Mama Helps out at Preschool

At our new preschool, all the parents have one duty day every six weeks or so. My "duty day" fell on the second Monday of school. I arrived 15 minutes early to set up, and left 15 minutes after school to tidy up. And in between, I played with  over 20 preschoolers. I found myself exhausted by the time the school ended, and marvelled at how the two teachers could spend 4 half days a week with so many children...

The theme this month is "farms", and the kids had a great time learning all about farms. They practiced milking a cow (glove filled with water attached to a broom stick) and even "made" butter by mixing heavy cream. They enjoyed crackers with their homemade butter, and learned a few farm-related songs.

Mostly, being "on duty" reassured me that the kids were well taken care of, and were learning in the process...

milking the cow

hugging her cousin

In the playground after school

First Day of Preschool

Our two pre-schoolers enjoyed their first day this last Tuesday. Their new preschool is adjacent to the swimming pool where we spent much of the summer, and it almost seemed as though we were simply returning somewhere familiar. There were 5 other kids amongst the 25 children that they knew from their old pre-school. Perhaps because they saw so many familiar faces, or perhaps because they were both in the same class, but they had a great first week, and can't wait to go back!

Walking to School on their first day

Outside Their Class

First Day of Grade One

On Wednesday, our 6-year old started grade one. In the days leading up to her first day, she mentioned being "nervous". She was nonetheless excited about seeing some friends from kindergarten hat she hadn't see on all summer. She met her new teacher, Mme Nathalie, in the  school yard. Six and a half hours later, she successfully finished her first day. I would later hear that she had gotten lost on her way to the washroom during her lunch hour, but quickly recovered. When she was in kindergarten, the washrooms were actually in her classroom, so she didn't have to go far.

On the evening of her second day of school, the parents met with their childs' teacher. I found myself somewhat overwhelmed by the large volume of subjects that they would be covering throughout the year, and by the homework that is to start shortly.

Thank goodness I still have a year to go before #2 goes to elementary school!

With a friend on her first day

Awards Night at the Pool

After 8 weeks of swimming, diving, water-polo and synchro lessons, team practices, and meets, our summer pool ended the season with a dance party, and an awards night. Typically the event is held at the pool, with fun activities in the pool, followed by food, and awards. Unfortunately rain forced us indoors, to the gym of a nearby elementary school.  

The girls, although quite shy, enjoyed the evening. They ate food and cake, and danced with the lifeguards.

All the kids then received participation medals, and paraded into the gym to much cheer from their parents. They were then asked to sit down quietly for the awards announcements. Much to our surprise, the girls did not run over to the tables to sit with us, but remained seated with the other children.

But the bigger surprise came when our 6 year old received the "team spirit award" for the pre-swim team "Guppies" programme. While she didn't smile, she did seem proud of her accomplishment. Our 4-year old asked us later that evening why she did not receive one. She then requested that I print her out a picture of a trophy, which she coloured, and proudly carried around for a few days.

Our Girls Love Lego: Photo

Our girls have been playing with Lego almost daily for a little over a year, and can't seem to get enough. So when I found out there was a Lego show last week-end in Montreal, we bought tickets. They attended with their father, and I am not sure who enjoyed it more...

Baby Turns Three!

Our baby turned three on Tuesday, and we probably shouldn't call her a baby any longer! We had a fun-filled day:

After changing into her ladybug costume, we headed downstairs for breakfast.  There, a birthday card from Aunt Lois awaited her. She eagerly opened her card, and immediately decorated the card cake with the included stickers:

The girls then helped me ice the ladybug cupcakes.

We then enjoyed decorating the house and kitchen table with a variety of ladybug decorations:

Our cousins arrived in the afternoon, and we headed outside for some fun:

After a sumptuous barbecue dinner, we enjoyed a lady-bug shaped cake made but Auntie:

After a second costume change, we headed to a soccer practice for #2, at the end of which our three-year old requested a red popsicle...

Our three-year old had a fantastic day, and fancies herself a Big Girl now. And Mama often successfully uses the phrase "now that you are three.  For example "now that you are three, you cannot suck your thumb anymore!"

The Loose Tooth

On the same day that our 6-year old scored her first goal of the soccer season, she lost four teeth. Not that one had to do with the other...

 As of yesterday, she had yet to lose a single baby tooth. But last week, as I helped floss her teeth, I noticed two new central incisors popping out right behind her existing lower central incisors. So we checked to see if she had any loose teeth, and sure enough, she had one wobbly tooth. All week, she was so excited about the prospect of losing her first tooth. She asked that in addition to a coin, I give her some candy. Although I thought giving candy was counterintuitive, I said it depended on the Tooth Fairy. She replied, "but Mama, you already told me that the Tooth Fairy doesn't exist, and you and Papa will be giving me gifts under my pillow".

You might be asking yourself how she lost four teeth? As it happened, she had a pre-existing appointment with her dentist Saturday afternoon, and  when he saw the new teeth growing in, he said four teeth needed to come out to make room for them. She was very brave, I was told (as I was at work), and with the help of some local anesthetic, out came the four teeth. She received a neat carrying case for them in the shape of a tooth, and a few non-candy treats from the dentist's treasure box.



Here is her first toothless grin: