As one of two K-5 Room Moms, I was thrilled and privileged and super excited to attend Bobby Jones's Pumpkin Party. It was so fun to see his classroom at work, and I was so impressed with Mrs. Clackett and the way that she operates. We ate pumpkin treats, counted candy corn, read books, and did other pumpkin projects.
It was absolutely awesome! I really, really am SO very pleased with the way things are done at HCA, and I'm very grateful for the boys to be able to spend a year there!
They each had to pick a person that they loved to put on the board. Guess whom Jones picked.
These doughnuts tasted even better than they looked.
Jones LOVES Noelle. He says, "She's so funny and cute, too." Aiden was in Jones's class at Clyde First Baptist, and Loretta is probably the most beautiful kindergartener I have ever seen! She has three sisters, each just as beautiful.
People who take school pictures must be some kind of magicians, because the boys have now gone through three rounds of them, and each package as been as incredible as the last one. Here are their Kindergerten and Pre-K pictures.
Call me biased, but I cannot get over the cuteness.
If I had written a script for Jones's first day of school, I'm not sure I could've come up with something any better than the way it played out. He had an AMAZING day.
It started out a little before seven. Our alarm clock, Freddie, woke us up as he does almost daily - with a sing-song-y "Maaaammaaaaa! Can I get up?" I told him he could. A few minutes later, he ran into my room and asked, "Can Jones get up, too?" I said he could, and both boys ran into the den to play, like every other morning.
A little after seven, I rolled out of bed and picked up the clothes I'd laid out for Jones the nite before. I told him to get dressed, but he was still REALLY groggy, so instead, I just held him. He sat on my lap. I rubbed his back and asked him how he felt about the day. In spite of his seeming lackadaise, he said he was excited. He got dressed and suddenly had a spring in his step that surprised me, given what was coming. He bounded all over the back of the house and was the first one out the door when we said it was time to go.
Surprisingly, I held up fine the whole time. I enjoyed the "cuckles" before he got dressed this morning, but I hadn't cried or even come close to it, possibly because I was all cried out from boo-hoo'ing until 4 a.m. the morning after his Meet the Teacher. We loaded up and hit the road right around 7:30.
As soon as we pulled into the parking lot, I caught the catch breath that generally signals "about to cry." Almost immediately after, Freddie randomly started singing, "Every day's a special day on So-dor," which is a song from "Thomas" that has made me cry since I first heard it at "Thomas Land" last August. Hearing it made me think of the last five years' of "Special Days" that the boys and I have had on the proverbial "Sodor" of our lives, and I lost it.
I was able to get it back together to walk into the school, though. Jones's demeanor definitely helped. He walked in like he owned the place. I absolutely could not believe it. There was no hiding behind me or begging me to stay. In fact, as the four kids sat on the carpet in Mrs. Clackett's classroom, Jones listened to the story ("The Kissing Hand") and then asked if he could tell the class about his new engine (We bought Hiro at AC Moore as a back to school surprise yesterday). It was absolutely incredible. For the first time, he showed his teacher the kid I get to see at home, and all I could think was, "If Mrs. Janet and Mrs. Doris could see him now ..." They'd be so proud.
Jeremy, Freddie, and I walked out of the building. As soon as we were strapped in the van, Freddie asked, "What are we gonna do without Jones?" I said, "I don't know, Buddy," and I really didn't. Improvising, we headed to the bakery for a doughnut date. On the way, Freddie asked me, "Mama, are you so glad I get to take care of you?" "Oh, my goodness, Freddie," I answered. "Am I ever!" While he was eating his long john - less than an hour since leaving Jones - Freddie asked, "When we gonna pick up Jones?" Apparently, we were each missing him just as much. "I hope Jones is being good," Freddie later said and, later still, "Hope Jones is having a wonderful time at school. Hope he's obeying his teacher."
