Photos - Ewokmama

Off to Kindergarten

August 15, 2011 By Ewokmama 2 Comments

My baby went off to school today. He is going to come back home this afternoon and then can I even refer to him as my baby anymore?? I don’t know.

Last night Jack picked out the clothes he would wear on his first day of school. This morning I asked if he had any breakfast requests and he asked for pancakes. I made banana chocolate chip pancakes for him (and for me). His dad arrived at our house at 8:10 this morning and David, Joe, Jack, and I all walked to school together for the orientation (the school is two blocks away).

Orientation was…boring. It droned on pretty long and Jack was bored (as was I). I’m not sure if the staff actually intended to put the kids to sleep but they definitely were subdued by the time the announcements ended and the kindergartners headed to class. We were told that while it used to be that kids just had to learn how to spell and write their name and count to 30 upon leaving kindergarten, the expectation now is that they are able to read and write sentences by the end of the academic year. Now I’m feeling pretty freaking glad that we seemingly got a head start on that. If he went in not knowing how to write or read a damned thing, I would be more worried. Luckily he can read (he just doesn’t have the patience for sentences quite yet) and write pretty well.

Did you know kindergartners have homework? Oh yes! Jack will get homework Monday through Thursday. Wowwee.

I didn’t cry and neither did Jack. He did get nervous when he discovered that his “little white bunny” wasn’t in his backpack but he had notes from both me and Joe to remind him that we love him. I made sure to let him know that this was everyone’s first day at school and they were all nervous, too. That seemed to help.

Update this afternoon – Upon picking him up this afternoon Jack told David and I that his day was “wonderful…I can’t wait to go back tomorrow!” Success!

Filed Under: Growing Up, Milestones, Photos, School Tagged With: 5 years old, Child, education, kids, kindergarten, Photos, Reading readiness in the USA, Ready for Kindergarten, san francisco

Letting Go

August 11, 2011 By Ewokmama 2 Comments

Today is Jack’s last day in daycare. He’s been with G for over two years (a miracle when you think back to all the daycare dramas early on in his life) and made some awesome little friends there. G’s house is basically Jack’s third house – there were many weeks there where he spent just as much time there as he did at my house or his dad’s. G feeds him and teaches him and celebrates his victories and birthdays. Jack was potty trained there before he was at home!

In the last 2+ years, G has taken only ONE unscheduled day off – for Jury Duty. One day, you guys! She is simply amazing.

I’m having a hard time walking away from this lady. She is one of the most reliable, dependable, trustworthy, and caring people I have ever known – it has been a BLESSING to be able to put Jack in her care.

I don’t think it’s hit Jack yet. He knows today is his last day and that he’ll have a goodbye party, but all he could say was that he was hoping for presents. We tried to tell him this isn’t the kind of thing you get presents for. In any case, he starts school Monday and I’m guessing somewhere in that week he’ll really start to miss G. I know I will!

I had a difficult time coming up with a gift that conveyed how much we love G. What we ended up with was this poem made into an artful poster by Etsy artist MySoulShines and matted/framed:

They Will Remember

by Eileen Koscho

I take care of your children.
I love them.
I teach them.
I clean them, and I feed them.
And when nighttime comes,
my heart worries about them
I take care of your children.
I see their first steps.
I hear their first words.
I share their happiness, and
I feel their hurts.
I take care of your children,
as if they were my own.
And when they are grown, and
no longer need me,
My love will be a part of them
deep within the heart of them.
They will know that I was there for them unconditionally.
And they will remember!

This morning it occurred to me that I should have had a coffee mug or something made with Jack’s artwork to give to her. Dang it! Maybe I’ll ship that to her…

Here is a picture of G with Jack on his birthday (she is so cool – she got him the alien space ship Legos):

The next phase (ewokmama.com)
The Frustrations of Finding Appropriate Daycare (blogher.com)
Going back to work & the good the bad and the ugly of how we picked child care (brooksbaby.wordpress.com)
Finding The Perfect Daycare in Saskatoon (saskatooninsider.wordpress.com)
You Can Run a Successful Home Daycare! I Will Help You Get Started (littleleadersassoc.wordpress.com)

Filed Under: Daycare, Growing Up, Photos Tagged With: 5 years old, childcare, Day care, Daycare, Family, growing up, kids, love, motherhood, parenthood, parenting, Photos, potty learning, potty training, preschooler, working mom, working parents

The Face of Triumph

July 14, 2011 By Ewokmama 2 Comments

Thanks to Plum Organics for sponsoring my post about fun kid photos and the stories behind them. Enter Plum’s “Babies for Yum Caption Contest” on Facebook and you could win a $100 gift card or Plum goodies.

