First Day of Kindergarten

 

After a month of preparing for this day, the first day of kindergarten is over! All the children were certainly ready to get started….not to mention the teacher . One of the first things I did with them was try to teach them how to say the pledges – Bible, Baptist flag and American Flag. Hahahahahahaha…..you should have seen their expressions! That is going to take awhile for them to comprehend why we have to put our hand over our heart….and why do we have to say all those words???!!!! It was only a few minutes into our day and one of the children asked, "Is it time to go on the playground yet?"……Ummmmmmm….no…not yet  

Today was basically a fun day where the children got to draw pictures, go on a photo scavenger hunt around the classroom, play with train tracks and legos, read stories, eat a yummy snack and go out on the playground (yes…I was gracious enough to allow them on the playground eventually ) I had to constantly remind myself that this was their FIRST day of school ever….they are not going to understand everything on the first day!! I am just going to have to be patient with them!!! They will eventually figure out that – yes, school is fun – but , no, that doesn’t mean that all we do is play all day – there is actually learning involved!!!  

 

One thing I do know….they are definitely going to be a fun class!! 

Get Off the Roads……….

 

Andy is learning how to drive!!!

 

 

Last night Andy had soccer practice so I offered to take him because I still had things to do in the classroom to get ready for today. Well……………..HE TOOK ME INSTEAD!!! It was my official FIRST time in the front passenger side with Andy driving. I have always been in the back seat…but never up front ALONE and UNPROTECTED . But honestly, he is doing really well!! As far as big sis is doing, I almost had a panic attack before I realized that indeed, Andy did know where the brakes were.  

 

We’ll see how long this post is up before Andy tries to delete it because I am embarrassing him yet again  Oh, well!! What are big sisters for?!

 

   

Kindergarten Orientation

 

I think orientation went really well today! I was a little nervous because – even though I know most of the parents – I still wanted to make a "good impression" as their child’s kindergarten teacher . I went through the schedule with them and gave a brief summary of what will happen in a typical school day. I also read a book called The Kissing Hand. It is a cute story of this little raccoon who was a little scared on his first day of school. His mom told him that as long as he had "the kissing hand" everything would be okay. She opened his paw and gave his hand a kiss. Now every time he was a little nervous, all he would have to do is put his hand to his cheek and remember how much his mommy loved him. I thought it was such a sweet story. After it was over, I had the moms and the children trace their hands and decorate them. I had a little poem that went along with the story. When they were done decorating their hands they could put a heart sticker in the middle of their hand which had "The Kissing Hand" on it. After that, the children played for a bit with the slide and the train tracks, and the mommies talked. So altogether it was a good day!! 

 

Frustrating News & Exciting News

 

This morning I received information that made me want to scream . When I had my car accident a couple of weeks ago, I heard that the witnesses had told the police that they had seen me hit the car in front of me FIRST, stop, and then get hit in the rear AFTERWARDS. At the time, I was too much in a daze to care, but I figured it would all get straightened out. Well, for the past couple of weeks my mom has been back and forth on the phone with the insurance companies and with the claims adjuster. The adjuster went to inspect the car, and he came away with $5,000 worth of damage….he said that the car is only worth $1900, so they totaled the car. So, anyway, back to this morning’s call. The guy’s insurance (the one who hit me) called to inform us that because the witnesses and the police report said that I had hit the car in front of me FIRST they were only going to pay for the back of the car’s damages. Apparently, the woman who was in front of me also claims that she felt a "small bump" after the initial bump (hahahahahaha) and of course, the police report was taken from the witnesses’ point of view. We won’t be getting even half of what the car is "worth" but at least we will still get something out if it – which is better than nothing – but I am just fuming right about now because I know what the TRUTH is. I was sitting at a stoplight, I got hit in the back, I tried slamming on my brakes, but the impact caused me to hit the car in front of me before I could do anything else. I couldn’t stop the car because the brakes weren’t working, so I coasted to the side street and turned into the curb – end of story!! It is just soooooo FRUSTRATING when you know you’re right, but no one else believes you. When my mom was on the phone with the adjuster explaining that we would only be paid for the back damages, I was practically yelling….THAT’S NOT FAIR…I DIDN’T HIT THE CAR FIRST!! Andy had to "hold me back" or I might have done something drastic . Oh, well, life isn’t fair….I guess I just got to get over it .

