pre-k class concert

Little M's class had a mini concert for the holidays as their Christmas party. They sang a few songs. Little M was a little wiggly and pulled his hat down his whole face. Thankfully one of the teachers came and fixed it. On this video, you hear "Hey!" loudly. That's my boy.

it is just not a perfect fit

We are not entirely happy with the girls' preschool. They can not bring outside food unless they have a doctor's note. K and J used to be allergic to milk, but they outgrew it at 3 years old. They have also done well eating school food in their old school in Texas. In fact, they have done well in this situation that due to peer pressure or other reasons they end up eating foods they don't normally eat. That is except their current school. They come home cranky with a headache. I was told by director that they do not let kids go hungry and that they offer grilled cheese sandwich. The only unfortunate thing is that they don't eat grilled cheese sandwich. Growing up not eating cheese products, it has taken them very long to get used to the taste. They now eat pizza, and J eats mozzarella string cheese, but there are cheeses she just doesn't like. K wouldn't even try any straight cheeses.

So Daddy asked his coworker where they go to preschool so I checked it out. It's a catholic school academy which educates kids up to 8th grade. We loved it. It is a classroom set up, it is everyday, and it is actually cheaper than their current school where they go 2 full days. Amazing.

Daddy talked to director about our plans to pull the girls out in 1 week. We were told we needed to give 2 weeks notice or we'd have to pay the tuition. We paid $250 for registration, they attend the school for 3 weeks, and now we have to pay for withdrawal. Not too thrilling.

I don't like that I have to pull them out and would have to make new friends, but it is the best decision all around. The school is farther, but considering all the pluses it is not worth complaining about.

pre-k and parent-teacher conference

At 9pm Sunday night, K threw up in bed. This 8 days after J had her episode.We truly thought we escaped with only one casualty. I slept (no, I didn't really sleep) in her bedroom to help her out. Thankfully she only had a second episode but that was it.She didn't eat at all the next day, but she was perfectly normal. On Tuesday she and J went to their new preschool.

Their first day was great, except they wanted "kids their size". The pre-k is combined with the 3-4yr olds because there are not many. I think there is only one other pre-k in addition to K and J. But they did have fun. When they came home they were very happy that there was one other kid that was their size.

On the same day, Daddy and I had a conference with Big M's teacher. His teacher had great things to say about him. She said Big M has done such a great job of fitting in, and that she is amazed when she realizes that he has only been in her class for 3 weeks. Kudos to Big M for being such a super friendly, super social kid!

my little hermits

For the past week, I leave the 3 younger kids at home while I take/get Big M from the school bus stop. I leave Little M in the playpen while the girls are watching on TV. The bus stop is very close that I don't even need to leave the garage until I see the bus come around.

But today, the weather has been the warmest since we've moved here so I told them they must come out with me. Only I was met with some shocking reaction. J started crying and demanding that she be left alone in the house. K was a little less dramatic but wanted the same thing. Pretty shocking for kids who have been cooped up indoors.

We drive each other crazy, I don't get as much unpacking done, and the lack of activity is making them cranky and driving me nuts. It is time to look into a new preschool!

Firsts are always harder on the moms

We started the day bright and early at 6:30 today. A lot of firsts happened today; Big M's first day of 1st Grade, K and J's first day of Pre-K, and Little M's 1st day at Mother's Day Out.
Big M was a little apprehensive because he thinks 1st Grade will be very hard. His teacher told him that his Kindergarten teacher wouldn't have advanced him to 1st Grade if she didn't think he could do the work. But no worries. The first words out of his mouth when I picked him up was, "First grade is FUN!"
J was also worried and kept telling Daddy and I that she didn't want to be in Pre-K. But as soon as I dropped them her and K off and found that all their friends were there, they barely had time to kiss me good-bye.
Little M's day went well, too. He didn't know what was going on so he didn't even cry. When I said good-bye and snuck out, he looked out the door and stayed there by the door for a few minutes. I felt strange not having him with me this long but I restrained myself well, I think. I called to check on him 2 hrs after I dropped him off and was told that he only fussed once during diaper change. He also cried when I picked him up because he couldn't free himself from the teacher carrying him to me fast enough. His teachers love him and said he was a keeper. He ate well, was the first one to nap and did not fuss at all. 
I didn't accomplish very much being alone because of all things I could be doing, I went and bought groceries. It ate up much of my time! But I think I chose to do this unconsciously because the grocery store was only 5 minutes away from the school. It allowed me to be close by but still be productive. But I do have to plan my Mondays a lot better next time.
Overall everything went well today. I just can't believe how big my kids have gotten.

