The Bus

Today I read to Gillian's class. Since I was leaving work early, I wrote notes for both kids to take the bus home instead of going to Time Plus. I can see Newman Springs Road from my front window. So I sat in the window while waiting for John's bus. I saw the traffic start to slow down and I headed to the bus stop. As I got there I saw John's bus. The driver slowed down but never turned on the lights. And he didn't get off the bus. I thought I heard one of the kids shout to me "He didn't get on the bus!" Now I'm beginning to worry. Maybe he got on the wrong bus. Maybe he went to Time Plus. Gillian's bus arrived and we went home. I told her to keep her shoes on because we were going to have to get John. She was confused "Why didn't he take the bus?" My thoughts exactly Gilly. 

I sat in the window hoping John would just miraculously arrive. I called Time Plus, but no one answered. So I got Gillian in the car and we drove to John's school. And there he was. Sitting at the tables with the other kids. I tell the teacher that he was supposed to take the bus home. She was surprised and said "What does the sign out sheet say?" Right next to his name it said Bus. John kept apologizing. He said "I forgot." I'm not mad at him. Something went wrong, he forgot to go to the bus, the Time Plus teacher didn't realize it when she took attendance, and it resulted in 20 long minutes I thought my little boy was lost. So scary. 

First day of 2nd grade

Today was John's first day of second grade. He was not happy about getting up this morning. He whined "I just don't like school. I don't like all the work!" Daddy and I explained that going to school was his job. He seemed to get it. Daddy asked "Do you want to take the bus home today?" John quickly said "No. I wanna go to Time +." 

We walked to the bus stop as a family. Gillian insisted on holding John's hand. 

We were surprised to find out that John will have company at the bus stop, a little girl who is in Kindergarten. We didn't introduce ourselves today (but I will tomorrow). It was the first day and her parents seemed super nervous. 

At dinner tonight, I asked John a LOT of questions about his day. Here are some of them and his answers. 

What was your favorite part? "Time +"

What was your least favorite part? "That summer had to end and I had to go back."

What color was your table? "No table. We have desks. But they look like tables. Cause they are pushed together. Six tables in each pack. And there are four packs. That's like 18 desks!"

Who sits across from you in your pack? "A girl. I don't want to talk about it."

Did the bus driver remember you? "Weren't you there?" 

Who did you sit with at lunch? "Boys. We sit far from where I sat last year!" 

We got a lot of information out of him this year. As we were talking, he said "I thought second grade was going to be harder!" Had to giggle a little. It's only day one, I'm sure it will be harder than first grade!

Snowy Tuesday

When I got home today (after an hour and half drive home), I found Gillian snuggling on the floor in the living room. She said "I was cold. And I take your blanket!" How can you get mad at that?  

We waited patiently for John to get off the bus. My poor little boy was stuck on the for almost two hours! But he was still happy to be home with us. I was a little surprised to see that he was assigned four spelling assignments due on Thursday. I made him a deal, we would watch one tv show and then do one assignment. He was ok with the deal until I turned off the tv. He whined but we for the assignment completed and he was able to watch another tv show. We ended up completing two spelling assignments and a math worksheet this way (less for mommy to do tomorrow).

After bath, Daddy found Gillian and I in Gillian's room. He said "Hi pretty girl." And Gillian said "We was jumping on the couch. With no cushions!" This is funny for two reasons: 1) No one questioned Gillian. She freely gave us this info. 2) Daddy yelled at the kids yesterday and told them not to jump on the couch. 

As I tucked the kids into bed, Gillian said "Let's talk." I snuggled with Gillian and she told me all about Repunzel and Cinderella. When she was done with Cinderella's story she said "Let's talk about ponies." And she started to tell me all about Twilight Sparkle. I had to stop her because it was getting late (and I still needed to tuck in John). She wasn't happy with me but I have a feeling that tomorrow night I will learn about all the ponies. 

I love my kids and I can't wait to see what adventures we have tomorrow. 

back to school

This morning it was hard to wake the kids up.  I knew it would be rough and I sent them to bed at 7:30 the night before.  But it didn't help.  I went in to wake up John.  He just grunted at me and said "Why do I have to go back to school?"  Gillian, on the other hand, actually jumped out of bed.  Daddy had climbed into her bed to snuggle with her.  They snuggled contently until I walked in, then she jumped into my arms.  They were slow to decide on what they wanted for breakfast.  They were slow to put on their shoes.  After Daddy and Gillian left, all John did was complain.  "Why do I have to go to school?  Why do we have to learn to read?  Why do we have to do so much work?"  I explained to him that we need to go to school to learn things so that we can have good jobs and nice houses and cars and etc.  He hates that answer.

We got to the bus stop.  It was freezing this morning.  We were out there for like two minutes and John was complaining.  "We have been out here for like 20 hours!  When is the bus coming?"  While we waiting, he said "I wish weekends were 7 days!  You know, like my shirt!"  He got a shirt that says "I vote for a 7 day weekend" for Christmas from his Aunt Betty.  Apparently it stuck with him, because after having twelve days off he still wanted more.

