So Many to Thank!

As we prepared for Hannah’s final days of JK by preparing thank you notes and gifts, I was reminded just how many people share a part of her school day and how important each of them were in making her school days hum along.

In the morning Hannah was with her daycare provider Ange for about 20 mins. as they wait for Hannah’s bus and then went back to her after school.

I tell you, on those windy, –20oC days last winter I felt guilty (and very thankful) for Ange who was willing to wait with Hannah to make sure she was safely on her bus.

The bus took Hannah to school where Mrs. C and Miss H taught Hannah so much!

After school Hannah would go back on the bus to her final daily helper – Miss Marcia. 

Because of the difference in the time from when Ange’s kids get out of school and Hannah’s bus arrived 40 mins. later, I needed to find someone to walk Hannah from the bus drop off to Ange’s.  We met Miss Marcia in October of last year and she has been a huge help to us and I was so thankful for her!  Unfortunately Miss Marcia is moving this summer so once again I will be trying to find someone to walk Hannah to Ange’s beginning in September.  I thought I had a lead on someone but that didn’t work out.  Please pray with me that God will once again provide a person to help us out in this way.  Who knew my biggest child care challenge would be the 5 min walk home from the bus each day?

Thank you to our small daily group of friends who ensured Hannah was well cared for each and every moment from the time I dropped her off until I picked her up almost 9 hours later!  We are thankful for each of you!

Last Day of JK

How could it be that today was already Hannah’s final day of JK??!!

Wasn’t it just yesterday that Mom and I were dropping her off for her very first day of ‘big girl school?’

I hadn’t realized how much my sweetie’s face had changed over the year until I saw these pics side by side.  She lost much of her baby face and it’s really matured.  *sigh!*

Hannah had an amazing teacher this year and I cannot express how thankful I am to her for all she taught Hannah!  I had the awesome privilege of helping in Hannah’s classroom 1 morning every 3 weeks and I cherished those mornings!  I was able to see Hannah learning, growing, interacting with her classmates and teachers.  This is an opportunity few parents get and I was so thankful for it!

Mrs. C. taught Hannah and the others how to problem solve rather than solve the problems for them.  She would ask them leading questions that caused them to think about resolutions to problems.  This is a skill Hannah and her classmates will be able to use for the rest of their lives! 

Being in a classroom with 21 4-6 year olds you know things don’t always run smoothly and yet never once did I hear Mrs. C or Miss H raise their voices.  They got their points across in a calm manner that still conveyed the message required.  What a gift to have teachers who knew how to commandeer a situation in a loving, caring manner and calmly resolve a situation.  Another lesson the children learned without really knowing they were learning it!

The skill I’m most excited about Hannah learning from Mrs. C in JK is the beginnings of reading!  It is so exciting to see Hannah pick up books that I have read to her and she begins to read them to herself and then ask for help as needed!  Last week as we drove across the city she read a long book out loud and I couldn’t believe what I was hearing!  I love this new world that is opening up to Hannah and Mrs. C is responsible for starting this in her.  Thank you Sharon!!!  Hannah and I now read on a daily basis and not only has her interest grown in reading herself but she is also enjoying me reading our first chapter book to her.  We are enjoying ‘Little House in the Big Woods’ and she asks me to read it to her almost daily.

Hannah and Mrs. C – an amazing teacher who has given Hannah the foundations of learning that she will use for the rest of her life!!

Sharon, Hannah is taking on your love of books and reading and for this and many, many…many other reasons I want to say Thank You! 

Hannah was also blessed to have a great Early Childhood Educator (ECE) teacher in her class.  Miss H is a sweet teacher who enhances what Sharon teaches and shares a lot of time with the kids too.  I would often see and hear her working with the children in circle time and encouraging them to share of their experiences and also what they were learning.  The other special part of Hannah’s relationship with Miss H was that she was the one who welcomed her to the school each morning as Hannah arrived on the bus and was the one who cared for her after school until the bus arrived and then made sure she boarded it safely.  Toni, thank you for all you’ve taught and meant to Hannah this year!

Mrs. C and Miss H are an amazing team and Hannah was so blessed to have them both this year!

As I dropped Hannah off this morning I fought the tears and then as I arrived to pick her up at the end of the day they were there again.  Even though Hannah doesn’t realize it at this time, I know that today was a huge day in her little life!  A day when my baby girl went from being a JK to being a JK grad and now ready for SK!!!

I am forever thankful that at Hannah’s school they see consistency as important.  We are both super excited that not only will Hannah have Mrs. C and Miss H for her teachers again next year (Woot!  Woot!!!) but, the 10 other JK kiddos she shared the classroom with her will also be together as the SK children who will guide, share and welcome the new group of JK kiddos who will join there classroom in September!

