Valentine Love: the wedding of Q and U, preschool parties, and pajamasall around

In my first year of the preschool world, the letter I was least excited about teaching was the letter Q. I was too short-sighted.  This week we rained on Noah's ark with q-tips, made quarter rubbings, took turns being the quarterback, wore queen crowns, and made quilts.

Today, however, on this lovely day of love, we did something extra special.  What better way to celebrate Valentines day than with a wedding--the wedding between the letters Q and U.  This was an impromptu wedding; I got excited while the kids were in chapel, and I hurriedly made cutouts of bow-ties and tulips, used the letter cutting machine to make q's and u's, and craft sticks to make bouquets for the girls and a way to hold the bow-ties for the boys (who, by the way, might have even loved this activity as much as or more than the girls). We lined them up, marched them in (to the Wedding March, of course), and then I officiated the ceremony wearing a queen's crown.  They giggled as they said, "I do," and told all their parents that they got married today at school as they showed up for the party.

After our wedding, my kiddos went to recess, and I snuck over to Ansley's party. Her sweet teachers made the menu completely Ansley-friendly--crustables, pretzels, grapes, oreos, and juice. They are so sweet and thoughtful. You see she eats in the high chair instead of the little table, and this is to prevent her from any milk or yogurt spills, or goldfish/cheese crackers that could come within her reach.  Thankfully, I don't think she even notices.

Her class activity was to make a Valentine's keep sake with all of the Valentine's from her friends.  She loves glue and is constantly asking to do a "project," so she was thrilled with this, and I was excited to get to do it with her.

Meanwhile, my party moms we decorating our table for my cute class.

The kids, of course, bypassed the "growing food" and went straight for the cupcakes. That made for a nice, amped up activity time. :)

These mustaches are all the rage, and my daughter has drunk the kool-aid.

Their crafts were to decorate their valentine bags, make monkey masks, and do these cool hearts with sticks. They played pin the heart on the heart, and then passed out their Valentines. That part was chaotic but fun. Ad is sitting with her two favorite buds below, Addison A and Ivy.

After school, we came home, and the girls were shortly surprised by these pretty tulips from their daddy. We have developed a tradition of getting Olive Garden take-out (we split the Tour of Italy and salad and breadsticks) and eating in the dining room on our fine China. Then we exchange our cards and treats.

This year, we did pjs all around. Patrick and I both needed some, and the girls legs have outgrown most of their pants, so we got them gowns.  We even got Kit one to match Addison and Ansley's baby doll some pjs also.

Ansley definitely loved her treat, but nothing could compare to sweet Addison's reaction. She got emotional and told us that she had happy tears in her eyes, and thanked us for including Kit on Valentine's Day. I have never seen a little girl more excited for bath time and so giddy as she put on her new gown. I have definitely drunk the kool-aid on this American Girl Doll world.

Here are my pretty flowers from my sweet husband. He knows that tulips and Italian food are the direct routes to my heart, and I loved waking up to these this morning.

We have had the chance to go through all of our loot (I got some from kiddos too!), and I picked these two as the most creative ones of the year.  The one on the left is a little hard to read in this picture, but Hayes' Valentines said, "Happy Valentine's Day, Love Bug." Ummm, precious.  The one on the right came from my sweet kiddo Josh. It is brownie mix and a spatula, and you can read the card. Again, too cute!

Now the countdown for Spring and Spring Break begins...

In my first year of the preschool world, the letter I was least excited about teaching was the letter Q. I was too short-sighted.  This week we rained on Noah's ark with q-tips, made quarter rubbings, took turns being the quarterback, wore queen crowns, and made quilts.

Today, however, on this lovely day of love, we did something extra special.  What better way to celebrate Valentines day than with a wedding--the wedding between the letters Q and U.  This was an impromptu wedding; I got excited while the kids were in chapel, and I hurriedly made cutouts of bow-ties and tulips, used the letter cutting machine to make q's and u's, and craft sticks to make bouquets for the girls and a way to hold the bow-ties for the boys (who, by the way, might have even loved this activity as much as or more than the girls). We lined them up, marched them in (to the Wedding March, of course), and then I officiated the ceremony wearing a queen's crown.  They giggled as they said, "I do," and told all their parents that they got married today at school as they showed up for the party.

After our wedding, my kiddos went to recess, and I snuck over to Ansley's party. Her sweet teachers made the menu completely Ansley-friendly--crustables, pretzels, grapes, oreos, and juice. They are so sweet and thoughtful. You see she eats in the high chair instead of the little table, and this is to prevent her from any milk or yogurt spills, or goldfish/cheese crackers that could come within her reach.  Thankfully, I don't think she even notices.

Her class activity was to make a Valentine's keep sake with all of the Valentine's from her friends.  She loves glue and is constantly asking to do a "project," so she was thrilled with this, and I was excited to get to do it with her.

Meanwhile, my party moms we decorating our table for my cute class.

The kids, of course, bypassed the "growing food" and went straight for the cupcakes. That made for a nice, amped up activity time. :)

These mustaches are all the rage, and my daughter has drunk the kool-aid.

