That's how they get YA

When I started 6th grade, I was finally able to attend the small church school where my mom taught.  I had been in public school up until that time and while I enjoyed it, I always envied my siblings who were old enough to go to the church school.  

At the time, it only went from 6th - 12th.  A couple years after I started, they opened it up to kindergarten through 12th.   It kind of felt like I was playing school at first, but then it got serious and I worked hard on my school work.  

I've got some great memories but they're all so hazy now.  I do remember learning how to type on those old clackity clack typewriters, playing chess with one of the teacher's younger brothers during recess and him handcuffing a trouble maker to the flag pole once.   Alan was dead set on going into the military and always wore fatigues to school so of course he always had handcuffs handy!

The "playing school bit" kind of reminded me of something Leon told me the other day.  

Me: "So what did you learn at school today?"

Leon: "I didn't learn anything!  It's not a learning kind of school.  We play games and run around at recess!"

:)  In preschool, that's where they trick you!  You're actually learning through play.  

Enjoy it now while you're young kid!

Hanging on by a thread...

Last night was a mad rush.  I had Meri come home to watch the boy, while I ran his dad to work and got his cell phone replaced.  Just before I headed back to home, I got a text from Meri that Leon said he wanted to go to play practice with her.  

He is SUCH a ham, I knew that it would be difficult to get him away from all his adoring high school girlfriends.  In the middle of a prance that he was doing in front of the stage, I whispered him away with the promise of "I'll take you to the park!"

Ok Grandma!

Just before we pulled into the park parking lot, I asked him if this was where his preschool recesses are because he said his class went to a really big park to play.  He said no and that it was closer to the school.  So I drove around the block because I wanted him to show it off to me.

We got closer to the school and I noticed a TON of cars parked around the elementary school and parents with their kids milling all over. 

uh oh...

I told Leon that it looked like an open house.  

"YEAH!  My teacher said it was open house tonight!"

really...?...

Pulling into a spot, I did what any woman because neither my husband or son would be caught dead doing this would do and lowered my window to talk to a young mother.  

Hi there!  Is there an open house tonight?  

You betcha!  Until 7:30.

It was 7:10.

WHEW!  We went in and Leon showed me all over the school and his classroom in detail in ten minutes.  Then we browsed the library and he got a pencil for his efforts.  Too bad we don't have a pencil sharpener.

THEN I took him to the park for a little bit as the light faded.

And that's what I call a modern day miracle.  If we hadn't pulled around the block, I'd never have known there was an open house and the teacher would have thought poorly of us and Leon would have felt left out.

WHERE is that school calendar??!  I'll probably need to mark some more dates down!

FIRST Day of Preschool

Leon's first day of preschool for the year was on Tuesday.  He was pretty excited! 

As you can tell from his posing...  

He's a Peace-Nik...

 

Albeit a goofy one.

Programmed Attitudes

Last night was Leon's end of the year program.  

It's not truly the end of his preschool year, but the night of their performance. 

Three classes worth of kids.

Leon knew some of the songs but hardly any of the hand motions unless it was about sharks or using glasses. 

 Actually I think that one was improvised as none of the other kids made glasses with their hands.

Afterwards, a couple other women, myself and the teachers ran downstairs to put out the treats and drinks.  As a volunteer, one of the perks (I found out) is that we get the leftover treats!  Okey dokey!!!  So we got a good sized box of variety treats sitting on top of the fridge currently.  They may not be there by this afternoon... ;)

Diet??  Yeah - it starts back up when the treats run out.

Leon and his teacher.

We've got pictures of each of my kids with her at the end of their preschool year.

Leon was a legacy... They had to let him in!

Ryan, Jen and the boy

Since Robb got to do a selfie with them, so did I.

And Leon dug into the take home treats as soon as we got in the car.

YUCK.

Think twice before you send red frosted cookies to a school event...

Maddy took Leon to his program practice yesterday morning and when they got back she asked hopefully, "Does he still nap?"  Why yes he does!  She was so relieved...  She was really wanting a nap herself.  He wore her out.

SO, in order for her to get some sorting done of the piles of boxes in the dining room, he is at daycare today.  She's getting her Colorado trip all packed up.  

We'll store the rest of her college things in the garage until fall.