When it was finally time to pick up Big Brother, I wasn't sure what to expect, but his excitement exceeded all of my expectations. He would.not.shut.up about his day. We called Jeremy from the car, and I facetiously said, "I don't think he likes it." Jones corrected me: "Yes, I do! I wanta go dare all da time," he said.
Jabberjabberjabberjabber, on and on he went, all through our lunch at Jeremy's office (Jeremy was the Lone Ranger at the office, so we picked up Blue Rooster and ate at the Pressley Group). It definitely squelched so much of my sadness, seeing how happy he was at school.
By the time we got home, though, he was READY FOR BED. He was totally wiped out, bless his heart, and napped harder than he has in a REALLY long time. After that, he got up and played with his beloved trains - just like any other day - leading me to believe, to my GREAT relief, that, for as much as he's matured, maybe he's still my little boy after all.
The boys got to meet their teachers at HCA's "Red, White, and You" Back to School BBQ tonite!
It was very exciting, having driven by the campus so many times this Summer, to be able to walk through the doors for the first time. It was not long after walking through them that I was hit with a sudden and unexpected wave of "What am I doing here?" One look at the "Welcome to Kindergarten" sign on Mrs. Clackett's door, and I was the puddle of emotion I'm surprised I haven't been sooner.
Mrs. Clackett, however, could not have been sweeter. She seems like the quintessential Kindergarten teacher, and though she apologized "if it seems like all they do is play in her class (she said she stresses a lot of learning through play)," that sort of emphasis sounded PERFECT to me for a room full of five year olds.
"Room full" is kind of a misnomer. There are only four kids in Jones's class, which is absolutely incredible to me. I think that student:teacher ratio will be so, so good for Jones. I consider it a real God-send, evidence of His personal care for my timid, tender Jonesie Bug. Further comforting my tends-to-be-anxious kid was the train table in the middle of the classroom, as well as the fact that a classmate from Clyde First Baptist will be the other boy in the class.
Thank You, God, for Your loving kindnesses to my boy.
Jones refused to have his picture taken with Mrs. Clackett (here's hoping he'll let me get one on Thursday morning), but beyond that, he seemed VERY settled in his new classroom. And can you blame him? The frog-shaped name card on his TOP SHELF CUBBY (at Clyde, Jones ALWAYS wanted to get there early, so he could score a first-come, first-served top shelf cubby) is GREEN. Guess what his favorite color is and always has been - GREEN, so seeing the green frog on the top shelf was just about all of the excitement he could handle.
From there, we visited with Mrs. Burke, Freddie's teacher. Her room isn't yet ready, so he'll start the year at New Covenant Church and then transfer to the Main Campus in a month or so. Still, we loved her, too, and were thrilled to hear that her daughter has eczema, as well, so she'll be especially compassionate to our baby Bear.
Headmaster Herbert's brief comments were amazing. Her heart for Christian education - and her announcement that the accreditation board referred to the school as "having God's fingerprints all over it" - were beautiful affirmations of why the boys are at HCA. I'm remain prayerful that God will let me keep them home for school after this first year, but I am nonetheless convinced that, for as much as I wish He'd let me homeschool them this year, they are exactly where He wants them to be.
And THAT is exactly where I want them to be.
His letter from Mrs. Clackett this Summer contained a ticket to retrieve something from the classroom Treasure Box on Red, White, and You nite. Jones has been looking SO forward to claiming his price, which was ... A SCOOBY DOO TOY!
Peep that train table! Jones Pressley will be RIGHT at home!
This right here - this is what turned on the waterworks.
There's Scooby!
A GREEN FROG! A TOP CUBBY!
The boys were THRILLED for the chance to play in the classroom kitchen!
The Wolves Den (I think that's what they called it) Lunch Room
Mom bought both boys a new HCA shirt - of course, Freddie had to put his on right away. #clotheshorse
The boys ran and played in the open field, while we waiting in line for the really delicious barbecue.
Freddie found a dandelion, and, as he always does when he finds one, he had to run it over to his Mama.
