When we entered the classroom we were handed a paper corsage complete with a “jewel” in the center. We moved to the tables where we received our keepsakes and completed a craft. Of course we had muffins too and then each of the children painted their mom’s hands for handprints for something I guess we will receive later. Such a fun and precious way to spend my morning and the best part was that no Room Mom duties were required!

The invitation

The craft we completed.

Always my favorite part when we receive these. A little concerned he said I have grey hair and that I find it funny he said I like to eat broccoli with cheese. I don’t think I have had broccoli with cheese on top in years! Thankfully he did not put that I like to drink wine like another child in the class put! I dodged that bullet.

Love this boy so much!!!

Every party must start with cupcakes!

I love this picture. The class anxiously waiting and watching as we hid the final eggs.

And they are off!

Chaos!

Griffin and Jake (Ironically I went to high school with his mom and my mom taught at the same elementary school as Jake’s mom)

The goods! Since Griffin goes to a “nut free” school, the eggs were filled with prizes and tootsie rolls.

Griffin and best school buddy, Chase. (His mom and I have become great friends and ironically were at Tech at the same time!)

Teacher Ms. DeLana (Who was a sorority sister of mine. Once again..small world!)

Teacher Ms. Suzanne

Love.This. Boy!!!

On the way home. A rare site to see him take a nap anymore. I love that he is wearing one of the prizes, a necklace, and holding onto the basket.

I cannot believe it is almost the end of the school year!

Several weeks ago I chaperoned Nolan’s First Grade field trip to the Sea Life Aquarium in Grapevine. Anytime I volunteer for any school event in Griffin or Nolan’s classroom I always walk away with an even great appreciation for teachers and how hard they work! I was exhausted by the end of the field trip!

Because there is such strong parent support at Nolan’s school there is never a shortage of chaperones. This means I was only responsible for three children and the teachers do not have ANY children to chaperone on the trips! A nice break for them. One of the boys in my trio Nolan had warned was trouble. I told him I appreciated the warning and was on guard. Turns out the heads up was needed!

360 Degree Aquarium

“Shark Walk” (Sharks swim underneath the glass floor)

Feeling live Starfish

Part of Nolan’s class

It was a fun field trip, but I would be lying if I said I was not a little relieved when my duties ended!

We figured out that Nolan has been FIVE times since he turned three and Griffin has already been twice and is three. Umm. Can you say privileged?

Some of our best friends joined in on the crazy fun and that made all the difference!

Let the FUN begin! Nolan, Griffin, Brady and Belle

Several hours in and we needed a little break. Courtney brought crafts for Griffin and Belle. This was probably Griffin’s favorite part of the whole trip.

The KIds Club for a little painting, coloring GWL tshirts and playing.

And of course there is an arcade!

We were all beyond ecstatic when James finally made his arrival a mere six hours after we arrived, but who was counting??

Nothing says a delicious dinner like waterpark food!

A little more crafting.

Still going at 8:00 PM.

We finally retired to our rooms at 9:00 and let the kids unwind.

Belle and Griffin are self proclaimed “boyfriend and girlfriend.” G was kissing the top of Belle’s head.

Day Two started right as the park opened. Donuts for all!

G and I went to check out of our room and took a few excursions before making our way back to the waterpark.

GWL’s version of the Build A Bear Workshop. Griffin made the racoon character, Oliver. This kid loves his stuffed animals!

And a final picture before heading home. Until next year!!

As soon as my computer clock struck 10:00 I clicked the link and much to my surprise (being a Glass is Half Empty kind of gal), the website popped right up and I could start entering my information. I typed as fast as I could. I could feel my fingers shaking. With a click of “confirm” in less than a minute I was registered “in line.”  And about 10:03 the text messages resumed. Everyone was relieved it had gone to so well. Everyone was now focused on getting our email stating our coveted number.

We had been told we would not know until Tuesday what our number was, but while in route to drop Nolan off at a birthday party I got a text from a friend telling me to check my email. Numbers were posted. She received 94 and  was happy (odds were in her favor she had a strong chance of getting the class she wanted). I had to anxiously wait several minutes before I could safely check. Number 69.  I was happy too (odds are good for me too). I instantly became curious how fast the numbers must have come in.  I was registered in less than two minutes and I was number SIXTY-NINE! Text messages began coming in again with everyone reporting their numbers.  My friends’ numbers were all over the map ranging from 55 to 103 and yet we all logged on at the same time. We determined the real competition became how fast you can type.

