Jack's Christmas Program

Jack did so well in his program last night! This was his first program with the older group of kids. It included all of the CCS 1st-4th graders and thus had more speaking parts, solos, instruments, etc. than the previous programs. I was so impressed with all of the talent and really enjoyed the music! Jack, of course, was very serious the entire time, focused on making sure he did all of the motions perfectly. He also yawned a few times, evidence that this program took place at his normal bedtime. :) We loved watching our handsome guy perform!!

Graham's Christmas Program

Graham did a wonderful job in his first CCS Christmas program! I love this age. It is so fun to see the joy these kids possess and to see them sing praises at Christmastime. Graham was an absolute ham, loving the attention and beaming with pride each time the applause came. He can always make us smile. We love him so much.

Kindergarten Christmas Program

Last night we got to watch Jack sing in the CCS kindergarten program. It was so sweet! Their teacher, Miss Connie, is wonderful and always does a great job teaching the kids lots of songs and the hand motions that go with them. Jack has been practicing at home some, although he favors certain songs so we didn't know there would be so many! His favorites are: Our God is an Awesome God, Away in a Manger, and We Wish you a Merry Christmas. It was so nice to have Gigi, Hetty Sue, BB, and Grandad there to support Jack!

Funny Story: During the performance, Jack looked right at me so I gave him a thumbs up sign. He responded by giving me the thumbs down while still singing. Not sure what he meant by it but Randy said, "Looks like he can argue with you from 50 feet away!" Isn't that the truth?!

First Day of School

Jack's first day of school was a huge success! Although he was a bit nervous the previous day, on Thursday he woke up full of excitement and did not seem nervous or scared at all! He ran right into school and was sitting and coloring with his friends cheerfully when we left. I was a bit teary eyed leaving him but was so thankful that he was happy. I wasn't able to pick him up since I had to fly to Colorado for my sweet cousin's memorial service, but I got to hear all about his day when I arrived home around 5pm. He told me that kindergarten was even more fun than pre-k, which is high praise since he LOVED pre-k! He enjoyed playing with his friends, going to P.E., playing outside at recess, doing circle time and centers, singing songs, and learning about God. He could hardly contain his joy and couldn't wait to go back to school the next day. I am so very thankful for our wonderful school and all his teachers and am so glad that he had such a good experience to kick off the school year!

Kindergarten

“The kindergarten children are confident in spirit, infinite in resources, and eager to learn. Everything is still possible.” -Robert Fulghum

I can't believe that the time has come for me to send my first precious BABY off to kindergarten. It is such a bittersweet time for me because although I absolutely love the school we have chosen, am impressed by his teacher, and know that he is smart, sociable, secure, and confident enough of a child to embrace this new experience, I am still just experiencing that grief that comes with having to "let go" of my sweet child and send him out into the world on his own for a bit.

Last night was parent orientation. Randy and I were extremely impressed with the new headmaster and were excited by the new things that are happening at Crossings via the PTF and Booster club. We enjoyed watching the cheerleaders perform and chatting with other parents, some familiar, some still strangers who will become our friends this year. We were thrilled to finally know who Jack's teacher is and were happy to find out that she is a sweet young lady, fresh out of college and excited for this new adventure. I know Jack will be loved on every day in her class! We left a bit overwhelmed thinking about all the to do's: order lunches, label everything he owns, buy a spirit shirt, double check that carpool map, read the handbook, etc.

Then this morning was student orientation. Jack has been a bit nervous about school so I was very excited for him to finally be able to see his class and meet his teacher. His apprehension really surprised me as I know I have never seen him as nervous as he was when we walked into that classroom. Typically Jack is very outgoing and has never met a stranger but he clung to my hand so tight that it made me want to cry. Fortunately, as his teacher read him a poem (at which time I DID cry, luckily I don't think she noticed...) and he looked around the room, checked out his cubby, saw all the new books, and finally met a new friend (Jacob), he slowly became more at ease and toward the end of our visit he was looking like he owned the place, laughing and playing with Jacob. I am very thankful for Jacob! Jack's favorite thing about the classroom is that there is a water fountain. He also really liked the big tent and is very proud to have his own cubby, which even has a special place to put Sally each day!

Thankfully, even though Jack didn't previously know anyone in his class, he has many other friends in the other kindergarten classes, so he will see them at recess and in chapel. He will also have some of the same specials teachers from last year, for P.E., music, computers, library, etc. This is not a new place for him and there will be lots of familiar faces!

I am a little surprised at how emotional I've been today. In some ways, I am absolutely ready to send Jack off to school! He just thrives in school and I love his excitement for learning and making friends. Also, I am looking forward to having some time to focus on Graham. With him being my middle child, this next month or so will be our only chance to have some really good one on one time on a daily basis. I want to cherish that time with him before the baby comes. But in other ways, I just can't imagine sending him off all day every day to be in someone else's care. It is just one of those milestones that you can never really prepare yourself for fully. I have spent almost all day every day with this little guy for five and a half years. He (along with his daddy and brothers) is my whole world! I will miss him so much. Not to mention the pain that I feel thinking that he may be in any way uncomfortable or scared at first. It's tough being a mommy and letting your little one grow up!

