He had such a wonderful year at the Greeley school and I am so glad we made the decision to send him there. I really struggled with it for a couple of reasons. I wasn't sure he was ready for school. The gas prices were up over $4 a gallon and the school is a bit of a distance away. Chris really made the decision when he said, "Gas is going to go up and down, you can't decide because of that. If this is the right school for Connor then we will figure out a way for him to go there." That sealed it for me but we had to wait for a slot to open up. I was super excited to hear one opened up!
So on September 3rd we headed off to drop Connor off for his first day of school. It went wonderful! After a couple of weeks he started really giving me a hard time about going (which I know is so normal since I was once a teacher of preschool) but would have a wonderful time while he was there. I knew this because.... A)His teacher would tell me. B) When I would arrive to pick him up he was very busy playing and didn't want to leave. This challenge lasted for a while but we made it through.
Connor is posing for a picture just to please his Mom since I know he just wanted to get in his class.
I remember taking this picture and having tears in my eyes at how big he looked to me.
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During this year Connor made so much amazing progress. His social skills developed wonderfully. He learned so many wonderful things. He learned to love learning. Mostly though, I would say he became a lot more self confident, which in my opinion is the best thing!
He was sad that school was over. I was sad that school was over. Not because the kids will be home, to be completely honest I am so excited they will be home (I know, the opposite of most moms). I was sad because this "moment" in Connor's life is over. He will never again go to school on a farm. He will never again be four years old. He will never again be so little even though he looked so big to me on that first day of school. Watching my kids grow is so bitter-sweet to me. It's really an oxymoron of sorts. When I can put into words just what I mean I will do that....
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So here is pictures from Connor's end of the year show. When we arrived he was literally wrapped around my leg, not a good sign. But after a few minutes he ran off. He grew up even more in just those few minutes.
He looked great up on stage. A bit awe-struck really. When asked what he wanted to be when he grows up he answered, "When I grow up I want to be a scientist". Then when everyone shared their words of wisdom his was, "Be grateful for what you have." WOW, I love that! I am so grateful for what I have and I hope that Connor and all my children will feel that way as they grow.
His class did a song and dance about dogs that was really cute. I loved the way he decorated his mask and was proud that he put a lot of effort and thought into it.
He even got a diploma with a picture of his class on it....
This is Connor, Josiah, and Keegan. They are the "three musketeers" in the class. The bummer is that they are all from different towns so will be going to different schools in the fall.
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The day after Connor's show the whole school met at the Friendly Farm for a field trip. I was not prepared for the cool weather so I ended up buying the kids a sweatshirt there. Luckily the rain held off and we had a great time.
Maggie loved the bunny room. If you sat real still the bunnies would hop onto your lap. Maggie, however, does not know how to sit real still so she gently helped a bunny onto her lap. She was gentle though.
Ben mainly hung out in his stroller or being held by me watching the animals walk around. When we were in with the sheep we learned the hard way that sheep like to eat breast milk poop! Yes, it's true. Ben had a huge blowout in his diaper so instead of dragging the kids to the bathroom I decided to change Ben on the bench. There were no sheep around and the kids were off looking at the chickens. I layed him down and began the messy task of changing the blowout. Well, the sheep came running! I was trying to hurry but really it was like a clip off America's Funniest Home Video. Keegan's mom, Maria, and Maggie were trying to help but those sheep were relentless to say the least. They were grabbing Ben's clothes, the dirty diaper, the bag I was trying to put the mess in, the dirty wipes and one sheep even tried to lick Ben. People, this is no joke! This happened! It was insane! Luckily, Ben didn't seem to be too bothered by the chaos.... So, take my advice, when you are in with the sheep... Don't change your child's poopy diaper!
Here are Connor and Keegan....
Maggie loved feeding the baby goats a bottle! The baby goats loved Maggie. One followed her around all over the place. Maggie was so gentle with all the animals. 
sounds like conner had a great year. He is growing up fast.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like this school was a great pick for Connor. He is such a great boy.
ReplyDeleteSerioulsy, kindergarten next!! How DID that happen?? :-)
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