First Days of School!

Rabbit, Tigger, and Kellin all started school during the past week! Rabbit is now in fifth grade - her last year of elementary school. Most of the time, I just can't believe she is THAT OLD! She is so mature and responsible, and so much fun to be around. And she is nearly as tall as I am!

Tigger is in second grade this year, and I can't believe he is that old either. He likes school, but as a very active kid, sometimes he comes home completely wound up from sitting all day.

And Kellin! He is the teeny tiniest four-year-old in his preschool class! He is attending a small preschool class for children with special needs, and his classroom is right next door to mine (I teach preschoolers with special needs). This means that not only do I get to see him occasionally at school and get frequent updates from his teachers, but I also personally know and trust all of the teachers and therapists that work with him. It's an amazing blessing!

Kellin has been dealing with a lot of change and many transitions over the past two weeks. He started daycare, then school, and today rode the bus from school to daycare for the first time. And overall, he is doing amazingly well! He is more tired, and maybe more clingy, and he has been getting anxious when we get into the car (I think because he always thinks we are dropping him off at daycare), but I think these reactions are natural, and hopefully we will work through them.

New skills: Although I never would have thought he was ready, he decided a few days ago to try stepping up the stairs with alternating feet (meaning one foot on each step and then stepping up to the next, rather than putting both feet on each step). He doesn't do it every time, but sometimes - and I am amazed that he even thought of trying that! After all, I have never shown him that, and he has never seen anyone else do it . . . but somehow is must have occurred to him that it would be a more efficient way to get up the stairs! He also seems to have said "bye-bye" twice - both times, he waved his hand twice and said "ah-ah" along with it - and it was during a time when we were saying good-bye to someone. He is getting better at climbing up into his chair for eating, and at climbing up and down from the couch. The other day, Kellin was sitting on the floor, and I told him it was time to change his diaper, and he promptly stood up and pulled his shorts down without any prompting from me. I was impressed!

I realize that all this "back-to-school" fuss leaves out Pooh because he will not attend preschool until next year. He is doing a great job at his new daycare and continues to make us laugh with the things he says. Yesterday he and Kellin went with Daddy to cross-country practice (Daddy is a coach) and Pooh came home and informed me, "We went with Daddy and we did exercises, except I didn't and Kellin didn't." Oh, this kid.

And as usual - fun pictures!

Rabbit and Tigger ran a kids' race to support the camp that Rabbit attends each summer, a camp for kids with Type 1 diabetes (an amazing place, because realistically she really couldn't safely attend a regular camp)

Kellin enjoying one of his favorite things - sunlight!

Dinosaur bones!

At a nearby zoo - a pretty good picture of the four of them!

Kellin chose to WALK for a little ways at the zoo. He is walking around quite a bit at home, but he still usually prefers to be carried in public places.

Handsome little man!