I'm hoping to get up early tomorrow to spend more time than usual in prayer. I need to thank God for the blessing of this school. Randy and I are confident that God wants Jack at Crossings this year in Mrs. Ferguson's class. I know He has plans to use Jack for His kingdom and that this experience is part of what will prepare him for that. I am so thankful that he will be in a place where the adults around him know the Truth and will model the love of Christ. I can't imagine sending him anywhere else and pray that he (and I) will remember how blessed we are and will feel God's peace throughout tomorrow and the entire year!

Spring Program and More Soccer

Jack's preschool put on a very sweet spring program this year. He did great and was so cute up there! Unfortunately we didn't get a very good video this time but here are some pics:

The soccer season was so much fun this year! It's amazing how much better the kids played this year at five vs. last year at four. They had so much fun and we really enjoyed watching them. I'm so glad Jack was able to participate in a fun sport with good friends.

Last Day of Pre-K

Jack's last day of pre-k was Thursday! it is so bittersweet to say goodbye to preschool and begin looking forward to kindergarten next year! Jack had such a wonderful year and was blessed with sweet teachers and great friends. He has grown and learned so much over the year. His teachers made a binder for us filled with work from throughout the year and I love seeing how he has improved in writing, coloring, drawing, etc. He has also mastered holding a pencil correctly and is beginning to be able to read. We are so proud of him and are loving watching him grow up and mature. I will say it makes me a little sick to my stomach to think about sending my baby off to school all day every day next year, though. :( Thankfully he goes to a wonderful school and we know he'll be in great hands! Here is a picture of the first day of school and the last day:

And of course Graham didn't want to leave without having his picture taken as well!

Happy Birthday, Jack!

Jack turned five years old today. Five. Wow. He is so grown up and independent and I just could not be prouder of the big boy he's become. He truly is so special and Randy and I feel incredibly blessed and humbled to be his parents.

I've never seen Jack quite so excited as he was to turn five. He has been counting down the days for over a month now and just seemed to think this was the most special event in all of history. Last year I don't think he even gave his birthday a second thought so this surprised us but we made a big deal of it with him and we all had a great day celebrating. We started off the day with a Happy Birthday banner, a special breakfast of doughnut holes and chocolate milk, and Daddy even went to work late so he could see Jack and wish him happy birthday right when he woke up.

The celebration continued at school where Jack was prayed for and sung to in chapel. Miss Jill shared with everyone why she loves Jack and what makes him special. Then we went back to his classroom and shared "angry birds" cupcakes with the class. Jack requested these after his friend, Brayden, had brought angry birds cupcakes for his birthday. He got to show off his cake to the class and even take the first bite!

We finished the day by going to small group, sharing the leftover cupcakes there, and of course they all sung to him as well. Jack is truly blessed to be loved by so many people and we are so grateful to each person who cares for him, loves on him, and prays for him.

Jack has grown so much over the past year. I think my favorite quality in him will always be his tender and loving heart. He has such a sense for what others need in a given moment. He often says to me out of nowhere, "Mommy, I love you" or "thank you for being such a good mommy" or "you're so beautiful, Mommy." Although Randy and I try to model encouraging talk, I really think that God has just blessed Jack with this sweet spirit. He is so encouraging and helpful with Graham as well and loves him so much (not that he doesn't wrestle him to the ground sometimes as well!)

Jack is also so independent now. He is able to play on his own for awhile because he has the best imagination. He can dream up all sorts of scenarios for his toys to play out and it is so cool to hear these creative stories!

Some more fun facts/milestones at age 5:
- Jack loves to play with friends and has really bonded with a few in particular. It is fun to see him develop real relationships and watch him bond with people on his own. Right now his best buddy is Austin and they enjoy talking about outer space and the color green. :)
- His favorite color is green. This has been his favorite color for the whole year so I'm interested to see if it ever changes.
- He loves to eat peanut butter and honey sandwiches for lunch and his favorite dinner is chicken, messy green beans (green bean casserole), and rolls.
- He really loves lions and one of his favorite games is imagining he is Daniel and is being thrown in the lion's den. This game usually consists of him yelling, "Heeeeeeeeeeelp!!" really loud at the park so that everyone turns around and thinks he is in some real danger.
- He LOVES the science museum. His favorite part is going in the rocket ship. He was scared the first time but has done it twice since and really enjoys it.
- He can read! I am so, so impressed with his reading so far. He can read entire (pre-k) books to me. This is a very recent development and I am so proud of him.
- He still loves reading Bible with Daddy and has memorized some scripture. He says his favorite verse is John 3:16.
- He likes being read to. I just finished reading The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe with him. He really enjoyed it and I was impressed with some of the themes he is already picking up on (e.g. "Aslan is kind of like Jesus...")
- He loves school and can't wait for kindergarten when he will go ALL DAY FIVE DAYS!!! I on the other hand, am not ready to give him up. :(
- He continues to show us in so many ways how smart he is. We are amazed by him every day!