Have a great summer Mrs. C and Miss H!  We’ll see you in September for another amazing year of learning, growing and experiencing new adventures together!!  We love both of you!

April Wrap-up

I realized that I didn’t do an April wrap-up post to capture the bits and pieces of our month so for our memory book sake I want to do that.

We started the month with a fun day out with my brother and his family at a local bowling alley.  Bowling is neat as the entire family can participate and we have a great time together!  This time the older cousins were busy but the ‘littles’ had lots of fun!

Princess Hannah and Princess Makenna.  Bowling is always better when dressed as Rapunzel!

In April Hannah also finished colouring her Pluto pillow case that she started on our cruise.  She did so well!

My niece Rebecca goes to my old high school and I went to see her in her first musical.  She did great!!  Unfortunately I didn’t get any pics as I couldn’t take any during the show but I was so proud of her!!  While we were waiting to go in to the theatre I spotted my high school grad photo from a bunch of years ago.  LOL!  Check out that big 80’s hair and yikes, teenage skin.  Ick!!

Hannah enjoys making breakfast for us and mixing various cereals together.  I think this day she felt she was feeding the neighbourhood with her bowl of cereal!  Needless to say much of it was flushed that morning.

Crocus.  First flowers of the season.

Spontaneous park play with special friends who are like family!

Waiting to see the doctor for her 4yo wellness check-up.  Can you tell she’s comfy going to the doctor?

Hannah’s first homework ever was an optional math contest she could participate in.  I was surprised at the complexity of it considering it was for Junior and Senior Kindergarten students.  She did great though!!  So excited to see my girl growing and learning!

Hannah attended her friend Charlotte’s 5th Birthday party.  Charlotte is the sweet girl in the centre of the pic with purple crown and wine dress.  Happy 5th Birthday Charlotte!

Our final April pic is Hannah hanging out with Joshua after lunch at Nana and Papa’s house one Sunday.  We thoroughly enjoy our lunches together each Sunday!

April is gone and now May is behind us too!  I’ll get May’s wrap-up post up soon.

Woot! Woot! Hannah is Reading!!!

A whole new world is opening up to my sweet girl as she has started reading over the past couple of weeks!  She’s done little bits in the past but for the very first time she can pick up books and read many of the words!  She is learning at school how to memorize sight words like: and, is, the, I, etc. but now she’s also learning how to sound out the other words and can actually read them!!!  It’s so cool to watch and listen too!!!

Little bits of this page are memorized (I think they read this book at school today and it’s one we were given at her kindergarten orientation last year) but much of it she is actually reading!

Last night after swimming lessons we stopped at the library and chose some new readers at her level.  She couldn’t wait to start reading them and I had to guide her back to the car as she was totally absorbed in one of her new books.  I love this!

My baby is reading and I’m one proud Mama!!  Way to go Hannah XiaoFen!!

A Visit to Hannah’s School

I’m guessing you’re noticing a theme here.  School, school and more school. 

I made a conscious decision to slow down our lives substantially for the first couple of weeks of school so there isn’t much else to write about right now.  Hannah and I normally live very busy and active lives but since she is suddenly going to school all day, every day, I guessed that she would need more mommy time and more down time so I slowed us down.  And I’m glad we’ve done that.  Last Friday night she had 2 long crying spells in her sleep and I’m sure they we caused by all the changes she had experienced in the previous few days combined with how tired she was.  I held her, rocked her and comforted her through them and she eventually settled both times.  In the morning she had no recollection of them which is typical.  When she was a baby she suffered with night terrors especially when we travelled, was over stimulated or tired and they still occur occasionally although thankfully not nearly so often.  This week she has done really well even with the hiccup in her bussing.  Ange is still taking her each morning and I pick her up each afternoon.  Hopefully all will be resolved by the end of the week.

Wednesday was a welcome BBQ and meet the teacher night.  I was really excited to go to Hannah’s school with her and she couldn’t wait to show me around!  Here she is in front of her cubby with her box of duck tissues and self portrait above.

We ate our lunch in the area that she waits for her bus with her Early Childhood Educator (ECE), Miss H.  Miss H works alongside her teacher Mrs. C in her classroom fulltime.  I am thankful that there are 2 fulltime staff in her class of 23 students.

After the BBQ Hannah led me to the gym where there was a hands on display of therapy animals for the kids to look at and touch.  All of these animals are used by a local organization that does therapy with children.  There was a baby kangaroo

a hedgehog

a white cockatoo

and even a baby fox!

There was also a tortoise there and suddenly the story of the tortoise and the hare made much more sense.  Give this boy space and he could move!!

