School Thanksgiving Celebrations

All of the kindergartens got together to have a little celebration/performance before the Thanksgiving holiday

 

 This table is all Samuel's class

 

 

 I think the kids were singing a song with hand movements here

 

On Samuel's side of the table is Jeremy, Yildiz, Roberto, Sier, Samuel and Chloe.  On the other side is Bernice, Max B, Silver, and Madison. 

 

 

 

 

 And here is Shira's Stone Soup celebration.

 It is really fun to do preschool this year with Shira.  We've been getting quite a bit of time for just the two of us, and I'm surprised at how it has changed and deepened our relationship.

I didn't get to make the soup this year, since I wasn't a work parent that day, which made the day kind of a different experience.  I hear that Shira was cooking away while I wasn't there.

Halloween 2012

 

 Samuel went as Sergio Romo, the Giants pitcher and Shira as a gorilla.  Bubbie really did a good job with getting those costumes.  The gorilla and Pooh and Tigger have really gotten a lot of use.

 I can't be sure Samuel was really Sergio Romo, as he changed his mind a couple of times about which player he wanted to be.  The guy who pitched the perfect game was his favorite for awhile, but it has changed a number of times.

 The kids had a fantastic time trick or treating.  We did our block and the one right behind us and called it a night.  Samuel would have kept going, given the choice.  He wasn't.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My sweet girl

No idea where these pictures were taken, or if there was a reason, but I just had to include them somewhere.  This is the sweetest girl on the planet.

First Day of Hebrew School -- Samuel

Turning 5 and starting public school brings a whole bunch of first experiences with it.  In addition to starting kindergarten and starting organized sports, Samuel also started Religious School this year.  Instead of hanging out with Torah for Tots, he has now graduated into the big kid realm of religious training.  Luckily, as you might see in the picture below, bagels and cream cheese is part and parcel of the deal.

 The first day of Hebrew School was held at Mitchell Park in Palo Palo Alto.  The kids played games, ate bagels, and started to learn each others names.  In these pictures, Samuel is sitting with the other kids in his Hebrew School class, and his teacher, Morah Leah.  His class has since added three girls to the mix, two of them twins, but he started out on this first day with all boys. 

2007 seems to have been a very boy heavy year.  Only one out of the four kindergarten classes at Samuel's school, is, in Samuel's words, "packed with girls." 

Shira's first day of preschool at MVPNS

Shira was mightily disappointed when she didn't get to go to kindergarten with Samuel, but getting to go to preschool at MVPNS made up for it.

 She loved getting her backpack ready with her water bottle, though she did wish she could put lunch in as well.  Samuel excitedly told her that "the Mommies" bring the snack, which is much better.  He also started filling her in on her need to make sure I would make pumpkin muffins when it was our turn to provide snack.

 

Holding the book The Kissing Hand so we can return it on the first day

 Walking into preschool

 

 Already got her red apple name tag on, and staking out a spot on the swings

 Guess where she spent a good portion of her first day

 

 What a smile!

First Day of Kindergarten!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We figured getting up for kindergarten would be a breeze, considering this has been a very early rising family for a very long time.  The first thing we learned this morning, is that waking up at 6:30 on a consistent basis in order to climb into bed with Mom and Dad, and then getting up and playing and eating a leisurely breakfast, is NOT the same thing as waking up at 6:30, getting out of bed, getting dressed, eating breakfast, making lunch, getting bike and helmet out and being ready to Go To School by 7:40.

I think these faces express their unhappiness at this new turn of events

They did learn to mush their tushes, pretty quickly, though 

 

 We all road to school together.  It was rather nerve wracking.  There was quite a bit of traffic, you know, because it was THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL.  Don't know why we didn't see that one coming. 

 

 Waiting in line in front of Mr. Wood's classroom.  That's Julia and Jeremy to each side of Samuel in the background.

 

 Obligatory first day of school pictures with Mom.

 

 Mr. Wood let all of the parents come in the classroom and watch him start his morning routine. 

 

 The Proud Parents.

 

 

 

 

 Already loving school.

 

And here he is at the end of his first day.  All smiles.

 

The first week went really well.  The second week, Samuel wanted to know when he could stop going every day.  But by the fourth week, he found his groove, and he has been loving school ever since.

Home Again

Morning after we got home from Minneapolis

 I love these guys so much