 

So does anyone know of a great car for sale that I could buy? Anyone have any suggestions on what kind of car I should be looking for? I don’t want to go with anything remotely looking like a Buick…I have had an "old people’s car" for long enough now

 

On to some exciting news….the exciting news in my life right now is SCHOOL IS STARTING NEXT WEEK!!! Tomorrow I have kindergarten orientation with my students and their parents. It should be lots of fun  I will be sure to post pictures soon….my room has changed a bit since I last posted pictures!!

 

Vacation Day 4 – Knoebels

 

We had a fun time at Knoebels yesterday! Aside from a short thunderstorm, we had a gorgeous day. We stayed all the way till 10:00 closing and didn’t get out of the park till about 10:40 . So needless to say, it was a rather late night…errr…early morning by the time we got home! 

 

Now our vacation is over….time to get back to reality….preparing for kindergarten!!!

 

Vacation Day 3 – Shady Maple and Sight & Sound

 

Today we went to Shady Maple and Sight & Sound with friends of ours, the Earlys. We started off the day at our house with a couple of rousing games of Dutch Blitz , then headed to Shady Maple for lunch. Of course, when you go to Shady Maple you never leave hungry!!! After we were done and had browsed through the gift shop a bit, we headed to Sight & Sound to see the production of "In the Beginning". As with all of their shows, it was GREAT!! I was pretty impressed with how well they did it….I was a little curious how it would be . We ended our night at Chick fila for a very SMALL dinner …I could only manage lemonade and waffle fries….I am STILL stuffed from lunch at Shady Maple!!!

 

Anyway, for any of you fellow fans of Sight & Sound, I bought something today that might interest you!! They have put the production of Ruth on DVD!!! So, if any of you are interested in borrowing it sometime (after I have watched it, of course!!) just let me know!! I loved Ruth and I know a lot of you saw it also!!

 

Well, it is off to bed for now….tomorrow ends our family fun week with Knoebels!!!

 

Vacation Day 2 – New York City

 

I discovered yesterday that I am NOT a city gal. Although, on Monday at Rickett’s Glen, I discovered I am not exactly a nature gal either…I tend to get the jitters when a bug or spider lands on me . However, I think I prefer bugs than some of the rude, obnoxious, loud, and selfish people of New York City! The only other time I was in the city was when I was about 1 years old….obviously, I kinda don’t remember that! I knew that there would be a lot of people and traffic, but nothing could prepare me for yesterday! We took a bus into NYC because we didn’t want to have to worry about NY traffic. The bus driver was rather experienced and knew better how to deal with it all! The first thing we did was head towards the Circle Line tour…a 3 hour boat tour around Manhattan Island. That was really neat seeing all the HUGE buildings that make up the crowded city of New York. Of course, the highlight of the tour for SOME of us was seeing Yankees Stadium.  

 

After the tour was over, we headed into the city to find places like Times Square and Broadway. I have heard so much about Broadway from movies and such, I just wanted to see what it was REALLY like. Ummmmmmm…..BIG MISTAKE!! That was a rather crowded experience….mobs and mobs of people everywhere…homeless guys trying to stop me and ask for money….taxis and other cars trying to run me over as I crossed the street…drivers yelling and cursing at each other…So yeah, the bright lights of Broadway…what fun!! I still want to see a show on Broadway one day….a decent one, of course  but I am not sure I want to brave that street ever again!! We didn’t get to go to Ground Zero, but as we took the boat tour, our tour guy pointed out where exactly they would stand. The New York skyline is still amazing, but there is definitely something missing. . I can’t imagine how horrible September 11th must have been…actually being there in the city made it feel so much closer and real. I thought yesterday that people were crazy and traffic was horrible. What was that day like?

 

So after two very long days of hiking and walking around forests and cities, we are taking an "off day". My Dad and brother are going to go golfing, Alayna is going to a friend’ s house, Mom is doing some laundry (a mother’s work is never done ) and I am finally going to work on my daycare scrapbook. It should hopefully be a nice, relaxing day!!!

 

Family Vacation Week

 

This week we are going on day trips as a family. Today, we started off the week with a hike at Rickett’s Glen. What a beautiful day it was! It wasn’t too hot and there was a nice cool breeze, which was such a blessing!! We are a little tired and achy right now, but it was definitely worth it.  

