Christmas Celebrating at School

As I've mentioned previously, Jocelyn is in a Co-op preschool, which means I get to be involved in her school life as much as I would like to.  This week was especially fun to be a part of.  Yesterday and today there were celebrations galore!  And I didn't miss a second!

Yesterday, the kids made Fun-do, otherwise known as fondue cheese and chocolate and everything imaginable that you could dip into them.  I was surprised that Jocelyn wasn't as thrilled about the cheese, maybe because this was all new to her, but the chocolate dipped marshmallows were a big hit!

After filling their faces, somehow they managed to get some real school stuff going, but even that was fun.  How about playing "Swat the Letter" with - YES!  Real Fly Swatters!

Then it was off to make felt snowmen!

Now, today was definitely the "Icing on the....  Gingerbread Houses!"  and mountains and mountains of candy!  There are 15 kids running around on a serious sugar high right now, but it was so much fun!  First they made the frosting, then they frosted their houses, because they had to use something to glue all the candy on with!

And then they all just went crazy!  Check out the spread of candy options!

They ate their was through their decorating and then Ta-Da!  The finished project!

So school is over for the rest of the year, and visitors come tomorrow.  Our routine will be thrown off for a while.  I think we will both miss school!  Hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas!  I'm going to see if I can get away with stealing a marshmallow of Jocelyn's Gingerbread House!  :-)

How Does He Have The Time??

Santa wrote to Jocelyn again this year.  I just don't know how he has time to do that, but we love the letters we get every year.  And somehow, one of those sneaky Elves told him that Jocelyn started preschool.  He really does know everything, doesn't he?!

Every year Santa's reindeer also send Jocelyn one of their leather harness tags with bells.  What a treat!  We now have a collection of 3 -  Rudolph, Dasher, and this year - Comet!  Now Mommy needs to make sure to have the carrots on hand so the reindeer can get their treats too.  Time to hit the store!

Happy Santa Smiles to all of you too!

Catching Up - Again

Here I am again, way behind.  So much has happened since the last post, but the best way to catch up is, as always, through the pictures of our lives.

There was the photo shoot at Patapsco State Park in October.  Here is just a sample of the amazing photos our photographer took that day.











Then Halloween with Ariel the Mermaid.  Jocelyn enjoyed her school parade and party, but Trick-or-Treating was definitely the highlight!  She couldn't decide what she liked more - collecting candy or handing out candy!















There's always something fun going on at school.  I love my Co-op parent days and when any special event is going on, I make sure not to miss it.  There was the Pilgrim Field Trip, the Turkey Trot, and the Thanksgiving Friendship Fruit Salad.

Our yearly venture to the Festival of Trees and a chat with Santa - can't forget that!  This is something we always look forward to.  Each year the experience is a little different depending on what Jocelyn is interested in doing, but she always loves the carousel, the pony ride, and the train display.  This year she was especially fascinated by the gingerbread houses.  And Santa just made her giggle!

Decorating the Christmas Tree with the official job of Angel Topper.  For the last few years, we have put the tree in the front room, but we always feel like we don't get to see it much.  This year we decided to put it in the living room, and we are enjoying it so much more!

Last but certainly not least, Santa came to visit US again this year!  We were waiting anxiously to hear those Fire Engine Sirens, and when they finally came, Jocelyn couldn't get outside fast enough.  One of our favorite benefits of living in a small town.

So there you have it.  Once again we are caught up, though these photos certainly don't do justice to the wonderful experiences that Jocelyn is having at school, and the fun adventures we have often with our friends.  Jocelyn is making new friends at school and starting to look forward to play dates.  I am trying hard to figure out how to use my free time for me.  I'll let you know when, or if, I ever master that.  But though life is busy, it is full of fun.

And of course, Santa comes next week!  Hugs to all!

With a Heavy Heart

As I sit here at the computer I only have to glance to the right to see the two most important people in my life snuggling together on the sofa.  And just behind me is our decorated Christmas Tree.  Christmas is just a little more than a week away, and though I can't help but be excited for Jocelyn and how fun this year will be for her, I also have a very heavy heart tonight thinking about the tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut.

Two days ago, a monster - what else would you call him - forced his way into Sandy Hook Elementary School and killed 20 babies, ages 6-7, and 6 of their dedicated teachers.  School shootings are horrific on their own, but this one just makes my heart ache.  Twenty families will not get to celebrate Christmas or Hannakah with their little ones this year like I will.  Twenty families can't hug their little ones like I can.  Twenty families will never see or talk to their little ones again.   Twenty families can no longer tell their little ones how much they are loved.  And countless other children have had their innocence taken away by the acts of one horrible person.

Because of this, I will hug my daughter a little tighter, and love her a little harder, if that's possible, and tomorrow when I drop her off at school, I will think of those parents that did the same on Friday morning, to never see their precious babies again.

Touch a Truck

A friend of ours told us about this really fun local event.  It's called "Touch a Truck".  I had no idea what we were in store for, but what a great time we had!

