Quotes

Little Man is doing very well in Kindergarten and having lots of fun! Here are a couple of quotes from him recently:


While waiting for me to pick him up after school one day, one of the Kindergarten teachers, Mrs. J (not his), told him "hi" and that she hoped he had a good day. He responded with, "Thanks! I hope you had a good day of teaching!" She said it was like talking to a little man!


While drawing on his chalkboard at home and pretending to be a newscaster, he said, "Something my Kindergarten teacher would tell us: 'Try your best.' Just 3 little words."

In Remembrance

Today is the 10th anniversary of 9/11. At that time, Little Man wasn't even a glimmer in our eyes yet. Hubby and I had only been married for 9 months. On one hand, it seems like a lifetime ago. On the other, I can't believe it's been 10 years ago! I can remember exactly what I was doing when I first heard the news; it seems like it *just* happened yesterday! Even the emotions are still as fresh! 


I was driving to work when I heard about the first plane on the radio. I thought, "Oh no! What a horrible accident!" At that time, the radio announcers believed it was a small airplane. I was pulling into the parking lot when they announced that the second plane had hit. My thoughts then changed to, "That was NO accident!" I ran inside to our conference room and turned on the tv, which the 4 of us in the office stayed glued to the entire day. Absolutely no work got done. I remember vividly seeing the people jumping out of the burning buildings and thinking, "Surely there's a net down there for them!" At some point I realized that there was, in fact, NO net saving those people. I was devastated. :( 


In the days following, I remember the sky being SO empty due to the grounding of all aircraft. It was a very odd thing since I'm used to seeing airplanes...both large and small...flying over this town quite frequently. 


Hubby and I made a trip to Ground Zero in July 2003. At that point, it looked like a large construction site. It is my wish to take a family trip to see the new memorials. 


Today, September 11, 2011, I am preparing to go on my first trip to Europe. I will be leaving on Wednesday, September 14 for Belgium. I'll be there for 7 days and then will go to Paris for 1 day and London for 1 day. I'll be returning home on Sunday, September 25. It's a trip that I'm very much looking forward to! Our family has come quite a ways in the last 10 years. From newlyweds struggling to being married almost 11 years with one child. I'm curious to find out what's in store for us in the next 10 years. As for the victims of 9/11 and their families... I will NEVER forget and will ALWAYS be grateful for them!

First Day of Kindergarten

Little Man had his first day of Kindergarten on Monday, August 15.  We woke him at 6:10 and had plenty of time to get ready. On our way out the door, Shad and I took a few First Day of School pictures with him. We arrived early enough to go to the gym where we waited until the first bell. From there, the Kindergarten kids and parents were led down the hall to the Kindergarten wing. I had to remind Little Man which room was his. Once in the classroom, the kids sat in their seats and worked on a coloring page while the parents put away all supplies. A note from one of last year's Kindergartners was sitting at Little Man's place. It was a fill-in-the-blank note handwritten by the little boy welcoming him to Kindergarten. Little Man's teacher, Mrs. B, took pictures of each child with their family. They'll be used in a Kindergarten portfolio that he'll get at the end of the year. After pictures were taken, all the kids sat on the carpet while Mrs. B read the book, "The Kissing Hand." The book is about a little raccoon going to school for his first time. All he wants to do is stay home and play with his mom and toys. At one point while reading, Mrs. B asked the kids why the little raccoon went to school at night instead of during the day. Christopher raised his hand and, after the teacher looked to see if anyone else wanted to answer (he'd already answered other questions), was called on. He stated, "Because raccoons are nocturnal!" Hubby and I had a good laugh! How many Kindergartners use the word "nocturnal"? 


After the story, Mrs. B gave each child a baggie with a surprise for their parents (a note from her, a package of tea and a cotton ball) as well as a heart sticker for each parent. We then said our goodbyes and left him there. I'm happy to report that I did NOT shed any tears! Mrs. B sure tried to make us, though, by reading that book! Also, the note she included in our little goodie bag almost made me cry. I went home to enjoy a quiet house for a little while and then went grocery shopping ALONE!


His first 3 days are half days with half of the Kindergarten class. Day #4 is also a half day, but with the entire Kindergarten.  Day #5 (Friday) will be his first full day. It's also School Pride Day, so he'll wear his school colors and have a class picture taken on the front steps of the school. I guess we need to find an outfit for him to wear since we don't have any school clothing yet! 


Pick-up went much smoother than I expected. I got there about 10 minutes early and enjoyed just sitting and waiting. That school sure does have dismissal down to a science! Once the kids were released, we were in and out of there in about 5-10 minutes! I was impressed! Of course, that was only half the Kindergarten, so we'll see how Day #4 (entire Kindergarten) and Day #5 (Kindergarten plus Grades 4 and 5) go. 


When Little Man got into the car, my first question, of course, was "How was it?" He said it went BETTER than he expected, that he LOVED it and that he couldn't wait to go back the next day! When he got home, he re-emphasized how much he enjoyed his first day by holding his arms out and behind him and saying, "I enjoyed it THIIIIIIIIIIISS MUCH!" I'm so happy that he enjoyed his first day of school so much! I hope and pray that he'll always love learning and school, even on the roughest days!


I'll end here and leave you with a few First Day of School pictures:

Little Man and his teacher, Mrs. B

Mrs. B reading "The Kissing Hand" to the class