9:17am - still waiting

* 9:20am - yep, still waiting

* 9:21am - admitting that she's alright and heading home to work on MYC lesson planning stuff

* 11:15am - pick up Navia from centre

* 11:40am - pick up Kaleb from bus stop

* 3:30pm - pick up Emma from school

We're kinda needing to do this so that when Navia goes to Junior Kindergarten next year (yep, you heard me right - NEXT YEAR!!!) she'll be ready for a more formal setting than Sunday School. Yikes - I can't believe I admitted that - I guess they're all growing up!

Now to my empty nest . . . it's soooo quiet!!!


Well - I just picked up Navia from her first day at school and before we left on our bike back home she wanted to send Daddy a video to tell him about her day (she was VERY excited!!!) so this is it - the first day of school in Navia's words . . .