7 Years Ago

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Maia's First day of School

Caden and the Cicada

What's your favorite color?

Maia to Caden: “What’s your favorite color?”
Caden: “lollipops”
Mais: “No Caden, your favorite color.”
Caden: “Girls”
Maia: “Caden, like blue or gray…”
Caden: “Um… Cookies.”

First Day

Just wanted to share some pictures from Maia's first Day of Kindergarten! She really was excited but we could tell she also was a bit nervous. The parents were invited to come to the kids' classrooms after the morning meeting in the gym to observe for a few minutes. Maia's review of the first day was not as positive as I had expected. She said, "it was just too much. . .I didn't know what to do. . .I didn't know where to go." Things really were organized, but it is simply a whole new experience for Maia and I guess I forgot just how overwhelming it could be for the first couple days. She is going just 1/2 days, so when I picked her up I had my camera ready to take a little video with her telling us about her day, but um, I didn't even get the camera out because she clearly was not in the frame of mind for an "interview." We talked about her day off and on throughout the remainder of the afternoon and evening and it became evident that she was simply feeling overwhelmed by everything. By the time I tucked her in for bed, she seemed more encouraged and said, "tomorrow will be a better day Mommy." My heart could have melted when she said that. Anyway, we are really excited for Maia to be part of this school and their philosophy of learning. She will get to help take care of the school chickens, work in the school garden, and do art in their awesome art room. Oh and did I mention that the school provides a free breakfast for each child who wants it every morning in the classroom. Free. . .for every child. This amazed me. I'm sure there will be more school posts to come in the future, but for now, here are Day 1's pictures!

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Peach and Blackberry Picking

Last week we braved the heat and made the trek to Eckert Farms in Belleville, IL to pick peaches and blackberries. On the day we went, Eckert Farms allowed each child to pick a bag of peaches for FREE! We didn't hang out in the orchards or blackerry fields too long because it was really, really hot, but the kids enjoyed the picking and we all have been enjoying eating fresh peaches that taste almost like candy.

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The Wheels On The Bus

What was once just a fun toddler song is now a reality in the Seilback house. Today, Maia climbed aboard a BIG yellow school bus for the very first time. She actually starts Kindergarden on August 16th, but today was a "practice bus run" for the Kindergardeners. I'm so grateful that her little friend "J" who lives just a few doors down is also riding the bus and is in the very same class as Maia, so they took this maiden voyage together. While waiting at the stop, Maia said to "J", "let's sit together on the bus," and then when the bus pulled up, it appeared like Maia had a death grip on "J's" wrist and was not about to let go. The ride got great reviews from Maia and the driver "Miss Kathy" was so welcoming that this Mom is feeling a little more at ease about sending her daughter off each morning.

What's in the bucket?

. . .why the salamandars, of course, that Maia caught and were just begging for a scooter ride!

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