First Day of School!

**Disclaimer - the next few posts will recount our first few weeks/months in Jerome. We were living in a hotel (which I'll write about at some point) but please note that every single picture in the hotel is going to look cluttered, messy, and crowded. That's because it was.**

Less than a week after arriving in Jerome, the kids started school! It was a little hectic because we were still living in the hotel but they were more than ready and excited to begin a new adventure. I am going to detour here and say that my kids have been incredible throughout this move. They have been so positive and optimistic about all the changes. Their attitudes made things easier on me for sure. These kids of mine, I tell you, they're the best.

But, back to the first day of school!
 

The night before school started we had our traditional "first outfit of the school year" fashion show.

I love Clayton's outfit (I'd seriously wear it if it was in my size)!

This is not Sammie's first outfit of school. She actually started the day after all the other kids, but she wanted to try on new clothes too. She's pretty cute.

Since there was no bus to ride, and we weren't in our home, our first day of school morning was a little different than usual. Breakfast from the hotel breakfast bar, everyone getting ready in the same room, loading everyone in the car to drop them off. It was a little hectic, but considering all the problems we've had with the bus over the past few years, I'm more than happy to drive them (we'll see if I still feel that way in a few years - but for now I don't mind it one bit).

They do school a little different out here. There are two K-3 elementary schools, 1 4th-5th grade school, 1 middle school (6-8), and then high school. So Clayton goes to a different school than Noah and Josie. I think there are pros and cons to this. They stagger their start times, which is nice (Clayton starts about 15 minutes earlier than Noah and Jo so drop off isn't a problem), but it'd be nice to only have to go to one school to see all my kids. I'm pretty happy with both of the schools though, so I can't really complain.
 

First day of school! Noah: 2nd grade, Clayton: 5th grade, Josie: kindergarten
Pretty stylish group, if you ask me! (And yes, that's a potty chair on the floor of my van. That's how I roll with a newly potty trained kid. Judge if you must, I ain't changin'!)

I can't believe this is Clayton's last year in elementary school. It seems like his grade school years just flew by! He has a great teacher this year though who lets me come into the classroom and help out once a week. It's nice being able to spend that time in Clayton's class since this is probably the last year I'll get that chance!
I wish this picture was better, but oh well.

Pootie started the second grade. As you can see, he started strong. He has a very loving teacher who is just the sweetest. He has taken that elementary school by storm and made a ton of friends. I predict he'll be running that place next year!

Josie started kindergarten! Crazy! I was worried about how she'd do academically (she wasn't quite as prepared as Clayton or Noah had been), but she's doing just fine. We struggle a bit with her teacher (she doesn't really let parents in the class to volunteer, which kills me because I want to be there for her) and she's had a few hard days, but we're working through it together and I'm hoping that we'll come out on the other side stronger for it.

Socially though, she's on fire! She makes friends left and right and is just so confident and sparkly! I love that she knows exactly who she is.

Noah and Josie go to the same school. I was interested to see how this would effect their relationship and I'm happy to report that I think they're closer for it! They have a lot of shared experiences that the rest of us don't and I think that's bonded them. They still fight a bit, but I'm slowly starting to see a more friendly relationship developing between these two! 

I thought it'd be fun to compare all my kindergartners:
Isn't Clayton the cutest and tiniest kindergartner you've ever seen! Oh my goodness! He's so adorable! I am having a hard time reconciling this sweet tiny face to the man-child that is currently living under my roof!

 Noah! Oh poor Pootie with his poor allergic reaction. Still though, he's changed so much!

Josie. Maybe it's because I'm remembering the boys smaller than they actually were (though Clayton was actually pretty young) or maybe it's the difference between boys and girls but she seems more grown up to me starting kindergarten than they did. I love her excited/nervous face here.

Josie only goes half day (she goes in the mornings). So after her first day, we got to celebrate with lunch at McDonalds with Justin (I adore his new schedule - things get so much better after residency!).

When everyone else got home, it was time for the traditional snack of cookies and milk while we discussed their first days. Everyone had a successful day!

