First Grade

Introducing our first grader....Sydney Hall!  Wow when did our baby girl grow up? I truly feel like not that long ago she was just a little baby.  She is so grown up and mature.  She is the best big sister (95% of the time).  She is getting a big girl, mature, beautiful face and losing that baby face.  Today was a great day.  She helped me pack her lunch and we took a few pictures at home.  (pictures are a but blurry due to me dropping my camera on vacation, yes I need a new one FAST)  We took Griffin to daycare and met Bill at the school. 

Little brother wanting to be part of the excitement.

We met her teacher, Mrs Knapp and looked around her classroom.  We took a few more pictures.  (I did have Bill take a few on his IPhone just in case my camera was as messed up as I thought). 

We gave our baby girl hugs and kisses and told her to have a great day. 

When I picked her up this afternoon she said it was a good day.  She was on red, which is the best color in first grade.  She is excited about being allowed to buy ice cream on Fridays and also being able to go to computer lab.  We are excited for another year of learning and growing.

School Lunch Ideas

We are gearing up for back to school and I am going to make an effort to provide Sydney with healthy and yummy lunches.  Sydney is not what I would call a picky eater but she is my pickier eater (does that make sense).  Last year I packed her lunch some of the time and then she ate school lunch when groceries were low or when I did not have things she wanted.  I know the school offers fruits and veggies but she can be picky about these and often would tell me she did not eat any of the fruits or veggies offered.  We have been trying to eat less processed food which is more work for me and some weeks it is just challenging.  I have been trying more recipes to put in my go to menu options that are not processed and healthy. 
So these are some of my ideas for Syd's lunches:

Muffin:  poppy seed (I will share recipe in next few days), pumpkin chocolate, banana oatmeal and zuchini with chocolate chips

Bean dip and chips
egg salad with mini triscuits
pimento cheese with triscuits
trail mix

meat and cheese roll ups
whole wheat bread with PB and nutella
yogurt
fruit- maybe kabobs
carrots with ranch or spinach dip

You can actually subscribe to this blog for a menu.   My goal is to pack my children a nutritous and yummy lunch that will give them the energy they need for their day.  Do you have any suggestions?

Sydney's kindergarten graduation

Sydney's kindergarten graduation - welcome

Mrs Fearnside and Ms Graham, so excited yet sad to let the kids go

Sydney and Mrs Fearnside

Sydney was given the Milky Way Award "for setting an example for others by having quality work that was OUT OF THIS WORLD." 

Me and my girl, wow when did she grow up

Bill and Sydney (he used more Kleenex than I did)

Sydney and Kylie

Sydney and Noah

hugs goodbye

The kids performed a few songs and the teachers put together an awesome video presentation (too long to upload- but I do have a DVD copy).  We have become great friends with Mrs Fearnside and her family because the girls played softball together.  We are not saying goodbye to them, just kindergarten.  It was an awesome year, Sydney loved school and I thoroughly enjoyed being one of the class mom's. 

First day of School

Sydney with Griffin. Of course we picked out her outfit the night before and I think she was so excited she did not sleep well. She went ahead and got dressed before eating breakfast and then I did her hair and painted her nails. I went ahead and took Griffin to daycare and met Sydney and Bill at the school.

 

 

In her classroom with her backpack on

Her teacher took pictures of each family on her camera (and ours)

 

and we took a picture of Mrs Fearnside with Sydney

Sydney was a bit clingy and hesitant to let us go but her teacher distracted her and a few others and we headed out. 

Bill and I walked out of the school holding hands, saying we want to home school.  Actually we do not want to home school and we know she is in great hands we are just in shock at how quickly we got to the school years.  Our baby girl is in kindergarten!

I picked her up at the after school building which is about 2 miles down the road from my office.  She was playing when I got there and one of  the leaders said she did just fine. 

On the way to pick up Griffin we talked about her day, and she was excited to tell me about it, yet tired.  She sat with a friend (that we know from daycare) at lunch.  She told me I did not need to pack a napkin in her lunch bag because they get a napkin, silverware and a straw when they get to the lunch room.  She also had a choice of white or chocolate milk and she picked chocolate.  For lunch I packed her clementines, an apple, cheese (cut in the shape of hearts and stars), crackers and brownie (a heart and a star). 

Bill was home for dinner so he was able to hear all about her day and tuck her in to bed. 

Tomorrow is another day!

 



We are getting ready.....

.....for kindergarten to start.  Sydney is so excited and actually so are the rest of us.  I am always a bit nervous about change in any situation, especially when it involves the kids.  Each time the kids have moved up a room at daycare I was nervous.  I worry they will be unsettled or just not happy with their new environment.  Every time both kids have "moved up" they have been fine. 

Sydney is ready.  Ready for a new environment, she is one of the oldest at daycare now and so she is ready to learn new things and be around more kids her age and kids at her level of maturity.  We have met her teacher and she attended kindergarten camp and is familiar with the school.  We visited the after school building and she already knows the adults in the building (many of whom have worked at her daycare).  We bought an extra car seat for Bill's car since he will be taking her to school each morning.  The school supplies have been bought and we already have her backpack and lunch bag.  Thankfully we did not need to go clothes shopping because we received so many hand me downs and have stuff that still fits until the weather changes so we are set on clothing.  Sydney wants me to pack her lunch "because we have never done that before" and we have already discussed some of the things she would like in her lunch. 

Some of her suggestions:
salad with chopped egg (like daddy)
key lime or vanilla yogurt
apple, grapes, a pear
peanut butter and honey sandwich or ham and cheese
cheese stick
spreadable wedge cheese and crackers
chocolate pudding
a note on a napkin (like daddy gets in his lunch)

So we are ready.  We have a meeting at the school on the 24th and then her first day is actually the 27th.  Until then we are soaking up our time with our girl and enjoying the rest of the summer. 



Griffin had to have a new backpack just like his big sis