Fast forward to today. Before I even made it into Griffin’s school today, the main topic of discussion was no surprise. “What number did you get?”  ”How did you do?”  ”I heard Susie Q is so mad and upset with her number.”   “One mom was cleaning and forgot to register until 10:35. Can you imagine forgetting?”  You get the idea. All the way into school, while in Griffin’s classroom, and all the way back out to the car, registration was the only thing on everyone’s mind.

On the way out a friend and I bumped into the Assistant Preschool Director who was telling a circle of mommies that registration was like “trying to get tickets to a rock concert.” Within less than two minutes, over 135 people had registered for their place in line.  I am not surprised one bit!  I can spot fellow Type A’ers a mile away.

Later today we received an email from the preschool director claiming online registration was a success! She had received calls and emails singing praises of how smooth this went. And yes, I will eat my words and say it did go smooth, but IF for some reason at registration on Saturday Griffin does not get my first choice, then I will totally change my tune!  And I must add, two years ago I was number 6 in line. Last year I was 19 I believe. This year I am 69.  With my Type A personality and perfectionistic tendencies, I could say 69 was a failure, but I just will not go there. I would never hear the end of it from The Father.

When I first learned of this unspeakable change, I did not call James. Let’s face it. I knew he would be thrilled by the change. He does NOT have a Type A personality and has thought for YEARS that my stress and all the hoopla surrounding preschool registration around these parts is beyond ridiculous! Did you know I have been stressing every Spring about preschool registration since 2007! TWO THOUSAND SEVEN! I cannot imagine what life will be like when both of my children are just “in.” So after the initial rumors started circulating I did not call the Father. I called the Grandmother, because I knew my mother would get it. “Oh no!” was her response. (I can always count on her for validation).  She agreed this was not good. That control over the situation would be gone in a flash!  Camping out to ensure you get the class you want is best! AGREED! AGREED! AGREED! This is every Type A person’s worst nightmare and about three weeks ago it was confirmed. We received this in the take home folder.

Mothers huddled together outside classrooms. There was crying. (OK. Not really any crying, but a few moms probably could have. James thinks I am bad. Ha! There is worse out there!) “What was wrong with camping out to get your spot in line?” was asked by many. Yes, it was freezing cold. Yes, safety concerns. Yes, it created a little hysteria and meant a night of your life camping out for preschool, blah, blah, blah. But whatever. The first year James, on his portion of the campout, did watch a woman’s coat catch on fire from a butane heater, but really it was not that big of deal. They got the fire out before any real harm was done. People overreact sometimes (but never about preschool registration of course).

To make a long story short. There will be no more campouts. The Monday before preschool registration is held, parents are instructed to go to their computers starting at 10:00 AM and click on a link that will take them to a national website that’s sole purpose is to register names as they come in and assign numbers. A virtual waiting list so to speak. Within about 30 seconds of the new process being learned, my friends and fellow preschool mothers had identified about 100 plus reasons why this would be a royal failure.  The biggest concern? How can this website handle literally hundreds of mothers all clicking on the same link at the same time without the site crashing?  Because everyone I have talked to (remember, Type A here people) will ALL be clicking on the link at 10:00 AM precisely. The official word from the “higher ups” has been they feel confident it will work and to pray about the effectiveness. Not. reassured. at. all.

At a meeting held last Thursday by the preschool director about the new and improved (insert sarcasm) registration, she held her own as said Type A mommies fired off questions about this process. Her response at one point was “Do you think we (as in administration) want 400 plus mommies calling us and coming to the office to complain about this not working? We can assure you we want this to work as badly as you.”  One mom noted quietly that this online number registration conveniently happens on Monday when the preschool is CLOSED. That is no coincidence folks.

So, this upcoming Monday, I will be parked in front of every last computer we have in our house (three) and maybe the two iPads (I kid. Well,  maybe I kid) to be ready for fast finger clicking to get my spot along with the hundreds of other mothers who will be doing the same thing. I have verification that moms plan to enlist husbands, grandparents, and others to join in on the fun by trying to see who can get to the site first. People are taking off work, missing swim lessons. Soccer Tots (Griffin), and other scheduled activities to be ready to roll at 10:00 AM on the dot. We have been told this website can calculate order by the hundredth of a second. Unfortunately we will not even know our spot in line until Tuesday when we receive an email from the preschool revealing our coveted number.

Next Saturday we officially register at the preschool and will be called in number order obviously. If I have a high number, sadly I am not sure what will happen as far as my preference for the class days goes. There are 392 total spots in the preschool and shockingly that does not meet the demand.  There are 48 available spots for the three day a week class that is my first choice.

