Empty Nest

Okay so my nest isn't "officially" empty, but it sure is quiet around the Deaton baby farm these days. Make no mistake, we are still just as busy as ever, but I certainly feel a bit lost without two of my children at home. I have been a SAHM for almost 9 years now, and aside from the preschool gig, I haven't experienced life as a working (and by that, I mean, PAID) mom. Part of me feels lucky that I've gotten to spend so much time with my children, but the other part of me (the brutally honest part) is a bit worried about this new phase in my life. With Miles starting 3 year old preschool, ALL of my kids are in the school bubble. And, I know that they will ALL be gone soon--it all goes by so fast! That's why I love keeping this blog. It reminds me of all the times and experiences that I've had and am having with my kids. SO, what experiences have been going on lately:

(1) Matt and I broke down and purchased an iPad. Since neither of us have iPhones (which I think the iPad is a big iPhone minus the calling feature), we thought it would be nice to have. And, trust me, it DOES NOT disappoint. The kids have loved playing on it, and we get to play on it occasionally =).

(2) We're counting down the number of days until Andrew and MacKenzie's wedding. Our bridesmaids dresses came in last week. I can't believe that I get to be a bridesmaid again--very fun! I'm looking forward to the PARTY on September 18, and even more importantly gaining another wonderful sister in law.

Wedding showers are so much fun. It's cool seeing the latest trends, gadgets, small appliances that people register for. I think we should implement some kind of "decade anniversary shower" for those of us that desperately need some updates to our 10 year old collections. Wouldn't that be neat? Anyone with me on that?

(3) Isaac has another ear infection. Bless his heart. He just got over swimmers ear and is now on an antibiotic for the other ear. Isaac has such a high threshold for pain, but this ear ache has caused him some discomfort and it LOOKS TERRIBLE. I don't think there is anything nastier than ear goop.

(4) I've been swimming for exercise on Tuesdays and Thursdays with my friend Windy, and I cannot tell you how much of a difference it has made in my exercise routine. I'm a pretty faithful walker, but swimming has been a nice, new workout. We plan to continue through the winter at the indoor aquatic center. Miles is perfectly content playing on the steps while we workout--such a good boy.

(5) Our trampoline BROKE. We've owned two trampolines, both have been given to us. The one that broke looked like it had been welded together in numerous spots. It has held up for a while though. Matt was moving it this week and one of the legs completely snapped. We were able to get $9 from Southern Recycling for all the metal. I highly doubt that will make a dent in the price when we purchase a new one. I can't imagine not having our trampoline. It's such great exercise for the kids and some downtime for mom =).

(6) Matt and I are completely addicted to Scrabble. I bet we've played at least a dozen or so times in the past month.

All the quiet in the house has led me to start reading more. I've read two books in two weeks and am about to start a third. I love getting on the BG's public library and reserving books that are NY Times bestsellers.

(7) Homework is RAMPANT, and I truly have no idea how moms with multiple children in school manage. I'm having a hard time keeping it "together" with just two children. School comes naturally to Karson, my brainiac. Fortunately, Isaac seems to be excelling too if he can just slow down a little on his work. He will be taking the GRADE and GMADE tests next week. I'm anxious to see how he does.

I want you check out Karson's spelling words and let me know if you can spell them?: teaching, represent, consonant, blanket, choose, snail, shrunk, dream, spread, crown, pattern, frown, please, frisbee, & precious. I just noticed the Gigi's cupcake flyer in the background. I may not be able to memorize all those spelling words but can certainly recite what's on the menu at Gigi's today =).

Isaac is my creative child and always has been. It's normal for him to make a book a week and draw elaborate pictures. His teacher is impressed by how artistic he is. I would love to get inside his little mind. I was online chatting with his teacher the other night and she told me that Isaac told her that he uses a made up language at home but can't use it at school. HUH? Where does he come up with this stuff? He's also terrified of getting a stick pulled at school. I wish I applied the stick principle at home--his listening and WILD behavior could definitely use it. He did volunteer to me the other day this little tidbit of information:

He said, "Mom I made a mistake today at school." I said, "You did, what did you do?" He said, "well the teacher told us to write our names at the top of our paper and then stop. Mom, I didn't stop, I kept on going and then I had to erase it." I just LOVE his innocence, but seriously, how is he that paranoid about getting in trouble at school and home, not so much.

