Isaac Starts Preschool

This is our fourth year to attend our preschool (the first year for Isaac). At drop off over the last two weeks I have a lot of other moms stop me (people I have seen in the hallways everyday but don't necessarily know) and they are incredulous that Isaac is old enough to be here. I feel the same way! The last two years have certainly flown by.

Last year, Isaac and I would walk Jack to his preschool class and I would have to drag Isaac away because he really wanted to stay at school. So I was surprised when we took Isaac to his orientation day and he burst into tears and tried to run away. He didn't show interest in being there until we went out on the playground and he discovered the plethora of toy trucks he could play with.

On his first official day, we arrived at school and he refused to take off his backpack. We posed for a quick photo before Jack and I took the opportunity to sneak away while he was distracted by a gigantic stuffed bear. He burst into tears as soon as he realized we had made a hasty exit. Thankfully the crying only lasted about 5 minutes

The second day, he insisted we sit for a picture again (he is a creature of habit) and still would not take off his backpack. We did a similar dance where I snuck out as soon as he was with a teacher. And again he cried for a few minutes.

While week one was a phase-in week with shorter classes to acclimate to being at preschool, this past week was the real deal with lunch and activities like circle time.

On Monday I walked into class with him, and again he insisted on wearing his backpack instead of hanging it up. I helped wash his hands and then he took my hand and guided me to a table with blocks. We stacked blocks together and he knocked them down a couple of times before I gave him a quick kiss, told him I loved him, and left. He cried briefly, but Ms. Jenni had him sit down to work with play dough and he calmed down pretty quickly.

On Thursday, he marched into preschool like he owned the place. He let me hang up his backpack, he went straight to Ms. Jenni and didn't look back. It is bittersweet, but he needs this time in a classroom setting and it will give me some extra time, one-on-one with Jack for homeschool.

I know that he will love his time at preschool. It is just all new to him. I can already see his language improving, and the notes home say he is doing great and that he already knows how to sit for circle time – time at church has certainly helped train him in this arena.

When Isaac is not at preschool, he is participating in homeschool with Jack. That has posed some challenges as he realizes that my focus is longer solely on him.

Isaac enjoys active learning like baking with his big brother, but is not a fan when Jack and I need to sit down to work on Math or Reading and Writing (Isaac doesn't like when Jack and I sit down to do paperwork. He can do what he wants, but he wants us to be doing what he wants to do). The year is still young and we are still finding our homeschool rhythm!

Here is a little about Isaac at the start of Preschool 2017, 2s Class:

My teachers this year are: Mrs. Jenni, Mrs. Kathy and Mrs. Velvet

I am: 2 years old.

I am: 33.5 inches tall and weigh 30 pounds.

My best friend's name is: I'm pretty sure he thinks Jack is his best friend. He also likes playing with Quinn at the Y and on play dates.

My favorite thing to play is: Anything Jack is playing with.

My favorite book is: Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You? (He has parts memorized and we read it every night at bedtime)

My favorite TV show is: not interested in TV

My favorite food is: Spaghetti

Something I really like: Trucks, Bikes and Boats

Something I don't like: Sleeping in my own bed by myself. (Every night he wakes up and tries to sneak into Jack's room, waking everyone in the process).

My favorite word/phrase is: Uh-oh.

Even with the tears and general exhaustion from school days, I think the school year is off to a great start. We hope this year is a blessing to him and that our little rainbow baby brings the same joy to his teachers and classmates that he has brought to our family.

Father-Son Day: TKO 2017

Ever since Daniel was re-stationed from Bellefonte in Alabama to Watts Bar back in 2014, he has been taking Jack to watch the Tennessee Knockout Enduro (TKO) race in Prentice Cooper. It looks like I only shared about it the first year (probably because I don't tag along), but the two of them go every year and they love it.

Some years it is muddy and wet and they come home soaked and dirty. But they always come home happy.

What could be better than hanging out in the woods watching dirt bikes attempt to climb over sometimes impossible obstacles on a trail? Especially if you love dirt bikes and the woods :)

This year, Daniel and Jack invited another father-son to go watch with them.

We are so thankful to have met some friends that have similar interests to my guys (they went mountain biking together to Edward's Point during the summer).

I know Isaac will also love getting to participate in this outing when his time comes. And his time is coming. We have agreed that next year Daniel will take both boys to enjoy this experience.

I hope our kids will have many fond memories from their childhoods, and I'm pretty sure this yearly adventure with Daniel to watch the TKO Enduro race in the Prentice Cooper woods will be one of them.

For comparison, the above photo is Jack at this same race with Daniel back in 2014.

Our July 4th, 2017

Do you have a favorite holiday? I think Independence Day might be one of mine. It is definitely in my Top Three.

I love seeing the awe in my kid's eyes as they experience fireworks. I love local parades, BBQs, fresh watermelon, corn on the cob, yummy desserts, and time with family and friends. And I like that there doesn't need to be a lot of effort in order to have a fun celebration.

This year July 4th fell in the middle of a rainy spell that didn't feel like it would ever end. The morning of the fourth, the rain wasn't letting up so our local parade was cancelled. We were really looking forward to the parade, so that was a bit disappointing.

Daniel's dad and his wife dropped by for a quick visit while we waited for the sun to come.

By lunch the sun was shining so we went to our annual local Shriner's BBQ to meet up with friends. The kids enjoyed the bouncy house and getting animal balloons without having to deal with a crowd. We also let them ride their bikes for a bit.

After lunch we came home and Daniel worked on car projects and we waited for night to fall. We hadn't made plans with friends (something we typically do) and I didn't want to cook. I figured we would just grab pizza locally, but our pizza place on the mountain was closed.

We called around and realized that pretty much all of our favorite local places were closed for the holiday. It wasn't shaping up to be all that I expected. We finally figured out that Lupi's Pizza was open downtown, so we headed down the mountain for pizza.

While we ate, the sky opened up and there was an absolute downpour. I begin to think we were going to miss fireworks this year (we had skipped the downtown fireworks the previous night because I was dealing with some back pain from our kayaking trip).

Thankfully the rain stopped and we headed home to wait for the sun to set so we could see the fireworks. When we arrived at the high school, there were less people than usual and we didn't run into any friends like we normally do.

Jack and Isaac had fun putting together glow-in-the-dark bracelets and necklaces while the sky darkened. I'm glad we brought our camp chairs because the ground was soaking wet. We even laid down a water-resistant blanket and it sopping wet when we left.

The fireworks started and Isaac was completely mesmerized. Shouting out in awe with each explosion. Jack is five now and thinks he is too big to sit in our laps while we enjoy the show. I was crying a little inside about him not wanting to sit with me (other than for a photo).

Isaac's excitement about the fireworks made the day. It helped wash away the things that had me down – the missed parade, forgetting to make plans ahead of time with friends, Jack's lack of needing his parents. Adulting can be hard sometimes, even on your favorite holidays.

The following night we went to the annual bike parade and ice cream social at our church.

We enjoyed lots of homemade ice cream and visiting with friends before letting the kids loose in the parking lot.

Our boys had a grand time pedaling around the parking lot, burning off their sugar rush from too much ice cream. I think they had a great July 4th (kayaking on Monday, fireworks on Tuesday, bike parade and ice cream on Wednesday) even if it wasn't exactly what I hoped for.