At dinner tonight, I asked John about his day.  He said "It was good.  We watched a movie.  And Mrs. G helped me write a story."  I asked him who Mrs. G was.  He said "She's the lady that comes in when Mrs. Belena isn't in."  How lucky is this kid?  His first day back he got a substitute teacher and school is closed tomorrow because of the snow storm.  He is one lucky boy what a easy way to adjust to the routine after winter break.   

The field trip

Gillian had her first field trip today.  Her class got to visit Huber Woods.  Since the trip was to a park, they allowed a lot of chaperones.  I was able to sign up (along with 12 other moms and dads).  Gillian and I got to her school this morning and we waited for all of her friends to arrive.  While we waited, her teachers put a red shirt on all the kids.  The front of the shirt had the school name and the back of the shirt said field trip.  Not only did all the kids have on a field trip shirt, but they also had wristbands that had the school name and phone number too.  Just in case the kids got separated from the group.  Finally everyone arrived and we were able to get on the bus.

Gillian was so excited.  She had never been on a school bus before.  She sat next to me and was sad that she couldn't see out the window.  But she still had a good time singing "The wheels on the bus" with her friends.  After a short but bumpy ride, we arrived at the park.  The class got split in half and Gillian and I were put into Miss Debbie's group.  Our first stop was pumpkin picking.  The park had a small fenced area where there were pumpkins laying on the ground for the kids to choose one.  Once again, we were split into two groups so that the kids wouldn't trample each other.  But I am sure you can imagine, wrangling 12 three year olds is pretty close to impossible.  Luckily it didn't take them long to choose their pumpkins and before we knew it, it was Gillian's turn to pick one.  Gillian picked up the first one she saw.  I had to reject it, because it had a little rotten spot on the back.  She wasn't happy with my decision, but picked a different one and I had her pose with her new pumpkin.

 

Our next stop was inside the lodge.  We learned about mammals and the park ranger asked the kids if they knew of any animals.  A couple of kids named a few.  Gillian shouted "Pigs!"  The park ranger then started to tell the kids about flying squirrels and how they really don't fly, that they just glide from tree to tree.  The ranger said "Wouldn't it be cool to be a flying squirrel?  You get to jump from tree to tree looking for food!"  Gillian shouted "NO!"  Got to love her honesty.  The kids then made a flying squirrel glider and we got to go back outside and try them out. 

The next stop was to a classroom.  We got to meet a few of the animals that are at the park.  We learned about snakes and got to see three of them.  All the kids kept asking if they could touch the snakes, but not Gillian.  "I not going to touch them!"  After the snakes, the ranger took out two box turtles.  One was named Scooter and the other was Rosie.  Gillian heard the names and said loudly "Just like you Mommy!"  Scooter was a fast turtle and ran across the room.  Again, Gillian said "I no touch them!"  The ranger was telling us more about the turtles and she took out a paper towel to hold under Scooter.  She told the group "He needs a diaper.  I like to call him Sir Poops-a-lot!"  The kids thought this was hilarious (this was also one thing that Gillian told John about her trip). 

Our last stop was a hay ride.  The kids loved the hayride.  They all said "It's so bumpy!"  By the time we were done with our tour of the park, a lot of the kids had droopy eyes and looked like they were going to fall asleep.  It was a great morning.  I am so glad I got to spend it with my little lady.

    

Missed the bus

We were about a minute too late to get the bus this morning. As I locked the front door, I saw the bus drive past our street. It was totally my fault. I should have gotten us outside earlier. But I thought, it's Monday so the bus would probably be late. Well I was wrong. I told John that we missed the bus. He was so mad. "Are you sure?" I said "Yes, I just saw the bus drive past. Number 15!" John shook his head, "My bus is number 2!" Yes, the school has numbered his bus as bus two, but the bus is actually 15. He said "What are we going to do now?"  I told him "Get into the car and I'll drop you off." He said "Great! That's not the same as taking the bus!" He can be so dramatic. I explained to him that I can drop him off at school and he could wait in the cafeteria until it was time to go to his classroom. He said "I don't want to. I'm going to be the only one in the cafeteria!" I explained to him that he would not be the only kid and that lots of kids get dropped off. He pouted until we got to school. We waited outside school until they opened the doors and then he ran inside. He didn't even slow down to give me a kiss. 

Tonight I asked him if he liked getting dropped off or taking the bus better. He said "The bus is longer!" Thanks. That explains everything. 

Seatbelt and coffee

Gillian and I were singing "The wheels on the bus" last night. She sang a few few verses and when we got to "the people on the bus go up and down." She sang that verse and said "They wouldn't go up and down if they have a seatbelt!" Good observation Gillian. 

This morning, Daddy asked the kids "What do you want to drink with breakfast?" Before Gillian could answer, Daddy said "You want coffee? Okay!" Gillian nodded and said "I need a cup!" She got up and asked me, "Mommy, you get my Mindy cup?" She was pointing to her Minnie Mouse Tervis cup. I couldn't believe what I was watching. I didn't know of she wanted that cup because Mommy and Daddy drink their coffee in Tervis cups or if she just wanted to use that cup. Well that lasted two seconds, because once she got her cup she asked for milk. And to think I thought she was going to want coffee. It wouldn't have been the first time.  

