Jack's backpack

Today started Jack's second week at his new school. I'm getting used to the routine there and wanted to share what comes home in his backpack (mainly for the grandparents). All of Jack's work completed during the day comes home in his yellow folder. All homework to be completed each night is in the blue folder. He also has a planner that he's responsible for writing his assignments in each day. This is a work in progress! I love how personal responsibility is stressed though at such a young age.

We got his new 10 spelling words today that he needs to learn by Friday. He also is reading out of a SRA book and each night we are assigned pages to read. All of the homework takes about 15-20 minutes if you count the reading so we're done pretty quickly.

Jack is the student of the week this week so that his class can learn more about him! He gets to bring in a book each day and then a special toy on Friday. He's super in to Garfield these days so he'll be bringing in a huge 200+ page Garfield compilation book tomorrow :)

I pick up Jack now and every day he's so happy. He willingly tells me all about his day and who he played with at recess, etc. He is also taking a religion class and told me how he learned about "two kids that Jesus brought back to life after they died" :)

Labyrinth

It's rainy here. Has been since we got up this morning. Rain is predicted all week. Someone help me! I'm sure parents and teachers everywhere are filled with similar dread :p Anyway, I pulled out this oldie but goody today and the boys had fun trying their luck at the labyrinth (which is SO hard). Now they are quietly playing other games. I'm going to have to be really creative this week........

Puzzle time

Theo can't get enough of Garfield's Pet Force movie on Netflix. Luckily, he does other things while he's watching ;)

Soccer Mom

I can officially add that title to my name now. Jack is on the green team and is one of 4 Jack's! At least it will be easy to remember names ;) He enjoyed his first game with his new team and got in a good kick at the end. There are practices Thursday nights and I think that will help him get a feel for everything :) Go Team Jack!

Perfect score!

Jack's new school gives out spelling lists on Monday and then the kids take a spelling test on them on Friday. Thursday is the pre-test day and if a child gets a 100 then they don't have to take the test on Friday. Well, guess who got a 100? Yep, Jack! We studied the list last night and I called out the words for him to spell. He got 2 wrong so we went over those a couple more times. Then we did the list again and he got them all correct. I was so proud of him when I picked him up and he told me his test grade. So we went to the park to burn off some energy and then celebrated with a sushi dinner. Yes, my boys LOVE sushi, edamame..... you name it.

Notes from Marigny

Jack browsed through the notes that his old classmates wrote for him and the book his teacher made him tonight. He sat and explained the pictures to Theo and just generally enjoyed looking at everything. I got all misty eyed doing the same last night so I was glad to see that Jack was happy to see everything. They will be a sweet keepsake from his time at Marigny.

Sorting bugs

Theo's teacher informed me how much he enjoys sorting things in class so I pulled out this game that was too young for Jack but right up Theo's alley! The game starts out just by doing color sorts. Then it gets more specific by the bug pictured and then by pattern (color, bug, etc). Theo flew through the sets we did today so I'll pull it out again soon and see how he handles the more challenging sets.

Play and homework

Today was a tough day for me. I said my formal goodbyes to Jack's school and withdrew him. Even though I know in my heart it's what's best for him, it was still hard. I've volunteered every week in his classroom and really gotten to know his teacher and his class. I grew to love them all and it's just hard to say goodbye! I'll have a separate post of all of the sweet things his teacher made for him.

Jack is still loving his new school and just thriving there. He's rising to the challenges presented him. He's doing subtraction and has a spelling test on Friday. I had to explain what a test was and what grades meant. We're a little late on this whole thing but I think he'll be fine! His new teacher called me at home tonight and we chatted. I was just sitting here being sad and I was really touched that she called. It was great to talk to her and hear how well Jack is adjusting.

Anyhow, here are the boys at a park this afternoon. I don't have to race back home to catch Jack's bus any longer so we have freedom to go and do fun things after school :) There are also pictures of him doing homework, new and old. The picture of the three pieces of paper showcases new vs. old. He's hungry to learn and is happy to do his homework each night. I'm so proud of that boy.

Saying goodbye

I was at the store buying school supplies for Jack's new class and saw a Snoopy card (Jack's old teacher LOVES Snoopy). We ended up getting it for her and he wrote her a note and decorated the envelope. In interesting news, Jack made a friend in his class named Sophia. He's never, ever mentioned girls before so maybe there is a love connection there?? Ha! We'll see come Valentine's Day!

