Mommy's Day

Last week I had the privilege of attending 'Mommy's Day' in Jayden's classroom. She got to cozy-up on my lap for circle time while Mrs. Sylvester read a story about love, and then she joined her friends to perform a song.
Then together we made a flowery bookmark; she designed, I glued. Next we shared a delicious coffee and strawberry snack. Then the students gave us a tour of the classroom and their recent masterpieces. This is Jayden's 'portrait' of me. She designed me with "red and black hair" because, well, at the time I had red and black hair -- sounds so punk rock. And I was the only 'mom portrait' to be wearing pants (all the others had adorable dresses/skirts) because, well, I wear jeans everyday of my life. My daughter knows me what can I say. In a couple of weeks Jayden will have her last day of school and then summer begins. She has flourished at Bethany Christian and we are thrilled to be able to send both her and Zachary in the Fall!

Daddy's Day

When the calendar turned to March, Jayden and her preschool pals began prep for a very special day in their classroom.

DADDY'S DAY!
An hour for Dads to join in snack time, play time, and a special project with their child.

They created invitations, decorated gift bags, and decoupaged a treasure jar adorned with their footprint and a special poem for Dads to stash golf balls or spare change. Here is a peek into the precious time that Marty shared with Jayden.

Christmas Performance

Yesterday we attended Jayden's preschool Christmas performance. She and her classmates donned apparel from the Creche scene -- she was a glittery Wiseman.

The songs were short and sweet and rich with Biblical truths. I particularly enjoyed listening to Jayden practice around the house a song about the meaning of a candy cane.

"J is for Jesus and I do believe.

Red is for His blood He shed for me.

White is for holiness and setting people free.

The staff is for the Shepherds.

I'll follow as He leads."

Afterwards we sat outside on the grass and had an impromptu picnic of Starbucks snacks .

Crafty-ness

Every day Jayden asks me if she can do an art project. I
love her creativity
and want it to flourish in our home,

But
(and it's a big, neurotic, selfish but)

I often say "no" simply because
I don't want the mess
that follows a 4 year old and a box of Crayolas.

Lately, however, I've been letting the perfectionist in me yield to the reality of my God-ordained calling.

I'm the mother of 3 small children.

And this means my home will be filled with clutter, dirty clothes, grimy fingerprints and the like.

After all, shouldn't childhood be messy, muddy, noisy fun?

So now many morning or after-nap hours are spent with paints, gluesticks, rolls of tape, and fancy scissors.

Cleaning can wait.

This month we've been able to make things with a purpose.

The 1st was a birthday card for 1 of Jayden's preschool teachers.

She chose watercolors and glitter as the medium.

And carefully fashioned a stack of artful masterpieces, and then selected her favorite

which she described as "The
cross where Jesus died. To remind us."

Our 2^nd project was a Thanksgiving-themed craft .

We had a friend gather pine-cones from her yard so we could turn them into turkeys.

They will be the place-cards at our family feast.

Fall fieldtrip

Jayden attends a fabulous school in Thousand Oaks called Bethany Christian.

The entire staff is dedicated to serving the Lord, instructing the students with a challenging liberal arts education (from Spanish to Science), equipping them with a Biblical worldview, AND creating a super duper fun educational experience.

During the month of October Jayden's class focused on the character trait of faithfulness
and the concept that God is always with me.

Their memory verse was Joshua 1:9 which Jayden had learned at home back in August of 2008.

The highlight of the month was an all-preschool visit to Underwood Family Farms.

First the kiddos hopped and leaped atop bales of hay.

Then the "Older 3s" gathered for a Class Photo with Mrs. Houston and Mrs. Sylvester.

Next was a Pumpkin Tutorial under the big tent, followed by a Tractor Ride through the fields.

Zach's 1st Day of Preschool

We've anticipated this special day for months and it finally came!

Jayden is thrilled beyond description to have her brother join her at school. They are in different classrooms, but join each other for the outdoor playtime.

Tuesday was a particularly fun day to start because it was "Pajama Day", and that meant doughnuts at snack time!!Oliver chose to sleep through the morning excitement which surprised me as he typically despises the car seat. He's a ravenous lil' eater and is working on gettin' some yummy chubby rolls.