Kindergarten!

Drake’s First Day of Kindergarten
(as told by Drake after getting off the bus)

It was so long! And I was really hungry! It was a long day! My hands hurt from writing three times and I tried to tell my teachers that I'm just a little kid, but they didn’t understand. I don’t like it. First I colored and then I had to listen to the rules of the P.R.S. - what’s that called? (You mean P.E.?) Yeah, P.E.! And Jessica* didn’t have a good day. (Why not?) They had to tell her lots of times not to do stuff and she said "NO, NO, NO!" I only got a few no’s, but I said "okay." One time they made her pick up everybody's pencils at her whole table!

Then we had to go back and do circle time - it was a LONG time. I wanted to sit by Tyler but there were two other kids in between us on our marks, and we said, "Why did the teacher do that?" After that we had to do lots of things. Then lunch. I had chocolate milk! You can pick if you want even chocolate or strawberry!

I didn't cry at all, but I almost did at lunchtime because a lot of the other mommies and daddies came and you weren't there. I wanted to go home. I kept saying, "Can I go home yet?" and the teacher said, "No." I missed you a lot today.

Then we had to go to the playground, but it was really short! I played Sonic with Tyler and Christopher and another boy, and we chased a girl, but her brother tried to get us. We only had a few minutes of playground time and that was my favorite part. This day was the hardest thing of my life. Then nap, and I couldn't fall asleep because everyone was making noise and the music was too loud. Jessica was crying the whole time and everyone said, "STOP, we’re trying to sleep!" They told us no talking during sleepy time so I didn’t say anything.

Then we went outside to wait for the bus and all the other classes [buses] left and we kept saying, "Where’s my bus? I wanna go home!" And then Jessica got in trouble by the bus lady for getting out of her seat again and again and again and again, and the lady said if she did it again she would get sent to the principal’s office tomorrow. I only got out of my seat one time because I forgot. Then I saw you and Levi and I said "That’s my mommy and my little brother!" and I got off the bus!

The end.

*name has been changed to protect the (ahem) innocent

Getting ready to go!

Settling in

Getting off the bus! Drake was wiped out after his big day today!

More miscellaneous ramblings

It seems I've been doing a lot of that lately!

We had another little party for Drake today after church (with just our family). Cupcakes and ice cream, and three gifts. Drake received a real watch from Grandpa and Grandma S. (with a cool camouflage watchband and a "floating" helicopter second hand - he's already sort of telling time by himself a few hours later!) and a Leapster and a Sonic the Hedgehog math game for it from Mommy and Daddy! He is busy playing the Leapster as we speak. I guess we're about to discover how quickly that thing goes through batteries!

Yesterday we all went bowling - it was a lot of fun, but more expensive than we were expecting. I think it is more cost effective to play more than one game each time you go (when you're renting shoes), but Levi could only tolerate one game, since it was about his naptime. No one broke a hundred. (When a "good" score is breaking one hundred points, well, you know what caliber of bowlers we are!) Levi actually bowled - with a little help, of course! It was so cute! Drake did really well working on holding the ball correctly and all that, but he was kind of sad that he didn't get any strikes or spares.

Then yesterday afternoon, Adam and Drake worked on a "bug house" project they've been thinking up for some time. It has a wood frame with screen sides. I think it will be really cool when it's done! It was mostly Adam working on it so far, because there was a lot of cutting with the circular saw to be done first. Drake is not a fan of loud noises, so he kept his distance when that was going on!

Tomorrow is the first day of kindergarten, and I'll be sure to update how that goes. The plan is that Drake will ride the bus to and from school tomorrow. This is not easy for Mommy!! But Drake is pretty excited about it. The little neighbor girl who just moved in next door (into Dave & Cherie's house) is also in kindergarten and will be riding the bus, too.

What are the chances of this?... Out of five kindergarten classes at the school, Drake, Lizzie (the little neighbor girl), and Tyler (Drake's friend who lives behind us) are all in the same class! Odd. Anyway, we met Mrs. Gardner, his teacher, at an orientation on Thursday, and she seems really nice. The classroom looks organized and exciting, and it just appears to me, so far, that everything is as it should be. A big relief!

I will be sure to keep you posted about the first day of school tomorrow!