 

Today we spent the day enjoying God’s creation. Tomorrow we are making plans to go to New York City, man’s creation…..talk about complete opposites!! Can’t wait for the hustle and bustle of the big city after enjoying the quiet, peacefulness of the forest and the waterfalls today!!

 

Make sure you check out the pictures we took today! You’ll have to look quite closely at some….but, honestly, there are people posing in some of these pictures!! We just blend in with our surroundings a bit

 

A Faithful Kitchen

 

Years ago, I received the best Christmas gift ever! My very own kitchen set, complete with plastic food, plates, and oven mitts. What more can a four year-old girl ask for?! Who would have thought that, after almost 18 years of faithful service, this kitchen set would be used by the children in my very own kindergarten classroom!

 

Tonight was a special night for me as my Dad brought my faithful kitchen set into the classroom. For the past couple of years, Alayna and her friends have been benefiting from it’s faithful service. However, now they are getting to the age of enjoying to bake in a REAL kitchen . At the risk of my faithful friend standing idle and collecting dust, I decided that it would be in the best interest of my friend to be moved to a new location! It still has many years of faithful service ahead of it serving the next generation of children.   

You Never Know What a Day May Bring Forth!

 

Well, today started off pretty normal (whatever THAT may be ) My Mom, Alayna and I went to Alayna’s last horseback riding lesson this morning. After that was over, we came home and had a bite to eat. Alayna and I then got in the car and we headed to church so I could do some more organizing . Well, while we were sitting at the light at Turkey Hill and Rita’s (North 6th Street in Emmaus), suddenly we were rear-ended by the car in back of us. That impact caused me to rear-end the car in front of me . I tried slamming on the brakes after I hit them, but the brakes were dead, literally! I just coasted to the side street and turned into the curb so I could get my car to stop. Both Alayna and I are freaking out, but I am trying to remain as calm as possible so I don’t freak her out more! My head had jerked forward pretty bad when we were hit, so my neck was hurting. Alayna wasn’t sure if she had hit her head or not. Amazingly, there was a lady right on the corner who was an EMT, so she came immediately over to make sure we were both okay. The guy who hit me from behind came right over too and asked if we were both okay. Needless to say, we attracted quite a crowd . The EMT had a cell phone, so I called Mom right away. She, of course, dropped everything and came right away as soon as she called Dad at work. The police must have been right around the area because the policeman was right there in a matter of minutes, getting statements from the witnesses who saw it happen. The EMT highly suggested that we get checked right away, so they sent for an ambulance. Well, that was a new experience for both Alayna and I!! The Emmaus abulance was right up the street, so they got there pretty fast as well. They put our necks in braces just in case we had a spinal injury . We were both then strapped into stretchers and carried into the ambulance. Throughout this whole ordeal, I was so much in a fog that I felt like this was all a bad dream!! The guys in the ambulance were really nice, and they helped us relax (a little!) It wasn’t a big emergency so they just travelled at regular speed to the hospital. When we arrived at the hospital, Dad was right there as we were carried out of the ambulance. What a relief!!!! The doctors and nurses checked both of us out, and besides having a really sore neck, they couldn’t find any other injuries. We both "passed the test" as they called it. So we were soon released to go home. We were given ice packs and Motrin to help with the pain. So, needless to say, I will be hurting for the next couple of days. Right now, Alayna seems fine and she is anxious to be outside and playing with her friends, but we both have to take it easy. Once we got home, both Mom and I were on the phone with insurance companies for most of the afternoon . I had to answer a bunch of questions while being recorded….yikes! Right now there is a problem. The police officer told my mom that the witnesses said that I had hit the person in front of me and THEN the person in back of me hit me. However, I KNOW THAT ISN’T THE TRUTH!!! Both Alayna and I are POSITIVE that we were hit from behind first and then that caused us to hit the car in front of us. So, hopefully, this all gets cleared up and doesn’t cause a big problem. My Dad had AAA come and tow the car away. I am hoping I can go see it so I can take pictures, but my Dad says that both the front and back ends are pretty "smooshed." So, I am pretty sure that this is the end of my car . It is a pretty old car, but it has been a faithful friend (for the most part….there was that other time…..) Anyway, I think I will soon be on the market for a new vehicle. That is, if I am ever brave enough to drive again after this experience!  

 

Well, I better go and put some ice on my neck again ! This is NOT the way I imagined my day turning out. Yet, as I said in the title….You never know what a day may bring forth! Thank You, Lord, for protecting Alayna and me today!