Today Matt ate with him at school. At Plano the kids are allowed to ask a friend to sit on the stage with them and eat. Last week at school, he picked a kid named Donovan. Donovan is twice Isaac's size and apparently a healthy eater. His lunch consisted of organic milk, baked Cheetoes, and a sandwich on whole wheat bread. Isaac's lunch, on the other hand, consisted of a Capri-sun, cookies, colored Goldfish and a yogurt crush cup. Those of you that know Isaac well, know that he is one picky eater. I feel like I'm throwing money away on school lunches because he still DOES NOT eat after weeks and weeks of school. I thought he'd eventually cave and start trying new things--WRONG. It's not a big deal, but his diet is hard to accommodate. Back to the stick pulling thing, Matt ate lunch with Isaac today and he picked his buddy Tommy to eat with him. Isaac and Tommy proudly announced that neither of them have EVER had a stick pulled. I'm thinking we might be having Donovan and Tommy over for a playdate soon. They both seem like sweet boys.

(8) Preschool is going full force. I have the sweetest, most adorable little group of 3 year olds this year. I have raved to their parents about how proud I am of them. A majority of my class just turned three which makes them the youngest bunch in the school. You wouldn't know it though. They are doing so well--and to help matters, most of them are younger siblings. Us, younger siblings know all about being "bossed into submission" by our older siblings. Sweet, sweet. Here are two of the cutest lil' preschoolers I know. We rotate who we teach with each week at EEP, and this week I was with Ms. Windy who is Miles's teacher. This meant that I got to see Miles in action. He was a little perplexed during storytime with lil' Anna Beth Nelson was curled up in my lap. He kept looking at her, then looking at me like "hey, you're only supposed to love on me mom." He would nuzzle up right next to me. And then on the playground, I saw him playing "the bouncer" of a outdoor playhouse making all the kids who came inside pay him in mulch pieces. He'd say, "you can't come in unless you give me some money." Looks like Isaac's creative nature is wearing off on Miles. What a ham!

(9) We've been enjoying this fantastic weather lately. I foresee many trips to the park in the near future and lots of outdoor walks.

(10) We are counting down the weeks until Fall Break when we return to Destin, Florida for our fall vacation at the beach. Yahoo!!! There is NOTHING like the beach in the fall. It's the perfect trip before the busyness of the holiday season (and birthday season for us) begins. We can't wait to go with our Pops, Meme, Uncle Mike, Paul, Shannon and the TWINS. It's going to be such a special trip!!!

One Proud Preschooler

Miles is officially a preschooler. He made it through his first day of 3-year-old preschool at Greenwood Park EEP with flying colors. I cannot tell you how much we have prepared (probably OVER prepared) him for this day. He isn't the type of kid who feels "left out" of the school mix with his siblings attending. BUT, there has been a lot of change in his little world recently, and I wasn't sure how he'd handle all of it.

Open House was a bust as you can see from this picture. Since I had to work open house, Matt brought Miles. I can't help but chalk his "mood" up to a few factors. Matt brought him around 1 p.m. which can be a grumpy time for kids--it's later in the day, after lunch, etc. And, then, when they arrived, he saw two of his buddies and wanted to play with them immediately. He had ZERO interest in anything school related. When Matt tried to take him into his classroom he bumped his head twice on the coat hook/cubbie/bookshelf thingie (see picture below). It was just bad all around. I was kind of surprised by his "attitude" and wondered how he'd do this morning. Don't you love his shirt and how it's covered in H20? He doesn't just get a drink of water from the fountain, he swims in it too.

Today was better than open house. Here he is with Ms. Windy hanging up his backpack. I wish I could've gotten a couple more pictures this morning but had a class of mine own to prepare for.

I love all of our 3-year-old teachers at EEP, but I always request Ms. Windy for my kids in 3-year-olds. What can I say, Ms. Windy is cut from the preschool quilt. She is just amazing with the kids and has done a fabulous job with mine. I think it also makes it easier for them with her being at church with us. They are very comfortable around her. However, Miles was convinced all summer long that Ms. Denise was going to be his teacher this year. Isaac had Ms. Denise for 4-year-olds, and Miles spent small amounts of time in the classroom with them. Every time you would ask Miles who his teacher was going to be at school, he would say, "my teacher is Ms. Anise (I'm not sure if has trouble saying her name or thinks it's Anise?)." I would remind him, "No Miles, you have Ms. Windy." I showed him Karson and Isaac's pictures from 3-year-olds and told him that Ms. Windy was their teacher too. I was so glad that Miles didn't whine and fuss and want to stay with me this morning. Trust me, I'm not being harsh not having my own children in my classroom. It's honestly way to tough FOR ME to teach my own children, and I want them to be exposed to other people and "teaching" styles. Anywho, it was a great day and Miles has been singing preschool songs all day. Ms. Windy told me she has a classroom full of singers. How precious! I'm happy that at least TWO of my children liked school today =)!

