Graduation Walk

Shane graduated from PreSchool today! I put some nice clothes in the car and picked him up early for Subway (No "hangry" kids allowed). We ended up a little late, because Carrie demanded kilts. We had to race home and back. Shane's teacher was crying when I dropped him off. She did a great job.

I recorded the whole thing for Nana and Pop. Shane's been singing the songs all week. He was dubbed "Most Musical." I'd contest he's got the biggest lungs. 

Intro - (Shane's supposed to start off National Anthem):

Lots of little kids singing:

Lots more singing. Shane starts to get talked about at 5:04 if you want to skip:

Lots of other kids get awards (but not much Shane screen time):

Passing out diplomas:

It was probably more organized than the high school graduation. We were packed in pretty tight, so I got jostled with every round of applause. 

Makes You Think, Doesn't It?

Hmmmm....could it be related?  There's still a good chance Shane's was a fluke. Then again, I don't really want to ask which rooms or how long the bug lasts either.

Adult Decisions

Shane threw up shortly before midnight. Round two was at 3:30 AM. However, the little tyke still came bouncing into our room at 7 AM. "I'm awake!"

If the kid was sick, I expected him to at least act like it.

This left Carrie and I with decision to make. Did Shane eat something weird? Was the throw up a cough gone wrong? Was he sick? 

Should he go to school?

I would have used sick leave, but I knew two other teachers were already out. We're a small program with four full time teachers. One teacher found a sub for a half-day, and the other put it for one with no guarantee. I had to go in for at least the morning.

Carrie's work started later. We decided that we would play "hot potato." She'd take the morning, and I'd grab the afternoon. I went in and talked to my boss. She understood.

Meanwhile, Shane bounced happy-go-lucky. Carrie gave him an ibuprofen and sent him to school.

I was worried, but this is what I found after school...

...a happy bunny. Carrie had asked the teacher to keep an eye on Shane. She reported he napped an hour, ate with a normal appetite, and dyed Easter eggs. Shane showed me some of his artwork on the way out.

I guess it was a fluke? It's hard to tell these things without hindsight. Shane had more energy than me when we got home. He wanted to play our new Ticket to Ride Europe map.

Shane linked St. Petersburg to France. I wanted to nap on the couch. Shane went back to sleep better than Carrie and I combined (the nap didn't hurt either).

Looks like things worked out. Shane would have been sad to miss out on the Easter festivities. I'm not as good at remembering to do special activities and crafts for holidays as Nana was.

The Long Stretch

It's marathon time teaching again. The February-April stretch is always tough. The holidays have ended. Winter sports have ended. Snow has ended (Hopefully). The end is not close enough to inspire urgency, and the students end up restless, in a blah mood. 

We feel it, too. I come home more drained that I should be. I accidentally took a 10 minute power nap Monday. Raheem said he knocked on the door and rang the doorbell, but I didn't hear him. My phone now has an alarm in case I succumb again close to Shane's pick up time. 

I'm not worried about picking him up earlier; He's happy to play at school, as usual.

I sat around for 10 minutes while Shane enjoyed the sandbox today. We weren't in a hurry. Beautiful spring weather is here. Why not enjoy it?

Thursday Trips?

I think it's time to revive an old tradition. 

Shane willingly ate lettuce for the first time when we visited John. Today, we added "mushrooms." I did not like that idea. However, I didn't want to say 'no' when Shane was willing to expand his diet.

Imagine my relief when I found out: A)Subway has no mushrooms and B) Shane meant onions all along. He just didn't remember what they were called.

We ended up with a sandwich we were both happy with. I think the real reason Shane wanted to visit Subway was dessert, though.

We took our time to eat. Shane entertained the staff. We played 'hopscotch.'

I got dizzy when I tried to get him to do 360s.

Happy Summer Day-Care

I have to convince Shane to come home from day-care. He's quite happy there. Of course, I have to convince him to go in the morning, too. Shane's nothing if not consistent.

Fare Thee Well, Florencia!

Florencia gave Shane a parting gift. She said that he was really fond of the dalmatian and wanted him to have something to remember her by. "You have a very smart boy!"

If my parents weren't leaving we would have been happy to stay there longer.

Saturday Easter Egg Hunt

The move keeps Carrie and I occupied, but Shane is not forgotten. On Saturday, his school had an open-house Easter Egg hunt. I took him while Carrie packed.

The eggs were not all hidden when we arrived. We colored and played some in Shane's classroom while we waited.

I spotted a certain poster. I had Shane sit next to it for a picture.

Soon enough, the staff called everyone outside for the egg hunt.

It was an Egg frenzy. Kids ran, screamed, cried, and grabbed as many eggs as they could.

Shane grabbed six. He might have gotten a few more, but he had trouble putting them in his bag (which was rather Halloweenish....but that's what I had in the car!).

He happily traded them in for candy.

After the Great Hunt (or War), we did some arts and crafts.

Then it was time for Round 2.

Can you tell how excited Shane was?

Shane only walked away with two eggs this time. He zigged when he should have zagged and ran where all the eggs were already harvested.

Thankfully, Shane was happy to get any candy. We ran around and played while the trade-in line died down, so I was able to prevent him from seeing the older kids' hauls.

Shane loved the Easter Bunny. However, he had a weird way of showing it. He kept running away.

Whenever the bunny looked his way, Shane booked it. Then if the bunny turned around he tried to sneak closer in. When the bunny turned back around...., well, rinse, wash, and repeat.

Eventually, the bunny cornered Shane for a high-five!

When we left, Shane said, "I'm going to miss the Easter Bunny." He's a cute kid (if I do say so myself).

Then Shane added, "Is the Easter Bunny going to come to my house?"

Carrie and I will have to make sure there's an egg hunt in Charlottesville!

How's Shane Handling It? Daycare

I am not worried about Shane and daycare. When I showed up on Monday, he screamed and ran away. He didn't want to get near me until I told him he could stay and play.

Can you spot him in the picture?

He's in the cabinet.

When I arrived Tuesday, he took a 15 minute dump.