School Days

We have a wonderful pastor in this time of life- Tom Darnell.  He is wise, gifted, faithful, and has cared for us well.  He comprised a "through the bible in a year" plan that we have tried a few times, but not yet succeeded, to follow.  HOWEVER, his advice about the bible reading plan has helped me in many other areas in life.  He said, if you get behind, just skip ahead to where you should be or you will probably never catch up!  I'm still hoping to blog about the fall, the holidays, the spring, and many other things, but for now, while it's fresh...

Sam and Charli finished their first year of preschool this week!

These are my babies on their first day of preschool at Montessori East...

AND on their last (for the year)...

THAT HAPPENED IN 9 MONTHS!!!!!  My babies turned into little kids.

They've grown so much in these months, and we are very grateful.

Although it's hard to know exactly what happened in all of those hours at "school," here's what I do know:

-Sam and Charli loved their teachers, Ms. Anna Marie and Ms. Kelly, and I think that their teachers loved them too.  Sam frequently called Ms. Anna Marie his best friend.

-They spent at least two hours each morning doing "works."

-Most days, Charli said the works that she did that day were related to food.  "Today I did the apple work, the cheese work, and I ground you some coffee."  She exploded socially this year.  She loves to make new friends.  Her best friends at school this year were Emma Ruth and Parker, and she told me more about what THEY did at school than what SHE did every day!  Charli loved for us to observe.  The first time that I came to observe, she smiled and maintained eye contact with me as she picked various works, strutted across the room, completed the work, and put it back.

-Sam typically said that he did the painting work, but I also know that he became a really good climber this year as he worked on the geodome EVERY day at recess!  When we went to observe this Spring, he spent most of his time on the window washing work, and he did a very thorough job following those steps and washing those window just so.  He also picked up a bit of Spanish and made some buddies of his own... especially one who tells lots of hilarious potty jokes at the ripe old age of 4.

-We've grown increasingly fond of the Montessori method throughout the year.  Sam and Charli have both been pushed towards greater independence, and they typically come home energized and ready to play, rather than exhausted from typical preschool chaos.  This has been a great year!

AND in case anyone is wondering, this guy hasn't hated preschool too much either...

On Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, he's had his own little schedule from 8:30-3, and he's loved every minute of the time that is "just his."  

On Mondays, Benjamin hung with Lane (world's best babysitter) and probably his first friend, Weathers.  Benjamin still lights up every time he sees this little buddy.

Tuesdays were "Dad days," and B and Drew got their own personal time to read books and do whatever they felt around the house.  They BOTH loved Tuesdays!  Wednesdays Benjamin got to do Young Lives.  We frequently went to classes at both Stratford and Maplewood High Schools.  Benjamin did some really sweet ministry with teen moms, and became excessively comfortable on the floor of a public high school.

Thanks to our friends the Mitchell's encouragement, we went out to celebrate the end of our school year at the farmer's market.  We had ice cream, honey sticks to our heart's delight, pimento cheese, bread, and hot dogs. 

Happy first day of OUR summer!