The BEGINNING

BACK TO SCHOOL

What a week it's been! Karson, as usual, was ready to go back to school. She loves learning--definitely a daddy's girl in that way. She couldn't wait to pick out her backpack and shop for her school supplies. I was content with the teacher selections for 2nd grade classes (assuming they would all be the same). When Karson started the 2009-2010 school year, she was going to be in Ms. Vincent's 1st/2nd grade split. Days later is was squashed, and she was moved to a solid 1st grade class. I really liked Ms. Vincent and thought she handled herself very professionally. Ms. Vincent would have been my #1 choice this year. However, when I polled all the kids sitting around me at lunch one day at Plano last year, all of them wanted Ms. Woods for 2nd grade. The last teacher is Ms. Strode who I've also heard wonderful things about. Three great teachers, three choices, anyone of them would be fine with me. At open house this year, there were a lot of changes and shifting around of teaching positions. Ms. Vincent is now a 1st grade teacher. Ms. Strode is teaching a 1st/2nd split. Ms. Woods remained the same. A title I teacher Ms. Allison was moved to 2nd grade, and then Karson's teacher Ms. Pridemore (below) was a new hire teaching a 2nd/3rd grade split.

Don't get me wrong, I'm thankful that Karson is bright and can hang with 3rd graders, but I simply wasn't expecting SO MUCH change in the 2nd grade classes this year. There are only a handful of 2nd graders in her class and a few of them have dropped due to the addition of some 3rd graders. It's hard getting Karson to talk about school (and always has been), but I have no doubt that she enjoys it. She's a fairly independent kid and works well on her own. I, on the other hand, simply want her school experiences to be positive and her to feel comfortable (which I know she would tell if she wasn't happy). I stress a lot more than I should. I've talked to the curriculum coordinator who has eased most of my worries. Plano is such an excellent school to be a part of, and I have been very happy with all the faculty and staff thusfar. I know it's going to be a great year for Karson my brainiac!

I lost not one but TWO children this school year. Isaac began kindergarten. When I registered him in the spring, I requested Ms. Rather and Ms. King as his teachers. I absolutely fell in love with them when Karson had them. I couldn't imagine Isaac not having the same experience. I wrote a letter and emailed Ms. Stephanski. I know the Rather/King combo felt the same way about us and told us they were trying their best to make it happen =). Guess what? It worked. Hooray! We saw his name on their class list and were thrilled! This year Plano had a program the day before open house called Panther Prep for all incoming kindergartners. When I saw that the orientation was FOUR hours long, I thought, ugh--no way do I want to spend my last Saturday before school at Plano all morning. I'm sure glad we did. It was really nice, and Isaac was able to meet Ms. Rather and Ms. King, all the specials teachers, take a bus ride, play on the playground, have a snack, etc.
He seemed excited about school and then came TUESDAY. I honestly didn't think it would be as emotional as it was. If you have access to facebook, check out the video of him on his first day (on mine or Matt's pages). He held it together for a minute and then broke down. It was heartbreaking, and I certainly hadn't experienced that with Karson. It was all I could do to hold it together. The thing that makes is easier is that he is with two fine ladies all day that will love on him and take extra good care of him. I know he's in the best of hands. As the week progressed, he still cried daily, but I think it will get better. School is such an adjustment--it has completely uprooted Isaac's safe little world. He cracks me up with the things he says about school. He say things like, "you don't want to get your sticks pulled" or "no mom, he doesn't follow the rules and won't keep his hands and feet to himself so I don't play with him". He also said this which I thought was cute. He told me that they had played a game in class and said "I played with one black guy and three peach guys". He's also asked about fire drills and the Principal's office. He told me that he cried one day because the teachers made him eat a biscuit (btw, Isaac never eats anything much less anything with carbs). It's cute hearing him talk about school and seeing his work. I sure hope he gets into the swing of things soon for his sake and MINE!

Here's the whole gang ready to set out on the first day of school. We love our neighbors the Chapman's. Their daughter Mia (seated by Karson) started school with Isaac and Laila, their youngest, will be in my preschool class this year.