Parent-Teacher Conference 2013

This morning I had my first parent-teacher conference, ever. I gotta tell you guys... I feel incredibly blessed that Lucas is in a preschool class where he is loved, and treated like an individual. Mrs. Candace finds that perfect balance between letting the kiddos find their social sea-legs and yet, identifies where they are at emotionally as a unique and special little person.

We are so lucky!

First off, Lucas is doing spectacular. For the sake of remembering (and not boasting...) I want to write a few thoughts down here. Lucas is very strong in writing skills. This is something I'm happy to hear. Three months ago, writing was a point of frustration. This is progress, folks. I just love progress!

Secondly, Lucas' fine motor skills are off the charts (if there were a chart...) and this pleases me. This boy of ours is "all boy." He loves him some rough and tumble. In the midst of that rough and tumble, our little man is able to draw, trace and color with accuracy and legibility. A tender side? I hope so! So proud of him (can you tell!?).

Third (and probably the one that warms my heart the most)... most of Lucas' drawings have included pictures of his mama. Many of Lucas' drawings include Dad, and grandparents... but a majority of them have mom somewhere. Warms my heart, I tell ya! One drawing (hilarious) was a picture of God, laying on his bare belly in the grass (don't even try to understand it...), and then in the very tippy top of the page was a small smiley face. That smiley face was mom. What a gem! Love that kid so very much.

Lucas is still learning to navigate the social perimeters of school. That being said, every kid is learning this in preschool. We still need to work on keeping our hands to ourselves, playing rough and asking for help when needed. Lucas tends to take matters into his own hands when social situations don't go his way. Kiddo needs to learn to seek a mediator. This is probably due to the fact that he's an only child... meaning, he's never really needed a mediator until now. We'll work on it.

Mrs. Candace mentioned that Lucas is a thinker. I like this. He evaluates and she often sees him observing... and can imagine the wheels turning in his head. Though Lucas is verbally strong and very physical, he is a person who processes mentally and figures things out in his head before starting something new. I found this to be an interesting assessment, as we don't often notice these little quirks at home.

School for our little man has been such a success! I can't imagine going back to homeschooling full time. I'm incredibly proud of the person Lucas is becoming, even in this short amount of time. He's developing beautifully, in the midst of the bumps and normal hiccups of learning to be a man (as there will be many, I'm sure).

In addition, I am ever so grateful for Mrs. Candace and her ability to love each child well. I truly believe her experience as a long-time teacher and as a mother are factors that contribute to her ability to see her kids for who they are at the heart. In addition, she has the most tender and gentle heart... yet a firm spirit. Thank God for awesome teachers!

So there you have it, folks. Our kiddo is really good at school. I am proud of him and couldn't be more grateful for all the doors God has opened to ensure this would be a positive experience for all of us.

Parents, train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6

Stern Talking To

It happened today, you guys. Lucas' teacher told me he was "ornery" in class... and he had "quite the attitude."  She said that "even after a stern talk, he chose to not change his ways."

You know, I'm not surprised.

The past few months have proven to be challenging and though I'd say year four has been a VAST
improvement from year three, it's evident we have a child who naturally independent and strong-minded. Beyond the age-related behaviors, Lucas' personality has features that are both admirable, and challenging.

I have no doubt he'll grow to be an amazing man, and by no means do we expect perfection.

In the meantime, we've got to figure out more ways to teach compliance (because good-Lord child!!), respect for authority and obedience... without squelching that strong personality that will be such an asset someday.

Tomorrow is a new day. Lucas will begin his day at school by apologizing to Mrs. Candace and telling her that he will do a better job being respectful. At home we'll continue trying to be consistent... it seems we can't let up even for a minute. We'll shower our kiddo with love, firm discipline and a deep understanding of what it means to love others.

Love that little brat.

Minnetrista: Johnny Appleseed

If I am pleased with any aspect of Lucas' preschool experience thus far, it is the field trips. The educators at his school do a wonderful job with the quantity of trips and the quality of content. Lucas (and I) are being exposed to many wonderfully fun and educational aspects of Muncie through school.

This morning we visited a local area called "Minnetrista." It is the original land owned by the Ball Brothers and family (Ball Canning). This land was donated to the community and is now a rich educational center, park and natural area for native plant life.

Our visit to Minnetrista included learning about apples, how to press apples and apple cider. Apples are a large part of the Indiana culture and can be found all over the greater northern parts of the midwest. Many varieties are mixed for natural apple cider and the best cider in town can be found right here at our own Minnetrista Orchard Shop.

Yum.

This morning was just another fun morning with Lucas friends and teachers (and parents). Thursday we head to the local library and once again, we are fortunate to be exposed to all the fun points of Muncie.

Industrial cider press.

Lucas grinding an apple for the press.

Johnny Appleseed telling his story.

Examining apples in the orchard.

Preschool Follow-Up

I need to post a few things about preschool, so bear with me folks.

Lucas is LOVING preschool. I guess that's probably a given, but seriously you guys... he loves it. As a mother who lovingly dotes ALL her attention on one child, it brings me immense peace knowing my child is happy with this new transition.

