Category: School

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Activities Cole Mothering Parenting Ryan School

Pre-School Graduation

Ryan graduated from pre-school today, and it was a big milestone for him.  He has been excited about graduation all week. 

His school had four classes with graduating kids.  This was my first time at a school performance, and it was such a treat.  Each class got to sing a song with props and costumes.  It was like a little comedy show.  One girl was so happy to have spotted her family from the stage, she spent the entire time on the stage with the biggest smile on her face, waving as hard as she could to her family.

During one of the performances, each child in that class, got to go up to the microphone and sing what animal they were dressed as.  They were all so quiet, and would barely whisper into the microphone- but not the boy who was the lion.  He got up to the microphone and roared- not once but a few times.  

After the kids had received their dipolmas (yes, they handed out diplomas to all the kids), two boys were singing a song, “Kindergarten, Here We Come.”  It was supposed to be a duet, but one of the boys must have watched American Idol last night, because it was all about him.  He grabbed the microphone stand in his hand, away from the other boy, and sang as loud as we could, “Kindergarten, here we come,” over and over. He had a great voice too.  Finally, the teacher asked him to let the other boy sing, and he had the saddest look on his face, as he handed the microphone stand back to the other boy.  

The funniest thing that happened, in my opinion, was after the third class walked across the stage, an hour had already passed.  Cole was being so good, but he was getting tired, and he had been promised cake, afterwards.  He heard the teacher say the class had graduated.  Everyone clapped, and the gym grew quiet as we were waiting for the last class.  That moment Cole announced, loudly, “Okay, it’s over.  Where is the cake?”  So many people around us laughed and it was just precious. 

As I watched my little boy, who isn’t so little anymore, sing with his class and walk across the stage for his diploma, my eyes filled with tears.  This isn’t the same little guy I was just holding as a baby is it?  Wasn’t he just learning how to walk, and when did he grow up so fast, to be walking across a big stage all by himself for his diploma he could wave? 

As Ryan’s picture showed up in a slide show, I realized this was my baby, and he always will be my baby.  Ryan doesn’t need me the same way as he did when he was a baby, but he needs me in different ways now.

As they played an incredibly sad country song to go along with the slide show, when he spotted me from the stage, and smiled at me, I knew that even though we have reached this milestone in Ryan’s life, they are endless.  There will also be another milestone to look forward too, and I am so lucky to be able to share these moments with my now kindergartner. 

Congratulations on your first school graduation, Ryan. I am so proud of you, and I love you.  

P.S. I found out the song they played is called Universe from Mark Wills, if you want to listen to a sad country song.  🙂  Who doesn’t love that?

Now for the pictures: 

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Walking down the aisle to the stage to get his diploma

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Checking out the diploma

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The Graduate

         015c   The proud Mommy

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With the cake-loving little brother, Cole

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Cole Mothering Ryan School

Where Has the Time Gone?

Last week, I dropped off Ryan’s kindergarten registration packet at the school he will be attending.  It seemed surreal that in five months, my baby boy will be in kindergarten.  When did he get that big?  Where has the time gone? 

I was talking to one of my friends, Melissa, whose son will also be starting kindergarten in August, and we were discussing how fast the time is going- much more so now, than even when they were babies.  We were kidding that pretty soon our sons will be graduating from high school.  I said then we will be look back and asking, didn’t it just seem like they were starting kindergarten?

Thinking about Ryan growing older, used to make me very sad.  I wanted to keep him little forever.  Sometimes I still do.  There is nothing in the world that compares to cuddling your sweet, innocent, baby, and holding that life in your arms close to you- knowing that your baby is completely, and purely yours.  I had so many moments like that with both Ryan and Cole, that I never wanted to end.  I would still be holding them close to me if I could.  Those baby days seem so long ago, and yet the memories of them are never distant in my mind.  There is a saying regarding children, ‘the days are long, but the years are short,’  which I find very accurate. 

I can’t keep my children babies forever, and they will start kindergarten, middle school, high school, college- and life, despite my wanting to still be sitting with them in a glider, holding them close, and rocking them to sleep.  But as I see the little boy that Ryan has grown into, I can’t help but be happy he isn’t a baby anymore.  Both boys are full of life, laughter, and energy- so much energy.  They are growing into the people they are to become. 

At night, Ryan hugs me goodnight, and doesn’t let go, even when I start to pull away, and  Cole asks me to hold his hand, as he falls asleep.   Despite the oldest boy starting kindergarten in a few short months, my heart fills with so much love for them, and I know that I still have my babies- the only thing that has changed is their size, and that is just as it should be.

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Activities Mothering Parenting Ryan School Work

Ryan’s Concert

Ryan woke up today with a sore throat.  He said he did not want to go to his concert, but I figured he would change his mind as he got up and moving. 

When we arrived at Grandma’s house, he still was saying he did not want to go the concert; his throat hurt.  Grandma hugged him and told him she knew he would feel better soon.  I love seeing Grandma and Ryan interact.  I know Ryan loves me, but he adores his grandmother.  I had to get going to work, and I figured if anyone could make him feel better, Grandma could. 

