1st Day of Preschool!

Well, I can honestly say that I have been dreading this day for quite some time.  Most moms would be super excited to send their kids off to school, not me.  For one, I enjoy having them around and this just means that school will be a part of our lives now for a long, long time.  They are growing up.  And two, here's the big one: Jack's anxiety towards school.  My stomach was in knots just thinking about this day the whole summer.  Whenever school was mentioned, Jack would say, "I'm not going!"  We told him that he could pick out a backpack.  Still, he wasn't going to get one because he wasn't going to school.  Ugh!  Jacky is a bit more emotional than the other two and tends to think and dwell on things longer.  Then the question kept going through my head, are they too young?  We are right on the cusp of the date they allow kids in.

Anyway, the day finally came and we were all dressed and ready to go.  I tried taking some pics.  Josh and Abby were super excited.  Jack wanted no part of the pictures.

As you can tell from the above picture, he kicked over his backpack and was stepping on it.  So, he reluctantly got in the car and we headed off to school.  On the first day, parents were allowed to stay for 20 minutes.  Chris stayed home with Brooke.

Right away, Jack was clinging to me and didn't want to put his backpack away.  He didn't want to wash his hands, either.  I looked around and there were all these happy kids with their parents all excited for school.  There was only one other boy in tears because his dad was slowly sneaking out of the classroom.  We all sat down in a circle while the teacher was talking.  Jack was sitting on me, whining.  Then came the dreaded exit of the parents.  Jack started screaming and holding on to me.  One of the teachers grabbed him and he broke my watch because of his tight grip.  His eyes were super puffy and he kept calling for me.  Before I knew it, tears were in my eyes.  Then, to make matters worse, Abby and Josh started crying.  And, the tears were overflowing for me.  Jack kept saying, "Get me out of here!"  So, I made my way out of the classroom, blubbering, and headed home guilty as ever.  What a sight we must have been!

I couldn't wait for the 2 hours to go by.  Finally, it was time to pick them up and I was just petrified.  I was worried that Jack was crying the entire time.  We parked and were ecstatic to see this:

That's Jack and Abby up front, holding hands!  Josh was the door holder and is all the way in back.  We went in and waited for them to come inside.  He was all smiles!  They were so excited to show us their art work.  Jack only did one drawing, but he was so happy!  The teacher said that the crying only lasted for a little while.

I know that this is good for them and they need this.  When filling out the school forms, there was a question about what I wanted from this program.  My answer: independence from Mom.  We are slowly working on it.

Hanging With Friends

In lieu of a birthday party, we had our friends meet us at The Treehouse to play and go out for pizza.  Most kids are back to school, but that place was still crowded!  I think we all like Monkey Joe's much better!

We didn't stay too long.  Afterwards, we headed to a completely empty Pizza Hut.  The kids enjoyed a pizza lunch and a cupcake treat.

Reid didn't want to pose for pictures.  The kids received some Lego sets and a Squinkie set.  They knew that Daddy would be soooo excited to build Legos with them!  Chris has a HUGE collection of them from his childhood.

Here's the kids being silly with lollipops.

4th Birthday-Part 2

The kids birthday continued with Grandma and Grandpa Piskor, G.G. and Grandma Cleys coming over.  The kids opened more presents, and we had some pizza and cake.

So nice to celebrate their birthday with family!  The kids had a wonderful time and loved all their gifts.  It was a rainy day and they couldn't try out the Big Wheels outside, but they made do and rode them all over the family room.

Next up:  Preschool!

4th Birthday!

I cannot believe that I have 3 four year olds!  Seriously, where has the time gone?  These kids are just so grown up already.  Sometimes I take a long look at the pics I have up in the house and I cannot believe how much they have changed.  Gone are the baby faces and chubby rolls.  When Chris would go on trips, he'd come back and tell me how much they changed.  I never see it when I am with them all the time, but I really see it through pictures.

Anyway, the kids woke up and headed downstairs to a decorated kitchen full of banners and balloons, and of course, presents!

The main things that they wanted were: Abby: princess crown.  Josh: Winnie the Pooh stuff.  Jack: Buzz stuff.  Easy enough!

Brooke also got them some gifts.  What a nice little sister!

Can I just add how difficult all these packages are to open?  I have never seen so many twisty ties and tape for one doll!  The house is littered in plastic wrapping!

Pre-Bday Celebration

On Friday, we celebrated the trips' birthday with Grandpa Ron, Julie, and Great Grandma Cleys.  The kids definitely enjoyed opening presents!

Great Grandma enjoyed holding Brooklyn.

We sang to each one and they had a cupcake.

I think they could get used to celebrating their birthday for 3 days!

Pre-Preschool Photo Shoot

I knew that the first day of preschool was going to be hectic, so I decided to take some pics before then.  We actually had to go to school to meet the teachers and familiarize ourselves with the classroom.

Jack

Abby

Josh

The kids loved being in the classroom so much that they didn't want to leave!  Oh, if they could take that feeling with them when school really starts!

Just hanging around!