Back-to-School for Ella

Last week was Ella's first day back at preschool. Since she has a January birthday, she misses the cut-off for Kindergarten this year. And, that's fine by me. I'm not quite ready to send her off every day. This year, she'll be going to preschool three days a week. Mrs. H is her teacher and she is quite excited about that.

I ended up taking some "First Day of School" pics on Monday, although it was technically only "Orientation Day". I did the same thing last year and thought that I would continue the tradition. Even Lucie got in on the pics. (Yes, I realize that Lucie's bangs are out of control...very "Flock of Seagulls"-esque. We ended up cutting her hair that night...so now she looks a bit more boyish, unfortunately.)

Since Monday was Orientation Day, I went with Ella for about an hour to see her classroom and meet her new teacher and classmates. We were both a little surprised to discover that Ella knows only one classmate - her best friend Vera. But, I'm sure that Ella will adjust and make new friends. Lucie came along for the ride and actually did a great job playing while Mrs. H gave us the rundown of what to expect this year.

Wednesday brought the first official day of school. Ella was a little bit of an Eeyore when she saw last year's teachers and got sad that she wouldn't be with them. And of course, she refused to smile for a true First Day of School picture. But, apparently, she had a wonderful day. Mrs. H had thoughtfully prepared special goody bags for all of the students. It made Ella feel very special. It has been a week of school already and so far, everything is going well. I think this will be a great year!

Mother's Day Tea

Yesterday was a special day for me. It was my first-ever Mother's Day Tea at Ella's preschool! Maggie, a friend's mom, graciously agreed to watch Lucie so that I could attend this special event at school with Ella. So, while Lucie happily played with her friend Fiona at Maggie's house, I got to spend some time with Ella.

When the tea began, the children performed two songs -- "Skinamarinkadink" and a "Aloha Oe" -- for our Aloha-themed tea. Well, most of the children performed the songs. Ella did not. Despite the fact that she LOVES to sing "her" songs (like "Once Upon A Dream" from Sleeping Beauty), she does not like performing songs that other people teach her. I think she is a bit of a perfectionist, and if she is at all unsure of the song, she just won't sing it. For the first song, she sat on the floor with a grumpy face. For the second song, she did stand up (with some encouragement from her teacher) and then proceeded to try and distract her friend Vera. 

After the performance, each child got to stand in front of the group as the teacher shared what the child had written about his/her mom. Mrs. van der Linden had Ella go first.  This is what Ella said about me:

My mom's name is Janel. I don't know how old she is. My mom's favorite color is pink. My mom likes to watch my videos with me on TV. Cow* are my mom's favorite foods. My mom never like to eat - nothing, she likes everything. One day she made a creation with cheese on it - it was so yummy. My mom's best friend is Joanne. When I am at school my mom goes home and does work typing on the computer. I like to go for a walk with my mom.

* Cow = tri-tip

 

After all of the children shared their papers, they served us a snack of pineapple upside-down cake, strawberries and tea. Ella was also very excited to share a handmade gift with me -- a very cute tissue-papered vase with "handprint" flowers. It was a very special day!

A big thank you to Joanne who took most of these pictures. I totally spaced and forgot my camera at home!

Father's Saturday

Yesterday was "Father's Saturday" at Ella's preschool. Basically, it's just a special hour-long time that kids and their daddies (or grandpas or uncles) can come to school and hang out. I was excited that Ella and Brett were going to get some time together. Unfortunately, Ella was in a funk of sorts...she did a shy, Eeyore-like thing the entire time. She is usually like that for the first minute or two when I drop her off in the morning. Well, I guess since Brett was there she never quite snapped out of it.

Anyway, she did come home with a paper about her Dad. Basically, she had to fill in the blanks. I thought that it was pretty funny (and accurate) so I thought that I'd share it:

My Dad

My dad's name is Brett.
He is ____ years old. His favorite color is I don't know.
He likes to watch the News on TV.
Cow are my Dad's special foods.*
He never likes to eat nothing. He likes everything.
His best friends are ______________________.
When I am at school my Dad is working at school every day. When he comes home he feels tired.
I like to play Pac-Man with my Dad.

Love, Ella

* Translation: Ella means "tri-tip" when she says "Cow".