Their crafts were to decorate their valentine bags, make monkey masks, and do these cool hearts with sticks. They played pin the heart on the heart, and then passed out their Valentines. That part was chaotic but fun. Ad is sitting with her two favorite buds below, Addison A and Ivy.

After school, we came home, and the girls were shortly surprised by these pretty tulips from their daddy. We have developed a tradition of getting Olive Garden take-out (we split the Tour of Italy and salad and breadsticks) and eating in the dining room on our fine China. Then we exchange our cards and treats.

This year, we did pjs all around. Patrick and I both needed some, and the girls legs have outgrown most of their pants, so we got them gowns.  We even got Kit one to match Addison and Ansley's baby doll some pjs also.

Ansley definitely loved her treat, but nothing could compare to sweet Addison's reaction. She got emotional and told us that she had happy tears in her eyes, and thanked us for including Kit on Valentine's Day. I have never seen a little girl more excited for bath time and so giddy as she put on her new gown. I have definitely drunk the kool-aid on this American Girl Doll world.

Here are my pretty flowers from my sweet husband. He knows that tulips and Italian food are the direct routes to my heart, and I loved waking up to these this morning.

We have had the chance to go through all of our loot (I got some from kiddos too!), and I picked these two as the most creative ones of the year.  The one on the left is a little hard to read in this picture, but Hayes' Valentines said, "Happy Valentine's Day, Love Bug." Ummm, precious.  The one on the right came from my sweet kiddo Josh. It is brownie mix and a spatula, and you can read the card. Again, too cute!

Now the countdown for Spring and Spring Break begins...

Going on a Bear Hunt

Have I mentioned that I love Sunshine School? I cannot even begin to say how much it has been a blessing to me and my girls this year. We are so thankful to be a part of such a nurturing and creative environment--especially on days like today.

For our January event during our snowy, wintery focus, we had a pajama day for our cute kiddos... They wore pjs, and they brought their favorite teddy bears and flashlights.  Then the director hid the bears to set up for our hunt. Here are my little cuties before we left for school:

We began this morning in my class by making these bear lights, worn below by my Addy-belle.

Then we read our class this book:

And then after snack and music, we took our class on a bear hunt.  In the meantime, I came to Ansley's class for her bear hunt. They did a miniature version of what the big kids did, and she was most excited to find the Teddy Grahams around her Ansley-bear's neck.

We reenacted everything the book covers--going through the grass, the river, the mud, the snowstorm, the caves, and we chanted, "We can't go over it. We can't go under it. We'll have to go through it..."

Mrs. Mindy, our preschool director, lead us through the adventure.

And here is my cute class after we rescued our bears.

I really believe in having moments like this--moments that foster creativity, moments that celebrate the simple joys, moments where child-like hearts are contagious. Thank you Lord for these precious moments.

Have I mentioned that I love Sunshine School? I cannot even begin to say how much it has been a blessing to me and my girls this year. We are so thankful to be a part of such a nurturing and creative environment--especially on days like today.

For our January event during our snowy, wintery focus, we had a pajama day for our cute kiddos... They wore pjs, and they brought their favorite teddy bears and flashlights.  Then the director hid the bears to set up for our hunt. Here are my little cuties before we left for school:

We began this morning in my class by making these bear lights, worn below by my Addy-belle.

Then we read our class this book:

And then after snack and music, we took our class on a bear hunt.  In the meantime, I came to Ansley's class for her bear hunt. They did a miniature version of what the big kids did, and she was most excited to find the Teddy Grahams around her Ansley-bear's neck.

We reenacted everything the book covers--going through the grass, the river, the mud, the snowstorm, the caves, and we chanted, "We can't go over it. We can't go under it. We'll have to go through it..."

Mrs. Mindy, our preschool director, lead us through the adventure.

And here is my cute class after we rescued our bears.

I really believe in having moments like this--moments that foster creativity, moments that celebrate the simple joys, moments where child-like hearts are contagious. Thank you Lord for these precious moments.

Sunshine School Christmas

I have told my family and friends, and I will say it officially on here: preschool Christmas is CRAZY. I thought that I was stressed last year when I was grading 150+ essays and writing and grading exams, but this year, I inherited a project (that, as a parent, I will LOVE receiving) that required me to paint 144 hands. Not just any hands, but Santa hands, turkey hands, snowflake hands, umbrella hands, etc... I was waking up in the middle of night deliriously jabbering about missing some leprechaun hands and needing to redo some flower hands... Crazy, I tell you! I loved every minute of it though. So so thankful to be a part of Sunshine School.

Below is the picture of the handmade part of my girls' teachers' gifts. My friend Reid had a Christmas crafty Pinterest party, and I got this idea from her. I take NO credit for it. I bought 8x10 canvases, painted them tan, wrapped them in burlap and attached them first with hot glue then with a staple gun, and used sharpies to draw snowmen family. Then I used acrylic paint to fill them in and paint over my sharpie marks. I really liked them (even made one for myself since I am one of Addison's teachers--ahem), and my friends who are their sweet and nurturing teachers loved them too. Yay!

