back to school 2015

after a fun filled summer break we are back on the grind. all of us-ok, maybe not me. but hey, someone has to pack those lunches & wash those uniforms!

todd is starting the second & final year of his mba program. and despite the constant struggle of juggling family, work, & strenuous schooling he is ready to get back at it. he had an incredible first year, working hard & pulling off grades well beyond expected. he was able to spend three weeks in asia as part of his business program. he visited south korea, china, vietnam, & indonesia. he toured major companies & checked out the surrounding areas. to say this was the highlight of his year would be a grand understatement. 

cooper began second grade. he is a big man on the lower elementary side of campus. it's amazing to see the transition that has taken place at the commencement of this year. he craves independence & responsibility & he fulfills his roles like a champ. he loves being in charge & rarely abuses his power (hey, he's seven, he isn't totally perfect). he is so comfortable & confident in school. he knows most of the staff & students & loves the social side of school. he insists on getting to campus at least 30 minutes early so he has plenty of time to play. and he is trying to convince me to let him walk the 200 yards from school to our home solo. i miss his constant presence around the house but i love school-coop. he loves the school & is so much happier when he can break up his day by spending some quality time with friends & teachers. he is proud to be a pea. and he is eager to take part in every school activity. any time there is an extra project to be done he does it. and he cannot wait to enter upper elementary so he can take part in all the extra curricular. for now, he loves running on the school's cross country team. he is always one of the best behaved, hardest working, & smartest in his class. he makes me proud in so many ways. 

tj started preschool. like, for real, legit preschool. and he loves it. he goes two full days a week & begs for more. but this is the last year i have with him before he enters the public school system & will be absent from our home 5 days a week & i wanted him home full-time. so two days was the best compromise we could come up with. when he first started school the plan was that todd would drop him off on his way to work & i would pick him up early. when i showed up on the first day he told me, "i'm so happy to see you, mommy. but next time can i just stay until daddy comes." i was shocked. so now he is at school basically the same hours todd is at wortk, so like, forever. tj has always been the shyest of my boys but he walked in to class on the first day & sat right down grabbed some toys & started making friends. no hesitation. he has yet to remember any of these friends' names but that's part of being a pre-ker, right? he loves his teacher, loves the school, & loves his friends. he is most excited to have his own place to go each day & to have a little extra time with daddy in the car. he insists on wearing football shirts/jerseys every day & carrying his football lunch bag. he is totally ready for preschool socially, emotionally, & mentally. in fact, he should probably just jump in to kindergarten. he knows all the letters & their sounds, he can count & identify numbers well over 200 (i have yet to test how far he can go-my a.d.d. sets in around 150), he can read a digital clock, & add & subject single digits. yea, he's a genius. just like his brother, but he's doesn't have any desire to show off his skills. if i didn't ask i would never know just how much he understands. he is sweet as sugar & i hope his school realizes just how lucky they are to have him.

as for mylo, he's my only pupil these days. he recently sparked an interest in letters & numbers & i am rolling with his lead. his attention span is short so we usually spend 30 minutes or less on learning activities, lessons, & games. he digs it & i dig him so it works well for both of us. he doesn't love taking directions so when i start to notice him resisting we usually pack up & are pau. his favorite things to do is read, sing songs, & play board games. so i find ways to jam as much educational value in to these activities as possible. mostly, i just love seeing a different side to this rambunctious little guy. it's nice to take a few moments to sit down one-on-one & quietly explore the world of education with him. he hates when his brothers are both at school. it usually takes a solid 30 minutes for him to come to grips with the fact that he is the only boy at home when he wakes up & his brothers are off at school. and even then, he asks to pick them up about 100 times an hour. he may not be totally smitten by all the quality mom time but, i on the other hand, am soaking up every moment of my quality time with my baby. 

as for me, well, i'm kind of on vacation. after a high-energy fun-packed summer i'm kind of enjoying a quite-ish home & plenty of time to get things done. i'm finally getting done all the things i've put off for the past few months; home improvements, exercising, & reading here i come!