(J in orange, K in Pink.)

pre-k graduation pictures

The graduation was a big secret of the pre-k class. Everyday they rehearsed and we hear no peep about it from Big M, except that they were rehearsing. So the graduation was completely new to all the parents, which made it all the more special.

Everything about it was presented by the someone in the class, including the speech, though the director did have a short one bragging about the students' tests scores being the top in the country. *ahem*



The students read their speeches, presented on some of the things they've learned, and presented their talents in singing and dancing. Because we had no clue as to the specifics of the program, I did miss capturing on video Big M's presentation of "6+4 = 10". He went to the mic so fast, and presented his poster so fast I missed it. His voice was so big and booming everyone had a chuckle. A big and booming voice...remind you of someone? Along with his poster presentation, he was also awarded the "Next Picasso" achievement award for being such a good artist.

The students sat in the front in their red cap and gown. Daddy and I had a good chuckle at how Big M constantly fidgeted.

Of course everyone was there, including Little M. He fussed for just a little bit, so Daddy had to play "Mommy" while Mommy played photographer.

Daddy and I are very truly proud of this little man.




[slideshow]

'tonight's gonna be a good, good night..."

My little man is growing up. He had his pre-k graduation on Tuesday and it was so much fun to watch. I have a lot of videos but I have only uploaded this one so I'm going to go ahead and share it.



The class has been rehearsing for graduation for months and the whole thing was kept hush hush. I would have never known what they would be doing, except last week when this song came on the radio in the car, I heard Big M singing with it. We haven't really heard it enough to know the words, but he was singing with the song and doing hand motion. I asked how he knew it, but all he told me was that it was a secret. :)

we have a mr. smarty pants

I found an envelop in Big M's school bag containing a test result that the school had done. Big M was tested for school readiness using BSRA test. I had no idea what this test is, so I Googled it. Apparently, some schools in the U.S. (particularly NY) use this test as a measure of who gets into a Gifted program.

My little man scored in the 97th percentile. This prompted Daddy and I to look into the school districts Gifted program and what it takes to get into it for Kindergarten. I found out that there is a testing for it in the fall, and those who are accepted starts in the Gifted program in January. For Kindergarten, this means the student is pulled away from his class for 30 minutes a week. By 1st grade, the student is pulled away from his class for a total of 2 hours a week.

Our very own Mr. Smarty Pants has always been bright and we've always been told about it. But to someone who doesn't quite know how to take a compliment, I have always thought that surely he's just like other kids his age. This test is the first to make me think that, hmmm, maybe he is very smart. Daddy and I are not the kind of parents that would plan out out where the children would attend college and what kind of professionals they're going to be, but this does alert us of what kind of things we need to provide for them in order to facilitate their learning and help them become what they may want to be as adults.

We have already seen that Big M is not the kind of child who would sit in class and do the same thing over and over again. He's the kind of child who needs to be taught how to think so that he may apply what he has learned into something outside what he was just taught. He thinks outside the box. He gets from A to C by skipping B. He needs to be told "why" and not just "what". In other words, he drives us crazy most of the time. :)

The other day I explained to him what "liquid" is. And being spur of the moment, I will admit that I gave a very poor definition. I told him that liquid is something that can change shape, and in order to help him, I said that the opposite is "solid" - something that can't change shape. So then I listed things and I asked him to tell me whether they're solid or liquid. I asked him to identify a house (again, a poor choice) and he said it is a liquid because it changes shape when you wreck it. He went on to say that his poo (I swear I didn't bring this up) is also liquid because it can change shape. Yeah, let's just chuck this up to him being a smarty pants shall we?

this and that... update

Curious George has been in school for a week (3 days a week). He said it's fun, but one day while getting ready for bed he said no one plays with him. I was a bit worried, but then he went on and said, "All they do is learn about states! and nobody plays!" Aaaah. So much clearer now. For laughs, I mentioned this to his teacher and was told that they do most of their academics in the morning (after starting the day with the pledge of allegiance) and play time after that.

