Jaggar's Fall Festival

Jaggar had a fall festival at his school on Halloween, and the parents were invited to come.  I was more than happy to do so.  It began at 10, and I had a meeting at 9, so I just walked over after that.  I remember doing these things with Sage for many of her preschool years, but this was Jaggar's first one so it was cool.  Costner got to share in the day, too.

This first pic wasn't the actual fall fest day, but they had dress up days before Halloween.  This was "farmer day."

The first stop for Jaggar's class at the fall fest was the pumpkin patch.  Jaggar immediately went to that huge pumpkin pictured, rolled it, and found a huge worm underneath.  He was SO excited about that and was more than ready to take it with him before I stopped him.  He also wanted that pumpkin, which I'm pretty sure I couldn't have even lifted.

He did sit down for a second for me to take his picture.

Jaggar and Paisley

Then Gracin wanted in on a pic.

Next stop was the gym where they had many different stations.  All Jaggar saw were the inflatables, as any boy would.  The first table was the cookie decorating table.  Icing and many different sprinkles lined the table.  Jaggar had to have very specific sprinkles for his.  I ate the cookie.  :)  Only because he didn't want it when he was done.

Candice came in with her kids, including Mia, who is just two weeks younger than Bleu.  Although, she has been blowing him away with milestones:  talking, standing, walking...weight :) for their lives thus far, we got her on one thing:  hair.  We have WAY more hair and teeth too, now that I think of it.

It was SO cute watching them check each other out.

I think she's such a cutie.

Kent with Paisley and Hadley

While they were waiting to go to the arts and crafts table, Jaggar got to jump.  He had a blast.

He got to decorate a pumpkin picture at the art table.  We wrote his name in glitter, and all he wanted to do was dump more and more glitter out.

Ms Mirian, his teacher, helping him.  He's so cute.

Look who found a container of crayons under the table and dumped them out.

Nichole put Cosnter into the jumpy too.

My boy and me

Kisha painting Jaggar's face at the face painting table.  He chose a pumpkin.

Finished product

His favorite:  the big slide.  He said he was on "the boys' side." 

Then we got to eat lunch with them in the classroom.  This boy ate anyone and everyone's unfinished food.  As usual, he was the first and last one eating.  Pizza, fruit, chips:  he ate it all.  Look at him sitting there like a big boy.

At the very end, Jaggar got to go back out to the pumpkin patch and choose a small pumpkin.  Of course, he wanted that huge one, but we settled for this.

Baby Bleu checking it out.

We had a wonderful day with Jaggar, and he's still talking about this day. He wants to do it again.

Jaggar's First Day of Preschool

I'm so behind on this!  Something worth noting in a major way happened:  my little J started preschool.  Can you believe it?  I've said before that I don't regret at ALL keeping him with me his entire life thus far...but kindergarten looms ahead, and I just thought it was unfair to send him straight to that having never done any type of structured school away from me.  Key phrasing being "away from me."  So I'd thought about doing the same place Sage went, and I even had the paper work from there. It was 3 days a week, 3 hours a day.  It gave me no time to get anything done, but I was pleased with that place with Sage, but the issue was that their K-4 was full, and he would be in K-3.  Even though I'm sure it would've been fine...it wasn't EXACTLY what I wanted.  A few weeks later, I got a phone call from Nichole saying that our church was opening up a 2 day a week "Mom's Day Out," but it was going to have curriculum.  They'd do their alphabet, numbers, colors, writing, Christmas program, and she was going to be the teacher through Christmas (until she has another baby). My issue was that all K-4 programs aside from St Mark, where I was going to send him, were 5 days a week, 5 hours a day.  Can we say overkill?  But I also didn't want to just send him to a 2 day daycare.  I wanted him to learn.  I wanted him to have class parties and make things.  If you'd not seen Jaggar singing his alphabet, it's because he DOESN'T.  Anyway, it was the perfect solution.  I'd been talking about it to him for weeks, and he assured me that he was not going...but yes, he was.

So he actually started the day after Sage did. He goes on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9-2.  I thought he'd enjoy packing his lunch, and he did get into that...kind of.

 But then this was the next morning.  READY FOR SCHOOL.  I love this picture, by the way.  Travis went into work later because this was a big deal for our little guy.

 This is better.  Getting ready to go.  He picked out a new Monsters Inc backpack when we were in Louisville.  It lights up and everything.  My baby.

 Such a good looking boy

Here is the car ride.  It appears we're headed to a funeral based on Jaggar's mood.


While Nichole thought that being at church would be nice and familiar for him...that was not the strong point for me.  It's nice that he knows some of the kids, but he does not think this is school.  He actually told me on the 2nd day while riding in the car there, "Um...just so you know, that is NOT school.  It is church.  ALL'S I do is go to church EVERYDAY!"  Needless to say, I was rolling. 

 Look how THRILLED he is.  Hahaha!  He actually did great once we left.  Not to discredit Paisley, but she is all smiles because her mom is teaching the class lol.

 Sweet boy. I told him that when I came to pick him up that I'd take him out for ice cream for his first day of school. 

 When Travis and I left, we stopped and ate breakfast at....Shoney's.  I've come SUCH a long way.  There used to be no WAY I'd have eaten at HALF of the places I've graced lately.  Travis really can't believe it.  I used to be the most difficult person in the world to choose a restaurant with and now I'm like whatever.  And this boy LOVED eggs.  My other kids had NOTHING but baby food until they were like 2, but Costner Bleu is eating off of our plates.  I still try baby food, but he hates it and he has from the get go.  Sooo, if he's not choking, why not?

That afternoon, I had one happy boy.  And you know what they told me?  The kid who won't count, won't say his ABCs, colors, ANYTHING, was the first in the class to shout out the letter A when it was shown AND to write it.  Like he knew how.  Yes.  So I was shocked and excited, so when I showed him the letter A from one of the papers he did, I said, "Jaggar, what letter is this?"  "R!" he shouts.  "P!"  Little rat.  Yep.

 Some of the work he did on his first day.  He was SO proud of his papers.  He ran upstairs and put them under his bed so "no one would mess them up."

 

 Sweet boy after a long day.  So even though he tries to make me think otherwise, I am pleased with the decision we made to send him here, and I know it will be good for him.  (I'm told the second I leave, he starts playing.)  And I still get to spend most of my days with him during the week while the option is still available.  Love my boy.