The next day was Sammie's turn. I miss Woodard Preschool in South Bend, but we found her a pretty good little school. It's got a Christian based program so she learns a lot of Bible stories and a lot about Jesus. It's pretty cute. She was one excited little lady to go to school!

Again, I thought it'd be fun to compare her picture against all the other kids on their first day of preschool.
Cute little Clayton (those cheeks!):

 Oh Pootie (at the height of his pootie-ness):

 Gorgeous Jo:

Sammie goes to school from 8:30-12:30 three days a week. They feed her lunch and do a bunch of activities, so she's usually wiped when she gets home. She's adjusting better now, but she would crash so hard after school at first.

I was nervous about the time I'd have to fix Josie's hair every morning before school. I usually don't fix the boy's hair for school and I was afraid that we'd be late every day because of the time it'd take to fix her hair (because it is so, so long). But it hasn't been bad. We've discovered a few go to styles that we've made work for us (like this fancy braid that I'm so proud of).

Once the kids started school I felt a lot more settled here (even though we were still in the hotel). It gave us some routine and stability that I was desperately craving (and I think they were too). It's so weird to me that all of my kids go to school now. It's a whole new chapter in parenting. I'm starting to think about the next chapter of my life and it's like uncharted territory. Kind of scary, kind of sad, but kind of new and exciting too.

I love these kids and am so proud of how well they've adjusted to this new life. They jumped in head first and have really thrived in this new environment. Watching them out here makes me certain that this is the place for us. I can't wait to see how much they grow this year!

Frederik Meijer Gardens

A few weeks ago the second grade classes at Clayton's school took a field trip to the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, MI. I guess this is an annual trip that the second graders get to make every spring and I was fortunate enough to be able to chaperone. I've been having a fair amount of mommy guilt this year because I haven't been able to volunteer in his classroom/accompany him on field trips like I did in kindergarten and first grade.

I knew that this field trip was coming and I wanted desperately to go for three reasons: 1. I want Clayton to feel like I am always interested in his schooling and I want him to know that I'm involved. 2. I wanted to meet one of his friends that I'd been hearing about constantly for weeks (more on him in a minute). 3. This field trip sounded AWESOME! I wanted to go and see it for myself.

I was hoping I could go but there were a few problems. First, since Grand Rapids is so far away this field trip was going to take all day (seriously, they left at 8:30 and we got home at 5:15). Second, I was told that siblings couldn't come. I knew that Justin was working that day so he wouldn't be able to help me out with the kids. Thankfully, my awesome sister in law was able to come over for the day. I appreciated that so much. It's so nice to live near family.

Grand Rapids is a two and a half hour drive from South Bend. I was a little skeptical at first when I heard that they were taking a field trip up there. Fortunately, the chaperones were asked to drive their own cars while the students and teachers rode the bus. I was grateful. I mean, five hours total on a bus full of second graders doesn't sound like the most appealing start and finish to your day so I was glad to have the time by myself in my own car (I have learned that I actually don't mind road trips when I get to listen to whatever music I want and no one is yelling/screaming/crying at me). Clayton got to ride the bus with his class to Grand Rapids and then ride home with me - it worked out perfectly!

When we got to the gardens I knew that our trek out there was worth it. Immediate first impressions: It was a HUGE place - I knew we could easily spend hours there without running out of things to do or getting bored; it was GORGEOUS from the get go.

We started off eating lunch and then we were given a brief overview of the area. The adults were given groups of three kids to watch over, maps of the gardens and butterfly preserve, and instructions to meet back at the bus by 2:00. Then we were set free to go, learn, observe, and have fun in our own small groups. I was thinking there was going to be some sort of guided tour but there wasn't, it was all self-exploration which I always enjoy so much better.

Okay, pictures. From here on out, it'll be mostly pictures and a little narration. I didn't take as many pictures as you might have thought. At one point I gave my camera to Clayton but there were so few of his pictures that were usable (LOTS of shots of people's feet, random elbows, etc.). Also, I was trying to keep my group together and point out interesting things so I wasn't always getting the camera out. Rest assured though, Frederik Meijer Gardens are awesome and gorgeous, even if you can't always tell by the pictures.