Uniform

Here Jack is in his uniform at his new school. He is walking on air about being there and making new friends. His new teacher remarked about how great his handwriting is and we couldn't be prouder. He's really been working hard on his writing at home and in his old class. It's so bittersweet for us. We're so happy that Jack is loving things so far and being challenged academically. Such a blessing.

For the grandparents

Jack started a new school today and it has been an answer to our prayers. He's going to a private school called Lake Castle. It has a bit of a reputation as the "military school" of our area because they do push their students above and beyond academically and are very structured. He had a GREAT first day and I was floored by the work they do in Kindergarten there. In fact, I had to take pictures for the grandparents to see (and brag about). Here is the reader they are working on and a sample of some of his "seat work". Jack had to read 5 pages from his reader for homework and was given 2 sheets of writing to do. Look forward to pictures of Jack in his uniform tomorrow :)

Katie's 30th

Dave and I scored a last minute sitter and crossed the lake to celebrate cousin Katie's 30th birthday with all of his cousins. Cousin Anne (Jack was her ring bearer last April) was in town from New Mexico and it was a treat to see her again. We also went early to cousin Cameron's home in New Orleans and got to see how she had it all decorated and set up! We had a really fun evening :) Cousin Patrick was there with his girlfriend, Meredith. I was sure to show pictures of Theo since I'm campaigning for them to use him as their ring bearer one day ;)

Ghosts

The boys love to put blankets over their heads and chase each other around. They were "boo"ing each other and I just had to snap this picture. Too cute not to remember one day.

This and that

Aunt Debbie and Uncle Dane gave the kids their Christmas presents this past week (remember how the flu messed up all of our plans?) and Jack was thrilled to receive a Star Wars lego set. He promptly put it together and loves the action component of ejecting the pilot :)

I made the boys chili and gave them little cups of grated cheese and saltine crackers for dinner last night. This is their absolute favorite meal from Cedarwood and I have not been able to find a chili that is as good as Chef Pearl's (must ask her for her recipe). They barely touched the chili but managed to make a MESS with the grated cheese and crumbled up saltines. I let Jack help with the cleaning up so here he is vacuuming up the floor :) My future daughter in law will thank me some day!

Hooked on reading

Jack's reading has really taken off. We've been careful not to push him so he'll always have a love for reading. He's been reading simple readers since last year but now we've moved on to more complex stuff. I bought this phonics program that is a no-frills, no games type of deal to help reinforce what we've taught him at home all along. Jack really regressed with sounding words out and would just guess random words based on the initial letter. Very discouraging to me!! Now he's back to sounding out his words and I hope we "never look back". If you are interested in the program, it's Ultimate Phonics by Spencer Learning. See it here

Painting by numbers

Jack has been dying for a kit like this forever so I finally gave in and got him one. He LOVED painting after school yesterday and today and just finished up! Pictures to come later.

Theo's old playgroup toured the fire station today and we tagged along. The kids got to see the parts of the station and then the trucks and gear. Isn't Theo a handsome fire man?

Crafting

Jack's 100th day of school is Friday and we had to do a project for it on a poster board. We didn't end up using the whole thing so I cut it in half and let Theo have fun with the rest. He put stickers all around and surprised me by writing his name in the upper left part (just like Jack does for his school work). He's been writing his name for a while now but it was just a sweet surprise to see he had done it all on his own accord. He also drew a picture of me. Aren't I beautiful??

Lately

We've been staying busy around here. We cheered the LSU Tigers on to victory at home and then mourned the Saints loss with friends. Theo couldn't resist the urge to play princess with his friends. He even donned high heels. It was all in good fun :)

I took Theo to Toddlearn today to play indoors. It's been so cold and windy here so we're sticking to the warm places we know and love. He carried this guitar around and played songs for 15 minutes or more. It was the most darling thing. He's such a loving, sweet boy. And the dimples.... well, they definitely help!

One of our favorite haunts on Tuesdays is The Beach House by the lakefront. They have Taco Tuesday with $1 tacos. There is a sandy area for the kids to play in but tonight the kids didn't last long. They mainly stayed indoors and ate up. Jack had 3 tacos. I think that boy is growing!!

Touchscreen

Theo loves playing games on the touchscreen computer. Here he is playing a Dora game :) Of course, the touchscreen doesn't work as well when he sucks his finger and it's wet. Eww.