I finally found a doctor here in Texas, and had my first appointment there today. I ended up with a male doctor, because the female doctor wouldn't be available until later. It worked out, since this doctor was pretty nice and talked to me and answered all my questions. I really do have better luck with male doctors. He did mention something new to me. He said that since I am a Strep A carrier (after battling strep throat 4x in 5 months, though we're all hoping it's been eradicated with the 2 strong antibiotics I was put on), I will have to be put on antibiotics while preparing for the c-section. It's not a danger to the baby, unlike Strep B, but the danger is with my incision being infected because of the bacteria. The hospital is right next to the office building, and according to my new doctor, it is a great hospital with a Level III NICU. My girls were born in the hospital with only a Level I.

We also had access to the rental house today. So after driving Curious George to school, the girls and I spent a little time there looking around. The girls liked it, though they kept asking for where the tables and chairs were. :) After we picked up Curious George to school, we spent time there again for him to see it. The house is a small house (definitely too small for all of us though, but big enough for a temporary rental). It has 4 bedrooms; one bedroom for CG, one for the girls, and then master. The 4th will be used as an office/activity/computer room for the kids. There is a small breakfast area, a small kitchen, formal dining room and livingroom with fireplace. The best part is the yard...again, it's not as big as what we used to have, but it's big enough and nice and flat and fenced in. After 4 weeks in the apartment, and no outside space, we're all thankful for the yard!

Our belongings will be delivered to the rental house either on Friday or Saturday. I am hoping for it to be on Friday so that I only have the girls with me, with CG in school. Daddy works on Saturdays. You'd think it'll be easy to just tell people where to place your boxes of junk, but being that I look like I'm 12 months pregnant, it isn't easy. Plus there are little ones afoot that I have to keep from getting trampled. Then we still have to haul our stuff from the apartment to the house. We need to vacate the apartment by Monday.

Oh, and there is a matter of damage charges to the apartment. This is a corporate housing that is fully furnished. But we are responsible for any damage we do it. Thing 1 found a metal toy of CG's and started scratching the LCD flat panel TV with it. I found her doing it too late, so there are a lot of scratches. From what we've been able to search on the internet, scratches on the screen is very expensive. It would be cheaper to buy a new one. So, we are either going to be charged through our butts for it, or we pay for the amount of buying a new one. In any case, it's not going to be cheap.

The girls are now always begging to go to school with their Kuya (or as they pronouce it - "KU-LA"). If we money fell from trees, I would have no issue putting them to school, especially to have them potty trained! Potty training isn't doing well right now. They are both ready, but just refusing to use the potty. Thing 2 especially stays dry for hours, even after a nap. But even if I catch her before she pees, and sit her down on the toilet, she still refuses to use it. ARGH!

Daddy is very busy at work, but he loves it. He leaves at 6:30 in the morning everyday, and doesn't get back home until 6:30, and he works on Saturdays (though shorter hours). I'm just hoping all this hard work pays off and he can take off here and there when necessary after baby is born. Thing 2 asks everyday, at times every few minutes, "Where'd Daddy go?". I answer, "at work." She replies, "at work?". "Yes." Then 3 minutes later, she asks again. Since CG has been in school, she even adds, "Where'd Kula go?"

first day in a new pre-k

Curious Goerge's class start at 8:30. I wanted to be there by 8am today so I had to wake everyone up at 7. While it doesn't sound like a big deal, it's a little early for them. On their own, they don't start waking up until 7:15 to 7:30. So this morning, all we had time for is change clothes and take breakfast with us. We made it out at 7:40 and the GPS said we'd get there by 8. When we got to our exit, there was a police blockage. I exited off the next exit but when we got to the same street, it was closed on the other end. Great. I had to fiddle with the GPS on the go, and didn't think I did it right. By 8:20, we were circling around the school. I knew we were close, but just don't know how to get there. I called the school, but the director was no help. She only knew the way she takes everyday. Gee, thanks. Finally, I drove around and around and got there by 8:30. Our drive should be much shorter once we move to the rental house in a week.