Linds and I took advantage of our friend Darby's Christmas sale, and we ordered our kids matching Christmas shirts at Honeybee Tees. We ordered up, so hopefully they can enjoy them for the next year or two. I think they are some pretty cute cousins, if I do say so myself.

Preschool party day begins with a practice for the program. My class is just adorable.

Look at those cute bellies. LOVE it!

I got to go to Ansley's class party too. They had pizza, and this is Ansley's version of Pizza-ish food. (It also gets folded and becomes quesadilla-ish food when the need arises. :))

Her class activity was decorating treat bags and delivering treats to her classmates. She brought her friends play-doh and candy canes.

These were the place settings for my class' party. My party mom rocks. She even upped her already amazing game for this one.

The kids enjoying their special lunch.

Me with my girls--one who was ready for her nap.

Here is Addison doing her party activity reindeer craft...

and here, playing Bingo.

I love this after school shot that I took in Lili's Pre-K room.

Below is a picture of the gifts that Mrs. Jennifer and I gave our kiddos. The wrapped one is a coloring book--"Lala Loopsy" for the girls and "Cars" for the boys. The unwrapped one is a book we ordered each of them from Scholastic. It is such a sweet story about finding our identity and our worth from our maker. I highly recommend it. They were unwrapped because they were delivered ON party day. How's that for cutting it close? I was so happy to have them to give my sweet kiddos.

We returned to school that evening for our Christmas Program night: here is my class sitting on our row wearing our cute Christmas pjs. You can see my mom and dad, Patrick, Ansley, and Daniel in the background too.

My class sang "Reindeer Tapping on the Rooftop" and "Reindeer Pokey."

All of the kiddos joined together at the end to sing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas."

Then we got to visit with Santa and eat Christmas cookies and cake.  Addison loved him.

Ansley did not. Oh well, you win some and you lose some. I will always love and treasure having this memory.

It was a special day and night and made me so thankful for the loving environment that my girls--and I--get to be a part of. Merry Christmas, Sunshine School!

I have been posting like crazy today, so keep reading if you want to see what we've been up to lately. :)

I have told my family and friends, and I will say it officially on here: preschool Christmas is CRAZY. I thought that I was stressed last year when I was grading 150+ essays and writing and grading exams, but this year, I inherited a project (that, as a parent, I will LOVE receiving) that required me to paint 144 hands. Not just any hands, but Santa hands, turkey hands, snowflake hands, umbrella hands, etc... I was waking up in the middle of night deliriously jabbering about missing some leprechaun hands and needing to redo some flower hands... Crazy, I tell you! I loved every minute of it though. So so thankful to be a part of Sunshine School.

Below is the picture of the handmade part of my girls' teachers' gifts. My friend Reid had a Christmas crafty Pinterest party, and I got this idea from her. I take NO credit for it. I bought 8x10 canvases, painted them tan, wrapped them in burlap and attached them first with hot glue then with a staple gun, and used sharpies to draw snowmen family. Then I used acrylic paint to fill them in and paint over my sharpie marks. I really liked them (even made one for myself since I am one of Addison's teachers--ahem), and my friends who are their sweet and nurturing teachers loved them too. Yay!

Linds and I took advantage of our friend Darby's Christmas sale, and we ordered our kids matching Christmas shirts at Honeybee Tees. We ordered up, so hopefully they can enjoy them for the next year or two. I think they are some pretty cute cousins, if I do say so myself.

Preschool party day begins with a practice for the program. My class is just adorable.

Look at those cute bellies. LOVE it!

I got to go to Ansley's class party too. They had pizza, and this is Ansley's version of Pizza-ish food. (It also gets folded and becomes quesadilla-ish food when the need arises. :))

Her class activity was decorating treat bags and delivering treats to her classmates. She brought her friends play-doh and candy canes.

These were the place settings for my class' party. My party mom rocks. She even upped her already amazing game for this one.

The kids enjoying their special lunch.

Me with my girls--one who was ready for her nap.

Here is Addison doing her party activity reindeer craft...

and here, playing Bingo.

I love this after school shot that I took in Lili's Pre-K room.

Below is a picture of the gifts that Mrs. Jennifer and I gave our kiddos. The wrapped one is a coloring book--"Lala Loopsy" for the girls and "Cars" for the boys. The unwrapped one is a book we ordered each of them from Scholastic. It is such a sweet story about finding our identity and our worth from our maker. I highly recommend it. They were unwrapped because they were delivered ON party day. How's that for cutting it close? I was so happy to have them to give my sweet kiddos.

We returned to school that evening for our Christmas Program night: here is my class sitting on our row wearing our cute Christmas pjs. You can see my mom and dad, Patrick, Ansley, and Daniel in the background too.

My class sang "Reindeer Tapping on the Rooftop" and "Reindeer Pokey."

All of the kiddos joined together at the end to sing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas."

Then we got to visit with Santa and eat Christmas cookies and cake.  Addison loved him.

Ansley did not. Oh well, you win some and you lose some. I will always love and treasure having this memory.

It was a special day and night and made me so thankful for the loving environment that my girls--and I--get to be a part of. Merry Christmas, Sunshine School!

I have been posting like crazy today, so keep reading if you want to see what we've been up to lately. :)