Speaking of transition. I was thinking, "oh it's gonna be a rough week" or "he's gonna have some adjusting to do" and of course, "what am I going to do with all this free time?"

Let me tell you, there was no transition, really. We walk in, Lucas puts his backpack in his cubbie, I sign him in and he's gone. He's playing or talking to his friends. It was as if we've been doing preschool all along. The child is tired in the evenings (which makes my heart happy), but there have been no breakdowns, no emotionally charged conversations and no issues with insecurity.

Maybe he's still too young to feel insecure? I dunno.

Even better? I've found plenty to do in my own free time... and I love it. It felt weird at first, but I quickly adjusted. Trust me.

Lucas says these things about school:

• "We talk about God. He's cool. And he loves me... you too mom. And Dad." (Glad God loves Dad too)
• "Mrs. Candace tells me I can't wrestle with the other kids. I can't punch either." (So... he's THAT kid)
• "I think Macie is pretty. She smart too. And tall." (I'm glad he appreciates her intellect)
• "We eat snacks. Mostly Cheetos." (Oh great...)
• "I wish school was EVERY day!"
• "My favorite part of school is the train table." (That's not a very big surprise...)

Lucas' teacher tells me this:

• Lucas is prone to perfectionism. This is something we've always been aware of. He becomes frustrated when he cannot perform perfectly or execute a task in a way he deems "good." It takes a lot of patience at home when we color or write letters, because Lucas often says "it looks terrible! you do it, Mom." Finding that balance between honoring his perfectionist self, and teaching him to appreciate the imperfection is a challenge. In addition, I worry about labeling my child as a "perfectionist"... 
• Lucas does not like to problem-solve with his friends. He's an independent worker. Obviously, Mrs. Candace hopes to encourage group work with Lucas by the end of the year, but we can see that this may be one of the drawbacks of having an only child. That being said, our little guy will eventually grow to appreciate his peers and the talents and abilities they bring to the table in group projects. This is one of the many reasons our little kiddo is in school.
• Lucas is a thinker. Mrs. Candace has mentioned on several occasions that Lucas "misses nothing" and "is a very observant child." This warms my heart.
• Lucas plays hard. His whole heart is in his play. Anyone who knows Lucas, will probably agree with this statement. Kid goes hard.
• Lucas is a strong verbal communicator. He speaks with his friends as equals and is not afraid to ask questions. 

Anyway... it's all good and we're just so pleased to hear our little man is adjusting well to school life.

I'm going to post a few pics from the kiddos first field trip. We went to the pumpkin farm, and boy did we have a good time. It's been two days and Lucas is STILL talking about it. The littles learned all about farm animals, rode on a tractor trailer, picked out pumpkins and played, played, played! It was a great day for all of us!

Mama pig is not pictured here, but she would charge the fence and scare the kiddos when her piglets got close. That would explain Lucas' apprehensive facial expression.

Lucas told us the horse was his favorite.

Picking out pumpkins. It was terribly difficult to choose just one!

Mrs. Candace telling Lucas all about the farmland surrounding the pumpkin farm.

Lucas' classmates and teachers.

Happy Preschool Year!

This morning was Lucas' first day of preschool! He was very excited and eager to get out the door to "see his friends!" We talked all weekend about expectations and the anticipation of what school would be like.

Lucas decided school would include a lot of playing with trains, talking to friends and eating snacks. I have a hunch he won't be disappointed.

A few things about this special boy I don't want to ever forget:

• At four years old, our boy is 41 inches tall, which is roughly 3 and half feet. He weighs 35 pounds.
• Lucas' favorite album is the Tarzan album with Phil Collins... he asks to listen to it every time we are in the car. Every. Time.
• Kiddo loves mazes, puzzles and anything he can put together (Legos, blocks, trains). 
• He also LOVES stories... long books we can pick up night after night. His favorites are Frog and Toad, and any Disney story.
• Lucas' favorite foods right now include marshmallows, grapes, chicken and pancakes! Yummy.
• Lucas talks a lot about the people he loves; family and friends. His loved ones are treasures in his heart.
• Our boy loves riding his tryke and though he's started riding a bike, he still prefers his tryke.
• Playing in the dirt and collecting sticks, rocks and worms are a popular free-time activity.
• Lucas talks about God, often. Though he prefers to have another person pray with him, he will say: God give me peace. This is something Matt taught Lucas, and when I overhear our child say this to himself, my heart melts into a puddle of pathetic mother-love.
• Lucas also love to chase Mya, our cat. This is not something that melts my heart.

Our little guy is full of life. He wakes up with a light in his eyes and goes down in the evening kicking. Always full of energy, Lucas is ready to make a new friend at a moment's notice, explore something new and problem solve anything you put in front of him. We hope his enthusiasm for life and love of others is something that continues to be a vital part of who is he for always as he brings this light into school and into the lives of the people he is in constant contact with.

Happy preschool year, Lucas! We love you to the moon and back!