Big, EXCITING Changes are on the Way!

It's official, Kyndall will be starting pre-school for the very first time next week!  (What??  That's not what you expected our big exciting news to be??)  =)

I had been considering putting her in some type of part-time pre-school for a while because she's been MORE than ready for several months now.  She's getting bored at home and there is only so much I can offer her in the way of stimulation and social interaction.  She is incredibly social and seems to thrive around other kids so it just doesn't seem fair to deprive her of that.  When we found out we were moving I decided to put it on hold until we got settled in Jackson.  I wouldn't exactly say we're "settled", but for some reason I just felt an urgency to start looking into programs for her.  The church that we visited last Sunday has a two day per week pre-school program that looked perfect to me!  I started researching it yesterday and had an appointment this morning to take a tour and get more information.  The director told me they only have one spot left in the "younger twos" class, so I wanted to make haste and not let any time drag by before making a decision!  I knew there was a reason for my urgency!

Matthew met me at the church and we were both very impressed with what we saw and heard.  The curriculum is all Bible based and every aspect of their learning is tied to a Biblical lesson in some way---From numbers to colors to shapes, it's all in line with the Word of God.  They even memorize a Bible verse each week and should be able to recite it with a little prompting!  They also have Spanish and Chapel time once a week in addition to their regular curriculum.  What more could I ask for??

My biggest concerns were getting her to sleep on a mat (they take a two hour nap after lunch) and figuring out how to send appropriate meals for her to eat each week. (she's SUPER picky and I usually offer her four or five things each meal before I find something she'll actually eat)  The director assured me that the napping on the mat wouldn't be a problem and that she will get the hang of it very quickly.  I hope so!  She also promised not to judge me if her lunches consist of the exact same things each week and will not deem me a bad mother for sending all of the horrible things that she likes most!

Matthew and I both left feeling very good about the decision to send her there.  I'm also excited because I'm very hopeful that Englewood Baptist is the church that we will end up calling home in a few weeks, once we've looked around a bit more.  I've always wanted our church home and our childrens' school/pre-school to be one in the same. 

Backing up a little, I have to share a funny story from yesterday.  Once I decided that we were really going to move forward with this process, I started talking about it with Kyndall.  I looked up pictures on the internet of kids sleeping on mats at school, eating lunch at tables with classmates, playing on playgrounds, sitting in circles listening to the teacher, sharing toys, etc.  I let her see these things and explained that this is what school is all about.  She got SO excited---literally jumping up and down and shouting "yeah yeah yeah!!!"  I took that as a good sign.  The next thing that came out of her mouth totally shocked me.  I have no idea where she got this connection between school and the request she was about to make, but nonetheless, it was very important to her!  It's as if a light bulb went off in that little head of hers.  Her eyes got big and she looked at me and exclaimed "Dowa bapa!"  "What??" I replied.  She shouted louder "DOWA BAPA!!!"  Then it hit me----Dora backpack!!!  She was making her request known that she wanted a Dora backpack for school!  Again, at two years old how does she even know that backpacks are for school??  And moreover, how does she already know the exact KIND she wants??  

For the remainder of the night I listened to her go on and on and onnnnnn about this very important "Dowa bapa".  I promised her that we would get one, though deep down I was a little nervous because I felt like it was one of those things that probably wouldn't be in abundance this time of year.  Had this been August, there probably would've been droves of them.  Yet, I made a promise and I planned to keep it.  Secretly, I searched Amazon and Ebay late last night, just in case a back up plan was needed!

We woke up bright and early this morning ready to go tour the school.  I took this video of Kyndall talking about her important request as well as a few other things I've been driving into her head over the past 24 hours...........

After the school tour we headed off to Target on a mission to find the Dora backpack.  I was pleasantly surprised to find quite a selection of Dora backpacks, as well as a few others that I knew would catch her eye!  It was a tough decision, but I let her make the final choice...............

Minnie Mouse won!!!  (Happy moment for this Mama, as I'm not a huge Dora fan myself and I'm really not sure when she became one for that matter!)

 

We settled for a Dora coloring book instead, as an additional treat for being so well behaved during the school tour

 

 

She seemed pleased with her choice..........

I can't believe that my itty bitty will be starting SCHOOL next week!  When I saw her put the backpack on, I got a little sad.  Where has my baby gone??

 

 

Before I know it she'll be heading off to college (minus the sippy cup, I hope!)

 

She was so thrilled with her new purchase that there was no talking her out of it while she ate her lunch. 

 

 

 In just a few days this little backpack will be coming home full of cute little art projects, a daily report card, and most likely a leftover lunch that she refused to eat!  Either way, I am SO excited and so is she!  We both need this!!!

I'm such a dork---I can't wait to take her official "first day of school" pictures next Tuesday morning!  I'll be back with a full report of how her first day went!  I'm soooo excited for my little Englewood Angel!!!