I was really excited to see her classroom so that I could picture where she is each day.  She was in her glory in the kitchen area

and we built many block towers together before it was time to go home.  This one collapsed just as I snapped the picture.

Hannah is loving school and is excited to go each morning!  Details of her days are still slow in coming but over time they do.  I have been nothing but impressed by her school, her teachers, the office staff and the organization and care they have for all of their students!

An update on the bus:  Thankfully the bus situation was resolved yesterday.  It ended up being much more involved then either the principal or I realized but thankfully a solution was found and Hannah will be back on her first bus with her bus buddies on Tuesday.  I’ve enjoyed the extra time I’ve had each day when I picked her up and took her to daycare but will be happy when she’s back into her normal routine too.

Hannah is flourishing and JK is great!

It Was Only Day 5 and the Principal Called!!

Oh no! 

It was about 9:30 this morning when my desk phone rang and I looked over to see Hannah’s school name in the call display box. 

My heart began to beat…fast!

I answered to hear, ‘Hi Catherine, This is CB, principal at xxxx PS.’

My heart beat even faster!

She quickly reassured me that all was fine with Hannah at which point I think I began to breathe again.  LOL!

It seems like her bussing needs a little adjustment which is going to mean a couple of days of changing things up. 

When I originally called the school to inform them that Hannah would require a bus from Ange’s, I didn’t realize that there was more than one bus to her school from that pick-up location.  As I mentioned in my first bus post she was assigned to a different bus from her bus buddies but the driver had allowed her on his bus since I wasn’t sure which one she was to be on.  She’d been on their bus all of last week so I thought it had all been taken care of.  Ummm…no.  Unfortunately it hasn’t and the school has been advised by the bus company that until the switch is officially made that the school is required to put her on the other bus.  Since the 2 buses take 2 different routes there is no guarantee that they will arrive at the drop-off at the same time so between the principal on I we quickly worked on a Plan B for the next couple of days.

I understand rules are there for a reason and this is just a ‘glitch’ for us.  I’m still very thankful that all these rules are in place because those rules help keep my child safe and truly that’s the bottom line!

Mrs B and I chatted through my options and it quickly became evident to both of us that the easiest transition for Hannah would be for me to make arrangements with work to pick Hannah up at school for the next few days and drive her to Ange’s.  She in turn ensured that Hannah’s bus buddies knew about the change for a few days.  The other thing she did was go down and talk with Hannah herself and assure her that Mommy was going to pick her up today.

When I went to pick my sweetie up she was in the JK pen with her teacher who was diligently checking each child’s pick-up sheet to ensure the person picking them up was permitted to do so.  I saw older siblings turned away because the parents had not granted permission and honestly, I was thankful.  I am thankful that they are SO careful.   Mrs C saw me and called to Hannah and opened the gate for her to leave.  We said goodbye and were on our way. 

Hannah still wasn’t too sure about what was happening but I tried to explain that there was a little mix-up with her bus and Mommy would be picking her up for a couple of days.  I quickly noticed that the tag identifying her bus had been removed from her bag so that she was not accidentally put on the bus. 

I cannot express how thankful I am that the school is so careful with the care they take of Hannah and the other students!

I drove her to Ange’s and my little sweetie was pretty quiet.  I explained that I was taking her to Ange’s for a bit while I went back to work and then would return to get her soon.

Her little voice came from the back seat, hesitantly saying, ‘Mommy, this is a confusing day!’

I told her that I totally understood and what she needed to know was that this was just for a couple of days and soon she would be back on her old bus.  I made sure she knew that Mommy was going to be right with her through this.

The second part of the temporary change was that she was also supposed to be on the new bus in the mornings for a few days.  This wouldn’t have been as difficult as Ange would have put her on the bus and the same teacher as always would take her off but tonight Ange offered to drive her to school for me and drop her off in the pen until the change back to her original bus is finalized.  This was an AMAZING gift!!!  Thank you Ange!

I am thankful once again for Hannah’s 'go with the flow’ personality and security to know that it’s going to be okay.  She truly is amazing!!

Soon she’ll be back on her original bus with her buddies but for now Mommy is blessed to see her gal an extra few minutes each afternoon!

Hannah’s 2nd Day of JK–Adding the Bus Portion

Today we added the next part of the puzzle and after a minor bump of not knowing what bus number she was to go on, it went well.   I didn’t realize that there would be more than one bus at her stop both going to her school, but there is.  I have arranged with 2 sisters on her bus to walk her from the drop off at a school close to Ange’s  up to her house for me each afternoon.   Ange will put her on the bus each morning which is a huge blessing!  Who knew one of the biggest stresses in parenting would be the 10 minutes between when her bus arrived at the drop off location and Ange’s house?!