First day of First Grade

Today was John's first day of First Grade.  John woke up early and we told him to get dressed.  I had a collared shirt and khaki shorts picked out for John to wear for his first day.  John got dressed and I went to help him find socks and he was wearing a completely different outfit than what I had picked out.  John told Daddy that he felt more comfortable in his outfit.  It's hard to argue with that.

The kids ate breakfast while I packed lunches.  John ate his breakfast fast and was ready to wait for the bus.  But it was too early to go to the bus stop, so every 2 minutes he would ask "Is it time now?"
 

Finally it was time to go to the bus stop.  John, Gillian, Daddy and I headed to the bus stop.  John was very excited and didn't want to wait.  He paced.  For awhile we played I Spy.  That entertained him.  Gillian got mad, because we didn't ask her to pick something. When we finally let Gillian have a turn, she picked something so obvious.  It was hilarious.  Before we realized it, the bus was arrived.  John didn't hesitate and climbed the stairs and sat in the seat behind the driver.  The bus was barely past our street, and Gillian started to cry.  "Where Johnny going?" She shed a few tears and I gave her a hug.  We walked back home and I explained to her that John was taking the bus to his new school.  She calmed down and I took her to school.  After I dropped off Gillian, I drove past John's new school (I know, I'm a little crazy.).  There were tons of buses and people dropping off kids.  I couldn't see John, but it made me feel better. 

MFA lets out at 3:20, so Daddy and I were waiting at the bus stop by 3:40.  And we waited and waited and waited.  HIs bus finally arrived around 4.  The bus pulled up and opened the doors, there was about 5 seconds of no movement, and I heard the bus driver say "Where's John? Oh, there he is! He's coming!"  And there he was. 

We asked him about his day.  He said "Not so good for me."  That sounds horrible, but after a million question we were able to get out of him that he had a pretty good day.  He made two friends. One is Trey (they sit next to each other in class) and the other is a boy that he met on the bus.  He had music today and learned that he is going to be in a concert in June.  He doesn't understand why they have to learn poems.  They had lunch in the cafeteria (where most people brought their lunch) and they only got to play outside for like a minute. He said "And we had to work.  You know I don' t like to do work!"  Daddy told him, "No one likes to do work, that's why its called work." 

Later at dinner, we heard that some kids got two strikes in music class.  "And you know what?  At three strikes you get a note sent home to your parents!"  Daddy asked him, "Did you get any strikes?"  He said "I didn't bring you home a note!"  He did tell us proudly that he didn't get any strikes, and that he got to sit next to a guitar in music class.  See?  Sounds like a pretty good day to me.       

  

Yo Gabba Gabba!

John and I were invited to go to see Yo Gabba Gabba with Aunt Betty's class today. John and I arrived at Aunt Betty's school. He was so nervous to be around all the big kids. As we got closer to her classroom, his cheeks got redder and redder and he walked behind me. The kids in Aunt Betty's class were super nice to John and it only took John a few minutes to relax and start talking to the kids. John made fast friends with Paul and they stuck together for the rest of the trip.

We got the kids piled into the bus and we were on our way. John was sitting with the other kids and we only occasionally heard his voice over the other kids. We were dropped off right in front and found our seats quickly. The kids were super excited! I was very thankful to be with a group of people because I got out of buying any souvenirs! The show started and the all the kids stood up and danced and clapped along with the music. John loved it. But then they took an intermission. Honestly I don't blame them. It must be really hot in those costumes, but John was not happy about intermission. It took too long! He wanted it over. The second half of the show was more singing and dancing.

Again we piled all the kids back into the bus. Thanks to the great ushers at Count Basie. They helped block traffic so we could stick together! Again the kids were great on the way back. Once we got back to school, John started taking off his jacket. "I want to stay!" I told him that the kids parents would be picking them up soon, but we could stay for a few minutes. "How about an hour?" he tried to negotiate. Betty and I explained to him that we couldn't stay that long. He got Aunt Betty to ask the principal if he could come back another day. Tonight when he was telling Daddy about our adventure, he said "And I can go back! They promised!"

The Field Trip

On our way to school this morning, John says "I remember something important. Today we are going on a trip!" I agreed with him and said do you remember where you are going? He replied "To the puppet theater! Are you coming today?" I told him that I would love to go on the trip but they didn't need any chaperones today. I would have rather gone on a trip to the puppet theater than sit in the office all day. John thought for a minute then h said "Oh! Do you know why? Because Kindergarteners are like grown-ups!"

At dinner tonight he told me about the trip. First he said "I got to sit by the window on the way there and the way back." Yes, it's very important where you sit on the bus. Way more important than the show you got to see. Then he said "We saw two shows. First was the night before Christmas. And then we saw the snow queen!" We asked him if he like it. He said "Yes!" And that's all the information we got from him. Hope you weren't expecting a full review of the show!