There were trucks of all kinds --  fire trucks and ladder trucks, a cement truck and dump truck, garbage trucks, a car carrier, a tow truck,  and cranes.

There were lots of other things too  --  a limousine, a police car, a mail truck, military vehicles, a plow truck from the airport, and even a helicopter!

Crane

Tow Truck

The kids were allowed to climb into all of the vehicles and even pull the air horns in the big trucks.  It was one noisy place, but Jocelyn had so much fun.  The only thing we missed was it would have been nice to see more of those construction vehicles we always see working on the roadways.  But there were plenty of things we never would have thought of!

Limousine

Ladder Truck

Blowing the horn in the cement truck!

In the Helicopter

And just for kicks, guess who else was there?  The Ravens Bird!

What a great day!  I can't wait to take Jocelyn here again next year!

Beach, Bikes and Ballet

We've had a busy month and I have fallen behind, so here's a little of what's going on to catch us up!

The first weekend in October...   Yes!  October!  Jocelyn and I went with Auntie out to see Grammy at the beach.  The weather was perfect for the first two days, so we got in plenty of time on the beach, AND in the water.

Bike riding is quickly becoming a favorite activity because she does so much of it at school.  And she's getting pretty good at it!













And then, there is Ballet.  Jocelyn continues to love Ballet.  We are at a break between sessions, but she can't wait for it to start up again.

Here is Jocelyn curtsying to Ms. Lynette.  How cute!!

Stay tuned!  There's more good times coming!

Thoughts on Life and Death and Everything In Between

Despite the two previous cheery posts, there is some sadness going on in our lives.  My Step mom, Susan, has been here locally for a number of weeks, taking care of her Mom.  Her Mom, would be my Grandmother, and, as she likes to be called, she is Jocelyn's Great Mom.

Great Mom is 97 years old, and she will tell you that she has lived a full, wonderful life.  Up until recently, she  had lived by herself, taking care of herself and her home.  She was even still driving!  But a few weeks ago, Great Mom had a heart attack, and unfortunately, it has brought on a series of things that will at some point lead us to the day when she will leave us.

Jocelyn is a smart girl.  She knows something's up.

She has asked in the past about death and dying.  Pat's Dad died many years ago, before I came into his life, but Jocelyn has been curious about where he is and what Pat's life is like without his Dad.  How do you explain this to a little child?

Saturday morning, Jocelyn and I had a very difficult but touching conversation about life and death.  She started to ask me where my Mom's (Grammy) parents were, and I had to explain that they died many years ago.  She asked me where Susan's (Memere) Dad is.  I had to explain that he died many years ago.  She asked me about Memere's Mom and I explained that, that is Great Mom.  And Jocelyn started to do the math...

She asked me where my Dad's (Pepere) parents are.  I again had to explain that they also died, many years ago. WOW!  Deep conversation with a 4 year old!

Then Jocelyn, being the big hearted girl she is, ripped my heart right out of my chest and asked me "If Pepere's parents are gone, who takes care of Pepere?"  I gulped some air and explained that She and I, and Auntie and Memere all take care of Pepere.  And as if that wasn't enough, she then went on to ask "How can we take care of Pepere when he is so far away?"   At that point, I couldn't help it, she was crying, I was crying, and I just answered as best I could...  "we do whatever we can".

And after that conversation, we went to visit with Memere and Great Mom, and hugged them both tight.  We're both going to miss Great Mom one day.

Photo Fun!

A week ago, I took a digital photography class.  I have wanted to take one for years and I finally got the chance.  There was SO MUCH information to take in and I'm so afraid I won't be able to retain everything I learned.  It was a really interesting class.

While we were in class, we took a walk outside and did some practice shots.

But taking photos of flowers is quite a bit different than taking photos of a moving target!  Here's some practice shots I took of --  who else??!!

And just for good measure, here's the "J" for Jocelyn!

Back to "Work"

Not even close!

Thursday was my first Co-op Mom "work-day", and it was anything but work!  I loved every minute of it and I can't wait to go back!  Jocelyn was pretty happy to have me there as well.

Thursday's are Discovery Days.  They split the 4's class into two groups, 1/2 in the morning and 1/2 in the afternoon.  There is still 3 adults, so the ratio is very small and the kids get to work on special projects.  You saw the life size kid drawing, and after that they painted their own piggy banks and talked about money.  This past week, when I was there, the kids made their own frog puppets and put on puppet shows.  So much fun!

When us Mommies come in to be Co-op Parent, the kids get some special perks.  They get to be first in line.

And they get to check the weather for the day.

Here's the puppet show!

And of course there's time for fun!

At the end of the afternoon, they played a game trying to guess which friend was speaking, just by the sound of their voices.  I'm pretty sure I couldn't do that!!

Overall, it was a great experience for me to see what preschool is like for Jocelyn.  It is amazing how much information Ms. Judy can work into just 2 and 1/2 hours every afternoon.  Jocelyn is learning so much!  I wish I could be there every day!  I can't wait for my turn to come around again, but in the meantime, there will also be a field trip to a farm and later in the month, there will be a Halloween Party.  Can't wait for those too!