Beautiful tulips. There were flowers everywhere.

 That huge building is the exotic butterfly preserve.

 Water feature.

 My handsome boy.

Our group. I had Clayton, his BFF George, and a girl named Leah who was about the same height as me.

 The Children's Garden. This was my favorite part of the whole field trip. This garden was amazing.

 The kids all thought this sculpture was cool and wanted a picture in front of it.

 A giant butterfly.

 Clayton wanted to take this picture. It's supposed to depict children of the world.

This was cool. They had a sensory garden. This was touch. Each fingertip had a different texture. They had then planted a bunch of plants around it with different textures for you to touch (velvety, soft, hard, spikey, etc.). Very neat.

Taste (no he didn't really put his tounge on it). Obviously at this station there wasn't actually anything to put in your mouth, but the kids were able to learn about edible plants. Also, this mouth remided me of KISS. Anyone else?

Sight. A periscope. Clayton and George really enjoyed this one. The periscope looked out over a large field of flowers with all different colors.

Sound. The logic was kind of like the tin can telephones you used as kids. One kid would press his ear up to the big ear and a bit further away there were wind chimes and other instruments that the kids could play (that had all been dulled). The kid who was by the big ear could hear them perfectly.

There was a large waterway that the kids could play in. It reminded me SO much of the water table at the Echo Aquarium in Vermont (one of our favorite VT places). Made me slightly VT-sick.

This one was much larger though. Clayton loved this (I think it brought back fun memories for him too). Unfortunately, George and Leah didn't love it as much so we didn't spend as much time there as I know we could have.

Classic self portrait.

 The kids being archeologists.

 Friendly dragon.

 Hedge maze. It kind of reminded me of Alice in Wonderland.

 Clayton ringing the bell to signal that he'd made it to the end.

 Sculpture of a wolf family.

 Jungle book.

This is the little entrance to the children's garden (not to worry - there's a large one as well). These crazies thought they were in jail.

 In the exotic butterfly preserve.

I can't tell who took these pictures. I know I took some and Clayton took some, but these butterflies were cool so you get to see them all (lucky you).

This one was so still that there was a small debate over whether it was alive or not. I choose to think yes.

 All sort of chrysalis (chrysalises? chrysali?). I liked how different they all were.

 Moth chrysalis. Very large and leaf like. Nice cammo.

 I just liked the color of the green ones.

 More butterflies.

Because this is a zero predator environment, the butterflies were very friendly and social. They never landed on us but it was fun to have them flying all around us.

 The kids doing a little school work in the preserve.

Meet George. George is Clayton's best friend. Clayton has been talking about George all year now. He talks about him so much that all of us feel like we already know him (Noah, in fact, talks about George as if he sees him every day as well). He's almost achieved celebrity status in our house. When I met George I was pleasantly surprised to discover that George was exactly who we had expected him to be. He's 8 going on 30 and pretty funny. Sample convo between me and George:
George: My mom finally got an iPhone. I said to her, 'Welcome to my generation mom!'
Me: I don't have an iPhone.
George: Well, you really should get one. You're seriously behind the times.
He's polite, smart, kind, funny, and just as happy to be Clayton's friend as Clayton is to be his. I always worry about the friends my boys make at school. I just want them to have friends who are nice and good. This is the first year that Clayton has had a "best friend". I'm glad it's George.

 Random chrysalis.

 I threw this one in because Clayton took it and it was his favorite of the day.

 Random goat fountain.

 This sculpture was awesome. Do you see two faces?

 Marching band.

We had a great time. I loved every second of this trip. Honestly. My favorite part was all the time I got to spend with my guy. I could tell he was so proud to have me there. He kept reaching to hold my hand (he NEVER wants to hold my hand) so I savored every second. As we were leaving he told me how glad he was that I came. I hated for it to end and was pretty sad to leave. I know that soon he probably won't want me to come on field trips and I'll (probably) respect that. For now though, I love that I got to experience this with him and only him (thanks again Kerstin). He's the best kid and I'm really blessed that he's mine.

For more information about the Meijer Gardens, go here.