Four Eyes

I'd been having a lot of headaches lately (every.single.day.), so after about two months of dealing with them, I decided to get my eyes checked. I've worn reading glasses for many years, but they had started to bother me and were actually causing some of the headaches. So off to the optometrist I went......and this happened.

They are bifocals, so I'm officially 75 (just kidding!). I call it going full librarian, Aiden says now I'm *really* a nerd, and John says now I get to be an ironic hipster. Nathan says, "They're so cool", but that's because he helped me pick them out and wants the credit.

It feels odd to think about wearing these all the time, since I'm used to occasional reading glasses. But I'm very happy with the frames. And very, very happy that I can see without eye strain!

Announcement!

A few of you have already heard from John himself, but we would now like to share John's news with everyone.

On Friday, John received confirmation that he had passed his PE (Principles and Practice of Engineering) exam and is now a Professional Engineer. It all started seven years ago...juggling school, family, and a full time job (graduating with his degree in Mechanical Engineering in 2011) and then taking the two important engineering licensing tests (the FE in 2012), and then the PE in April of this year. He made it!

We are so unbelievably proud of him for going for this goal and reaching it with ease (even though it may have not felt very easy at times). I think it might actually feel a little weird for all of us now that he's actually fully done with everything he needs to do!

Moving On

Today was bittersweet. Our little Nathan graduated preschool - the preschool we've been a part of since he was nine months old. He is SO excited to move on to kindergarten in the fall, but we will definitely miss this place. It felt odd driving away for the final time today. It was also my last parent help day, so I got to help prepare everything for graduation. His teacher had asked me to switch from my original day and I'm so glad she did. It was nice to be able to help on our last day there.

Here's the whole preschool class - 19 kids - getting ready for the grownups to come in for the ceremony.

They all made their graduation caps themselves. The decorations were clay people (their SuperKid alter egos) and with other various decorations representing their super powers. They each got to say their SuperKid name as they graduated. It was so cute! Nathan was Lightning Rod.

They also got to say what they wanted to be when they grew up. Nathan made the whole room "Awww!!" as he said, "I want to be a daddy".

The smile on his face just makes my day! He's so proud to go on to kindergarten and his teacher loved watching him grow up. She's known him almost his whole life!

Way to go, Nathan!

I didn't cry until I took this picture and his teacher said, "On to kindergarten you go...". And then I made her cry, too.

 We made a lot of new friends this year and we're so excited to spend more time with them over the summer, from play dates to mommies nights. Nathan's teacher is moving on to grad school, so this was her last class as well. I ended my run as school newsletter editor (although I offered to help with the year end school-wide phone book, so my work isn't quite done yet, even though school is out). For my final newsletter, I wrote a goodbye piece discussing the impact the school has had on our family, and I'd like to share it with you.

“Farewell has a sweet sound of reluctance. Good-by is short and final, a word with teeth sharp to bite through the string that ties past to the future.” ~John Steinbeck, The Winter of Our Discontent

It is with sadness that my time as newsletter editor and our time here at the school is coming to an end. It is bittersweet in the best sense of the word. I am excited for my son Nathan to move on to his next step in education, as he leaves the Teddy Bears class and goes on to public kindergarten this fall. His excitement for the future is contagious and I’ll cheer with him as he graduates preschool. But this school has been such a huge part of our lives over the past five years, and it will be strange to leave it behind.

We began attending in the fall of 2008, putting my son Aiden in the Play Pals PM class just before he turned three. While most children cried and hugged their mothers on that first day, Aiden proudly walked into Casey’s classroom like he owned the place. Without any hesitation, he turned to me said, “You can leave now, mommy”. And that was it. We were home at CCC. Aiden now attends public school and is going on to 2nd grade this fall, with a Talented and Gifted classification. Without CCC and the help of the teachers, we would been lost as to how to properly nurture and identify Aiden’s educational needs. It was difficult at times, but we received love and support when it was needed most from the entire staff along the way. I absolutely credit the wonderful educators here with helping us down that path.

Now as Nathan wraps up his time here, I can rest assured that he has been well-prepared for the next step. With the opportunities that CCC provides to explore, question, theorize, and develop, I know that he has received the best possible start in early childhood education. I marvel at the work done at this school each and every day, and I will never forget the impact that it has had on our family. As parents, CCC has given us tools to be proactive and involved in our sons’ education. At our son’s public school, we have received compliments on how much we are willing to assist the teachers and be a presence within the school. That comfort level for us would not have been possible without our experiences in the classroom at CCC.

And so it is time to say farewell. But as we leave for the last time, I’ll remember the saying, “Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.” Farewell CCC, and thank you. 

Dancing in the Classroom

Today I had the opportunity to do a mini ballet presentation at Nathan's preschool. First in his class, and then for the kindergarten class. The kids loved it! It hadn't really been a secret to the moms that I spend time with, so a few of the girls came to class with little tutus or ballet themed shirts, all ready for our fun day.

I kept it pretty simple with the preschoolers: basic positions and movements, how ballet is like acting because we're telling a story, and then letting them feel the difference between slippers and pointe shoes. We danced a little together, then I finished off our short time by reading them a story: Dogs Don't Do Ballet by Anna Kemp. It's super cute and funny, and quickly has become a favorite of mine (and Nathan's!).

Next I headed to the kindergarten class to do basically the same thing, except the kinders had some excellent serious questions about ballet and the arts. Then they each wanted to perform for me and have me give direction and critique their movements. It was a really fun experience and they kept me for an hour! They also wanted more involved ballet movements to be shown, so I obliged and am now paying for it in my knees and feet (ow....).

It was a great experience and I am so happy that I was able to introduce ballet to these kids. A few parents asked me for recommendations on classes for 3-5 year olds, and the school director asked if I would consider teaching a Creative Movement class next school year. I need to give that one some thought, but it would certainly be fun!