Michael is attending a preschool that's about a 20 minute drive from our home. We chose this preschool because the teacher, aides, and students all use and know some signs. The teacher also speaks while she signs. He wasn't too thrilled the first week of school and cried every day (and because he is so loud and screams when he cries, it startled several other kids in the class, which led to pandemonium every morning). By the second week, he started settling in and the teacher told me that he was being his silly-self one day and got the other kids and teachers to all laugh at something silly he was doing.
He takes his shiny red walker and proudly walks to class. It's a miracle to watch everyday. He goes M-TH in the mornings. I have been focusing all my energy on getting him settled in school that I don't have many pictures so I will have to post them later.
The three oldest kids started at the same school this year. This is the 2nd year we are at this school.
Spencer started Kindergarten. He is half-day in the mornings as well and loves every minute of it. This week he was "student spotlight" and just soaked up the attention from the class. He is usually shy, reserved, and often over-looked, so the extra attention was like gold to him.
Sarah started 3rd grade and is enjoying it. It helps that we are at the same school we were last year so she has friends she knows this year. She is in advanced reading and math classes and continuing with piano lessons. Although she is very talented and driven, she burns herself out easily and so we've made a deliberate decision to keep her extra-curricular activities to a minimum. She really just prefers to snuggle up in her pj's at home and draw, read, or make elaborate play set-ups.
Whitney started 2nd grade and is doing alright but with a few bumps in the road. We aren't too happy with her math and reading placement this year. She's very bright but every year seems to slip a little further behind in school. She has a great teacher this year so we are hoping for a good year for her. She and Spencer are also continuing with their Let's Play Music class.
For about 2 hours every morning it's just me and Brooklyn. She takes a nap most mornings giving me a couple hours to myself to get some things done. I haven't had time like this in several years. It's amazing.
