Best email I might ever have gotten!

Today, Lester and I got this email from Miss Michelle, Clair's teacher:

Clair had a great day!!!!

Inbox

Michelle C.

Hi Tanika and Lester,

 

I hope you both had a wonderful Monday.  I am just writing you to let you know how proud of Clair I am.  She is doing awesome and is so smart.  I just wanted you to know that. 

 

She did great with pick up too.  Clair is rocking it!  Clair's family tree came out awesome too.  Thank you so much for the pictures.  I will be hanging them up soon.  Teddy Bear Day tomorrow:-)

 

God Bless and Have a Wonderful Evening! 

 

Miss Michelle

 

 

Yes!!  Our little Clair totally ROCKS it!

Best email ever!

Photos from first day of 3s class!

Unlike last year when I could barely get any information out of their teacher, Miss Michelle has already sent out an introductory email, letting us know what to expect this year and what the kids will be learning. In addition to being organized and clear, it was also full of exclamation points and smiley faces! My kind of pre-school teacher!

Also, she sent photos!! I think I love her!

Cary, Dean and Miss Michelle!

Cary doing his absolute favorite thing: reading.

Dean, manipulating some gadget. Also one of his favorite things!

Miss Mandy is the aide in the classroom. Clearly, she's taken a liking to my boy. Can you blame her?

Storytime!

Snack

Snack

And more snack.

Looks like it's going to be a fun, colorful, story-and-snack-filled year! I am so excited!

Back-to-school night and other snippets

The boys start in the 3s class on Monday and last night we went to back-to-school night.

This one was much better than last year's - easy-going, warm and familiar. But I knew it would be because I know the 3s teacher and really, really like her. Miss Michelle is all the things you want a pre-school teacher to be -- and as a bonus, she is a real fixture in our neighborhood, so we see her at the Red Canoe and at community clean-ups etc.  It makes me trust her investment in this community and the kids who live in it. So I think this will be a great year for Cary and Dean!

Dean squeezes his friend Marcus.

I love the green in the boys' new school sneakers. I don't love the green it cost to buy them.

Also, lots of their friends (including Marcus) from last year came back, and -- even better -- our friends Maya and Abby will be in their class this year! Yay!

Earlier in the summer, we all got together at Koco's for dinner. The kids played and had Popsicles. Yum!

 One of the things that Miss Michelle says she will be working on with the 3-year-olds this year is "responsibility." Everyone will have rotating "jobs" in the class. That makes my heart sing, because my boys need responsibility. One REALLY needs it.

Take a look at the difference in how the boys handle their clothes when they take them off at night to get into their pajamas.

This is what Dean does when he takes off his clothes.

This is what SOMEONE ELSE does when he takes off his clothes (after being badgered to stop reading and put.on.your. pajamas. right. NOW!) Note: I'm not saying his name so as not to embarrass him in the future. See what a good Mom I am?

In other fun bits, the boys continue to crack me up with the things they say and think.

Here are a few examples:

Cary (out-of-nowhere): Mommy, if Dean was in your tummy, how could you eat?!
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Dean: Mommy, is your boss Tom?
Me: Yes.
Dean: Is he a train? Or a man?
Me: He's a man.
Dean: (looks disappointed; walks away)
{My poor son thought I got to work with Thomas the Train everyday.}
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Boys, spying Brownie Bites on the kitchen counter (leftover from a board meeting):
Dean: Mommy, can we have brownies with breakfast?!
Me: Nooooo. No brownies with breakfast.
Dean: Can we have brownies after breakfast?
Me: Noooo. No brownies after breakfast either.
Dean: Pleeeease.
Me: Nooooooo.
Cary: Pleeeeease.
Me: Noooooo.
Dean: Hey! What if I give you five bucks?!
Cary: My cousin Herb drives a brownie!!
{I cracked up at my boys "quoting" Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus. They were so cute, even using the "pigeon voice" we use when we read he book, I almost gave them a brownie. Almost.}
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Overheard from their bedroom:
Cary: Nooo, Big Bad Wolf! Why are you not being nice, Big Bad Wolf?
Dean: Ummm, because I want to come in!
Cary: OK. You can come in!
Dean: OK. Thank you!
{I love that my boys reimagined a peaceful ending to the Three Little Pigs!}
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This weekend, we're going to Dylan's 3rd birthday party (Happy birthday, Dylan!), and we'll meet our new soccer friends at a kick-off-the-season Pancake Breakfast at the school. In fact, I have to go this weekend to buy shin guards for them. Shin guards!

Get prepared for lots of soccer photos to come!