Mommy speaking with the bus driver ensuring she can go on his bus and finding out what I need to do to have it switched permanently.

My brave little girl walking up the steps of the bus for the first time.

First official seat on the bus. 

Once she was on board I ran to my car and quickly drove to the school.  Since I’ll normally be at work during this time I just wanted to know the routine so that I could have peace of mind while I’m there.

Hannah making her way into the school with the teacher’s responsible to get the kids from the bus to their classrooms.

From here Hannah gave me a quick kiss on her way by and then she was on her way. 

I returned to the school at the end of the day to learn that process too.  Her ECE teacher took she and the other bus students from her class to the front of the school, keeping them inside until their bus arrived.  I was happy to know this step and to know that she was being watched so carefully as this area of the school is very busy with cars, buses and many children moving about.

Once again I hopped in my car and drove up to the school near Ange’s.  The bus arrived shortly after that and Hannah came off the bus holding the hand of her bus buddy who will be walking her to Ange’s each afternoon.  She was happy and excited after her day at school and we were off.  The walk isn’t far and she did well.  I am so thankful to have found these responsible girls to help me out.

So, day 1 on the bus is behind us and all-in-all it went well.  I never took a bus to school so this is a new stress for me but it’s been a good start and I can only hope it continues to go well.

Great job Hannah!  Once again, you made Mommy proud today! 

First Day of JK!!

Today was Hannah’s first day of Junior Kindergarten (JK) and she was so excited!!  She woke up and happily called out, ‘Yay!  School today!’

I took today and tomorrow off work and it was wonderful to be able to enjoy this special day with Hannah without the pressure of going to work.  This will be something I’ll do again for sure!

Grandma came over to share this special day with Hannah too.

We headed to the school while Hannah chatted happily from her car seat and then walked confidently to the school while still holding Mommy’s hand.   (OK, this was my idea.  If she’d had her way she’d have happily skipped ahead all on her own!)Mommy on the other hand was having a tough time keeping it together.  As we walked toward the school yard and waited for her to enter the kindergarten pen, I was close to tears and was continually biting the inside of my cheek. 

Hannah?  Still happy and excited although she did admit to being a bit nervous.   Oh so understandable baby!

We made our way into the pen and met Hannah’s teacher.  We’d found out who she was early in August and since then every single person we’ve met who is familiar with her said she was a wonderful teacher and how fortunate Hannah is to have her!

By this point it had warmed up a bit so she took her jacket off.  I giggled as she walked up to her teacher and attempted to give her her jacket to hold.  Ummm…nope.  Sorry kiddo, you’re in JK and you get to care for your stuff.  She popped it on her head and it was all good!

It was now time for the kids to head inside.  She lined up with the others and this is what happened.  She rocked it!  She melted me with her, ‘I love you very much!’

And that was it.  No tears….from either of us!  I went in to the school and worked through a bit of the bus stuff for tomorrow and then mom and I went out for breakfast.  Even though I didn’t anticipate a call I’m sure I checked my phone no less than 20 times as it sat on the table beside me!

I went back to school to pick her up for lunch and could see her sweet little face looking for me through the door.

I had to laugh when I saw that she was now sporting the oh so stylish Cinderella socks with sandals!

When I picked her up she was in a great mood and shared this little dance with me.  Oh how I love her carefree, happy, love life spirit!

Hannah’s first day of JK was a huge success even though I didn’t hear a lot about it.  I know a few things but I’m confident with time more details will come out.

One really neat thing happened at the end of the day.  A ‘God moment’ for us.  As Hannah and I were watching the kids board their buses in prep for tomorrow, I began to chat with a lady whom I found out is the principal.  She asked if Hannah was born in China and we confirmed that she was.  She smiled and said, ‘My daughter is too and she just started Grade 7 today!’  Ms.  B and I even used the same agency!  What a blessing to have someone who will have a special place in her heart for my little girl and look out for her!

Tomorrow….first day on the school bus.  *gulp!!*

Congratulations my big JK girl!  Mommy is SO proud of you!!!

First School Supplies

For a couple of months now Hannah has been saying that she wants a Princess lunch box when she goes to ‘big girl school.’  Since she will be going all day, every day she will take lunch and snacks with her each day.

Saturday when we were at the mall (one of her favourite places to go!) we saw this lunch bag and immediately she knew it was the one for her!  As I was paying for it I noticed the matching back pack so picked that up at the same time.  I guessed if I waited they might not be there so was glad to pick them up when we saw them.

She was so proud and wore them out of the store…and everywhere else we went the entire day!  So grown up and yet still my baby girl!