  

Currently the futon mattress and all her extra pillows are gracing the reading bathtub behind me in my office.  It's looking extremely comfy and after the treats that I'm planning on consuming, I may be trying it out for a siesta of my own.  hmmm...

What kind of end of the year things do they do in your neck of the schools?

Learning to listen

EVERYBODY STOP!!! 

and they did!

Amazing what they'll do for their teachers, but not their parents or grandparents, huh?  Not 2 minutes after this photo at Leon's preschool, he was running down the sidewalk towards the street. 

I yelled, LEON STOP!!!!  

and he didn't until he was at the tippy curb.

We've got to work on that or he's going to give me a heart attack.

Oh... and he'll get hit by a car!

Speaking of working on things...  I met up with the friend who has Ban Roll last night, so that the itty bitty baby hem on the wedding dress that I'm altering will be perfect.  We had agreed to meet in a nearby town at McDonalds because she said it would be so much easier than giving me directions to her house, which I'm thinking is in big bear country.  I'm assuming some gravel road in the woods that has a 90 degree incline/decline, depending on if you're coming or going.  I do want to see her house some day though.  It burned down a few years back and this is a brand new house!  

AND I'd love to see what a brand new sewing room looks like! 

Or heck, what ANY sewing room looks like!

I'm a dreamer!

But anyway,  I got to the McDonald's parking lot and waited. and waited. and waited.  Meri was going to be done with play practice soon so I really needed to get going.  The only phone number I had for Sue was her house number so I got to talk to her husband.  He said she'd been gone a long while and gave me her cell #, which went to voice mail.  I waited a few minutes longer and tried it again.

Hey!  I'm at McDonald's.  Where are you?

I'm at McDonald's.  Where are you?

Inside.  

oh.

We(I) should have ironed that tidbit of info out when we spoke yesterday...   Well, she is awesome and gave me a quick verbal tutorial, just in case I forgot from her visual tutorial a couple years ago.  But I blogged about this back then and have been anxious to try it out.

I hope to get at least the tulle done on the wedding dress tonight so we can do another fitting for the hem before the weekend.  We'll see.

But if Leon screams GRANDMA STOP!!!

I supposed I'll have to listen.
I've got to be a good example, don't I?...

The School-ager

He was too anxious for his first day of school to smile like he normally does.  Unless of course, this is the new Leon smile...  

That's right!  He's a school-ager!  He started Preschool this morning and the house is quiet without him.

I'll pick him up in two hours and then the wild rumpus will begin!  Or lunch/nap time.  Whichever. 

Gathering the chicks

Saturday morning was the Preschool open house.  It rained so Leon wore his snazzy new rain jacket that I didn't think would fit him for another 2 years or so.  We were the first ones there, promptly at 9am. Ryan and Meri attempted to find their old class photos in the photo albums.  We found Meri and Maddy's but I think Ryan had been sick the day they did his class picture.  They had fun pointing out all their friends.

Leon had a blast!  He got to see the baby chicks but not touch them.  In the past open houses, (13 - 20 years ago) the kids got to hold them.  I guess someone must have gotten pecked somewhere in between then and now...  darn.  He got to see the egg shells they came out of too.

His favorite thing was play in the corn kernels with the farm equipment.  Another kid came a little while later and took it over.  Leon was not happy.  Good thing that kid is going to be coming on a different day than him next fall!  I was sensing a rumble.

Also good thing Leon has a potential double dose of ADD, because he got distracted easily and got involved with some other games and toys. 

Meri came along with us and at one point, one of the teachers told Leon that he should show his mommy and daddy the tornado in a bottle.  Meri said with shock, "I'm NOT his mom, I'm his aunt!  Ryan's sister!  I'm Meri!"  OOOHHHHH!!!  NOW she remembered Meri!

Meri was not pleased.

We stayed almost a half hour before the place filled up with kids and their parents so much it was hard to find an open game without interacting with another kid.  and according to Leon, that was out of the question.  Leon was NOT pleased either when Ryan and I both motioned for the door to leave!  He pitched a fit and screamed for several blocks upon leaving.  I think the teacher was pleasantly pleased that he'd had such a good time.  At least that's what she said...

And I suspect she was actually, secretly, a little worried for this coming fall...