I got a text from one of the mom’s in Griffin’s class yesterday that said “I bet the whole thing is rigged. I bet the order has already been decided.”  See James? I am not the worst pessimist mommy out there. Up until that point, I had not even thought of that, but I will not let myself even go there. I have enough to worry about!

<SIGH>

Preschool Registration Crisis 2012 is in full effect in the Prescott household. Stay tuned (and stay away if I were you unless you have a computer and are free at 10:00 on Monday).

Craft time! Have I mentioned how much G LOVES crafting? It seriously is almost an obsession for this boy.

Once again Oriental Trading Company came through with Faith based Valentine’s Day crafts!

My sweet boy and a picture with the his friend Jake. What a difference six months makes! G looks so little next to him! And don’t you love the cookie hanging out of Griffin’s mouth?

G’s Valentine’s Day Card for James and I

Griffin is in the “Owl” Class and his teachers made the most adorable boxes for all their Valentine’s Day cards.

As soon as the party ended I raced to Nolan’s class party. We were 20 minutes late and I felt awful!! I need to clone myself.

G made himself at home.

The principal on the left. I love that she takes the time to touch base at all the parties.

Playing the game Hot Potato with a stuffed heart. Nolan made it to the finals!

After school the boys could not wait to open their goodies from us and dive into their Valentine’s cards from their classmates. I still remember how much I loved doing that as a child!

The student council at Nolan’s school hosts a fundraiser by selling “Smencil’s” (scented large pencils) for $1 a piece to purchase for friends. Nolan was so worried this morning he would not get any. He received four!

Whew! What a day! Filled with fun and of course much  love!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Before school. First picture as a SEVEN year old!

Lunch at school. Per his request I brought McDonald’s and donuts for his class.

Mimi and Papa surprised him by coming as well!

Chomping at the bit to open a present after school.

Dinner at Rainforest Cafe

Special treat of a Coke at dinner.

Being sung to by Rainforest Cafe wait staff. He had to stand on his chair and pound his chest like a gorilla.

And the best part of the day, opening presents!!!

Poor Nolan. G stole his green Puffle (from Club Penguin) as soon as Nolan opened it.

And finally ice cream cake per his request. This child does not like cake!

Happy Birthday sweet Nolan! May Year Seven be the best yet!!

Happy Birthday to my sweet little boy! I know I say this every year, but seriously, how can you be SEVEN and more importantly how can your daddy and I HAVE a seven year old? It just seems impossible.  As we watched the “Puppy Bowl” this afternoon with you and the Super Bowl tonight, it brought back so many memories of the day you were born. Did you know you were born during the Super Bowl?  That afternoon as I had contractions and was in pre-labor Daddy and I watched the Puppy Bowl in the hospital room. We had never seen it before and it was the only thing that was making us laugh and keeping us distracted from our fears about you being six weeks early. If only we had known at that time there was no need for us to worry and that you would exceed all of our expectations from the moment you were born, what a difference it would have made on February 6th, 2005 before you arrived!

Nolan, to say we are proud of you is an understatement.  You are an absolute joy and we are so lucky to call you our son. You are smart, funny, loving, a good friend, a good brother, sensitive, and conscientious. You consistenly amaze us and we love to learn from you.  Last week as we pulled up to eat dinner at a restaurant you noticed trash by the curb. While I was getting Griffin ouf of the car, you took the initiative and picked up all the trash and ran to the end of the sidewalk to throw it all away. This is just one of many examples of why Daddy and I are so proud of you! Last Spring you were picked by your classmates for the “All Star Friend” award and several weeks ago you were awarded the “Integrity” award for your class. You have no idea how proud we are for who you are becoming after only six years. Your Daddy and I often say we must be doing something right!

No doubt you are growing and maturing. Whereas your life used to revolve around playing cars, now you focus on Legos, Club Penguin, playing with friends and with your iPod Touch.  You love Cub Scouts and playing soccer and we love to see your interests evolving and changing. (Although, I would not be honest if I said it is not bitter sweet.) The sky is the limit for you and we have no doubt good things will come for you!

Thank you for being such a light in our lives. You have so many people who love you and root for you every single day. You are a joy and we are so lucky to call you ours! Our greatest wish is you continue on the same path you have chosen. You have so many things going for you and we hope you always reach for the stars!

Happy Birthday Nolan! We wish you nothing but the best this year and always! I know you are very excited to be turning seven. Although I have mixed feelings, I will celebrate this day with you because you deserve to be honored today. You are the best and we love you to the moon and back!

Love,

Mommy (and Daddy)

Take a look at his thoughts on all this.