For Jack’s fifth birthday, I wanted to do something different. I didn’t want to add even more toys to his already bulging pile (I am pretty sick of stepping on Legos) and he’s been very adamant lately that he wants to spend time with me (usually instead of going to daycare), so I thought a shared experience would be a great alternative.

David and I discussed a trip to Disneyland but, after looking at the insanely high cost a trip like that would be and taking into account that Jack has fun playing with things like cardboard boxes, we thought something close to home would be just as good. It didn’t take long to decide on Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo – they have a TON of rides that are tailored to younger children and, since I wasn’t sure how Jack would react to the rides, there are many animal exhibits as an added benefit. I figured we couldn’t go wrong.

I was right! Jack absolutely loved the theme park (EXCEPT for the roller coaster, which he “kinda hated”). One of the coolest things about the theme park was the selection of carnival games. I know what you’re thinking – carnival games are typically quite scammy; however, there was a balloon game with a little sign that said something like “children play until they win.” I was beside myself with the AWESOME (especially after recently experiencing a fundraiser carnival where Jack tried several times to win and had no luck, which led to a meltdown). I forked over $5 for a couple of darts and on his 4th try Jack managed to pop TWO balloons with one dart, shocking all of us! Rather than go for one big prize, he decided on two smaller stuffed dolphins, one of which he gave to his 2 year old cousin Sabrina. He named the blue one that he kept Splash.

Here is a picture of him posing triumphantly with his winnings (doesn’t he look so blasé?):

And the gold medal goes to Jack!

Jack was super happy to have won and Sabrina was delighted with her dolphin. Neither child let their new toys out of their site for the rest of the day.

Let me tell you – that was the BEST $5 I have ever spent!

I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

Filed Under: Adventures, Photos Tagged With: #cleverphotos, 5 years old, clever girls collective, growing up, kids, Photos, plum organics, Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, tantrums

My Brown Eyed Boy

February 4, 2010 By Ewokmama Leave a Comment

I have dreams about Jack when he’s with his dad. In my dreams he smooshes his face against mine, kisses my cheeks, and cuddles with me while I hold him on my lap. Ya know, just like real life.

I wake up hoping to see his smiling face staring back at me.

I am near tears because he is not there to tell me a joke or show me a bizarre brilliant creation.

I laugh when David impersonates Jack. I know he is missing him, too.

I can’t wait to hug my brown eyed boy again in a few days.

Filed Under: Babyman, Divorce, Family, Photos Tagged With: being a mom, i love my kid, parenthood, Photos, shared custody

Family (self)Portraits

January 27, 2010 By Ewokmama Leave a Comment

Jack loves to take pictures but he’s not so keen on being in them anymore. With that said, he thought it was hilarious when we all cuddled in bed the other night, made funny faces and took pictures. (click to see full frame)

Filed Under: Photos Tagged With: being silly, cuddling, family pictures, family time, goofing off, Photos, self portraits

Christmas Favorites

January 18, 2010 By Ewokmama Leave a Comment

I have been quite lame in posting pictures from Christmas. I’m sitting in SeaTac airport today waiting on my delayed flight (awful weather in San Francisco apparently), which makes it the perfect time to update my blog.

Here are a few of my favorite pictures. I can’t help but crack up every time I see Jack dressed up as a superhero. He gets serious about it!

Filed Under: Family, Holidays, Photos Tagged With: christmas, Family, Photos, traditions

Ah, to be three

October 6, 2009 By Ewokmama Leave a Comment

I found some Buzz Lightyear pajamas on sale at JCP last week and promptly placed my order. When Jack came home from his dad’s yesterday and saw them, he immediately decided he MUST wear them (along with David’s bike helmet). Then of course he had to watch Toy Story…

Today he demanded to wear a robot shirt. The problem is that he has no robot shirt (I know – awful, huh?). We compromised and I let him wear his Buzz Lightyear PJ shirt, but insisted that he wear non-pajama pants. I also managed to switch the bike helmet for a pea pod (made by Mrs. Gonzo!) hat by telling him it matches his shirt so well…I admit it cracks me up to take him out of the house this way!