Yesterday when I picked Ryan up from school, one of his teachers told me the kids were going to have costumes- I sighed.   Then she said they were going to have penguin costumes (their song was about penguins)- I wailed, “Penguin costumes- how cute.”   But I  did not say what  I was thinking, “I’m not going to be there.”  But the teacher did tell me they usually always record the concerts, and they would burn a DVD for me. 

I had a hard time trying not to think of Ryan all morning, especially when the time of the concert rolled around.  I hoped his throat was feeling better and he was singing his heart out as a little penguin.

When I arrived to pick the boys up after work, Ryan’s grandma told me how cute the concert was. She said the school did a really great job.  She said Ryan was also a snowflake, and at the end of the program they had a slide show with all the kids pictures, and of course there was a picture of Ryan.  I asked Ryan how it went, and the first thing he said to me was,

“You should have been there Mom.”

He didn’t say it sad or mad- just matter-of-fact.  Then he told me he was a penguin and got to stand behind a big curtain, and when they opened the curtain, it was time to sing.  He also said Grandma gave him some hot chocolate before the concert to help his throat.  Then they went out to lunch afterwards.

I am so glad and so fortunate that Ryan has such loving Grandparents that made sure he was able to participate today, even though his parents couldn’t work it out. Cole knows the song Ryan was singing, and he sung it for me when I got home.  I think they all had a nice time.  Grandma even brought me home a program so I can see my little penguin’s name in print-twice.

As we were driving home, Ryan told me again that I should have been there, and they showed his picture up on a big screen after he was done singing.  I told him in my most happy, non-guilty voice, that I was so sorry I missed him today, but when school starts again, we will have the concert on a DVD, and we can watch a movie of him on TV.  He was excited about seeing himself on TV.  He asked if I would be able to see him behind the curtain too.  🙂

I just hope someone actually recorded the concert-that will be one movie I will watch over and over again.

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Me Mothering Parenting Ryan School Work

Working Mama Guilt

Ryan will be five in a few weeks, and when he was born, I had a full-time job.  I took 3 months of maternity leave when he was born, and returned to work part-time for a few months, to ease back into work.  Before I returned full-time, the company I was working at was sold, and my job was eliminated.  We were in a position where I didn’t have to work, so I decided to become a full-time stay-at-home-mom.  I loved it. 

When my second son, Cole, was 18-months old, I was offered a very part-time job, working one and a half days a week, that would allow me to keep my professional skills current, but still allow me to be with boys, most of the time.   Ryan and Cole’s grandparents graciously offered to watch the boys one day while I work, and we found a great child care provider who watches them on the other day.

I have been at my job for fifteen months, and I haven’t missed anything that I felt guilty about in my boys’ lives.  But that is going to change this week.  Ryan’s preschool is having a winter concert later this week. The kids have been practicing their songs for a few weeks now.  I hear Ryan practicing his song, and humming the tune.  He sounds so cute singing it, and he is so excited.  The school is having the concert at a local church, so it is a very big deal.

Except I can’t go.  The day of the concert is one of the days I work, and this week I have to be there.  Normally, I could switch my schedule around so I could attend, but I have to cover for vacations and my co-workers working off site.  I am the only one who is scheduled to be in the office, and I take that responsibility seriously.  But it is breaking my heart that I am going to miss my son’s first and probably only preschool concert.

The school is rehearsing at the church all week, and I am hoping tomorrow and on Wednesday, I’ll be able to catch some of the rehearsal to at least hear him sing a bit.  Ryan’s teacher told me someone should record the concert and they can burn it on a DVD for me, but it isn’t quite the same thing as being there in person.  Thanks to Ryan’s grandparents, he will more than likely be able to attend the concert, because Joe can’t change his schedule this week either. 

I know I shouldn’t be sad- I should be thankful I have a job, and I am, but how do you balance out the grown-up responsibilities that you must fulfill with knowing you will miss your little boy singing about seven little penguins who are cold?

This is really hard for me- I’ll take any words of wisdom you can offer.

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Activities Cole Eco-Friendly Living Parenting School

Farmer Boys

On Saturday, we went to a farm where we could pick as many vegetables as we wanted, and where there were a lot of fun things for the boys.

There was a real fire engine, and the boys had fun playing on it,  Next up were barrel rides pulled by a tractor:

Next we headed for the hayride to take us to the fields, and we spent the next three hours in the fields picking produce.  We picked corn:

  

and the boys dug for potatoes:

      

 We also got a ton of onions- red, white, and yellow onions, Indian corn, chili peppers, butternut squash, and pumpkins.  Cole was so tired from all the picking, he crashed out in my arms:

After we were back from the fields, and Cole had woken up, the boys played on the fire engine again, and Ryan went to play in the huge bouncy castle, while I took Cole and let him play on the various farm equipment:

We finally left late afternoon, as it started to get cloudy and cool.  When I asked the boys what they liked best, they said picking the vegetables.  I think it is important for kids to realize where their food comes from.

We are lucky this great farm is so close where the boys can learn about farming, see the food, participate in harvesting it, and have fun-all at the same time.