Both of Curious George's teachers are asian. One is half Filipino and half Chinese (though mostly Filipino) and the other is Chinese, I think. They're pretty friendly. They have a field trip to the local library today, so it would be Curious George's first field trip. After chit-chatting with the teachers, we said our goodbyes. I told the boy I'd pick him up later. He asked if I would pick him up after lunch. I said no, I would be picking him up way later, after their nap and more school stuff. To that he replied, "NAP? They take naps?" Yuppers. The girls begged to stay. They find school fun. Unfortunately, we'll have to delay a bit longer for financial reasons...unless Daddy finally wins the lottery.

I forgot write an update on Curious George's liver test. I got a call from the pediatrician on Tuesday saying that his liver functions are normal. Test showed he's had mono before and that something about the test is elevated and he wants a stool sample. I was too elated about the fact that there is nothing wrong with his liver that it took a moment to sink in that I would have to collect poop. Ick. It's not as much yucky, being that I'm still changing 2 poopie butts, but how to collect it? Thanks to a couple of mamas that gave me ideas.

Daddy and I are a little stumped that we had no idea that Curious George has had mono. I Googled mono on kids and said that it's easy to miss because of the cold symptoms, but the fatigue is usually unmistakable because it takes little kids about 2-4 weeks to get over it. There were several weeks in N.C. when it didn't seem to matter that he had a nap everyday, he was still tired all the time. It could have been then. We'll never know. At least now we know. Having had mono himself, Daddy said we'd have to look out for it because once you've had mono, you never get rid of it.

A new preschool and haircut for everyone!

The first order of business for the day was to visit a preschool. I called several places, and narrowed the place to just one. We visited a Primrose school and ultimately ended up signing Curious George up. He loved the place, and based on what the teachers told me, it is exactly where he should be on his knowledge development. They have computers in the room, they are working on writing, math and reading. Everyone of which he is already working on. It's not a cheap school, but they let Curious George in for 3 full days a week. After being in schools that didn't cater to his abilities for the past year, we are more than happy to get him back in to something that will challenge him. Besides, he's off to public school this fall and then we'll only have to think about the twins in preschool.

I told Curious George he could start on Monday, but he insisted on starting immediately. Thankfully, they allowed him to start this Friday.

The girls also loved the toddler classroom. They wanted to join right in, but unfortunately, we need to offset the cost by delaying their start by a few more months.

Then we went to get a haircut for Curious George. I found a place for kids that was close by and it turned out to be an excellent place. He was super excited and before leaving the place, he already asked when he could go back. :) The good thing is, it's only about 5 miles from our rental house! (which we will be moving into next week)

He got to pick which vehicle chair he wanted to sit on, and a choice of movie to watch. I love this haircut! He looks so handsome and ready for his new school.

Then it was Thing 2's turn. She was excited to get on the police car, but shed a few tears when the woman started cutting her hair. But after a few minutes, she was happy again.

All happy!

Thing 1 was last. She protested at first. She also chose the police car and both she and Thing 2 watched Cinderella.

They only got a 2 inch trim. I really wanted their hair shorter because it's getting harder to take care of, but I mentioned to the lady that Daddy wanted them left long. So she insisted on only taking 2 inches off. They look great and it was a pleasant first hair cut for them. The woman even gave me locks of their hair. Awwww.

Then it was time to go back to the apartment after a long morning. Dallas is intimidating with all the over pass highway interchanges. Everytime I go back to the apartment, I miss a turn! Thankfully, with a GPS, I will always find my way back. But this is why, as if the actual interchange isn't crazy enough, take a look at the GPS!