Weekend Update Part 1

We've got so much going on this weekend that I figured I'll update twice so that the posts aren't monsterous.

The first bit of news came on Thursday when I got an email from Simple Scrapbooks Magazine saying that they are going to publish one of my layouts!! My first printed publication ever!! So be on the lookout for Digital Scrapbooking Magazine hitting the stands on January 9! You'll get to see McKenna's little face in a magazine!

I did talk to McKenna's teacher. The class is a combined class for 2 and 3 year olds. Which I originally thought would be ok because she's right at the cut-off age so last year she was one of the youngest and smallest and I thought at least this year she'll be one of the oldest and will fit right in size-wise. But I asked the teacher what types of things they'll be learning and she said that they were not going to do the ABC's because she has so many in diapers but that she would still be gearing the lessons towards 3-year olds and would teach shapes, colors and numbers.

.....Um.....

Now I don't want to be pretentious but you Mom's of 3-year olds out there, am I wrong? Don't most 3-year olds know that stuff already? I'm not trying to brag but I know McKenna knew that stuff even before her second birthday. If McKenna is already writing letters and spelling words then I was definitely concerned that what I was paying for was glorified day care instead of preschool. Not only that but in a class of 2 and 3 year olds, I was also concerned about behavior issues. I want McKenna to be with kids who are doing more imaginary play like she is, who are getting better at sharing, practicing their manners, sitting down through their meals, etc. I was concerned that by her spending the majority of her time with kids who haven't learned those things yet would cause her to go backwards in her behavior instead of progressing forward. But at the same time, I know she just loved Miss April and being in the "cat class" so I didn't want to uproot her, even if she'd only been in the class for 2 days. Besides, we were going to Hawaii and that meant she couldn't start a new class until week 3.

So I emailed the director of the program who I know at least well enough to be able to express my concerns and know she's not gonna think I'm some pretentious parent who thinks her kid is too good for everyone. I told her what I was worried about and she wrote back and said that McKenna is currently the oldest kid in her class and if she's already writing letters and spelling words then yes, we should consider putting her in a different class. She had room in Miss Carol's "dinosaur class" but if we were gonna move her, we'd have to do it asap so she could feel like she fit in.

So I talked to Erick who reminded me that we don't leave for Hawaii until well after McKenna's class gets out so she could go on Monday and just miss Wednesday. I still wasn't sure so he said "Ask McKenna what she wants."

Mommy: "McKenna, would you like to be in the dinosaur class or the cat class?"
McKenna: "Cat class."
Mommy: "Ok, but did you know that in the cat class all the kids are 2 years old and in the dinosaur class they are all 3 years old like you?"
McKenna: "3 years old like me? They can chew gum too??" (That was one of her benefits of turning 3 was she was allowed to chew gum.)
Mommy: "Probably when they get home like you do. And in the dinosaur class you would get to do more art projects and games that you would probably like even better."
McKenna: "What is my teacher's name in the dinosaur class?"
Mommy: "Miss Carol."
McKenna: "Ok, dinosaur class."

I was so proud of her for thinking of her own question before she made a decision. So we've talked about that this means she can't be in the cat class anymore and she understands and seems REALLY excited to go to dinosaur class on Monday. Pray it's an easy transition and she has an easy time making friends.

Then today she had her very first dance class! The class was for 3-5 year olds. She was the only 3 year old in the class. Which means she was about HALF the height of everyone else. Was she phased? Not a bit. She confidently answered the teacher when asked her name and if she was excited about the class. When it was time to find their sticker to stand on, she chose one front and center. She asked to go first when they took turns doing cross-the-floor practice. She had an absolute blast!! Miss Valerie couldn't get enough of her because she was so tiny but so enthusiastic that it was so fun to watch her! Here are a few pics from the morning:

Dressed and ready to go (LOL don't worry, I fixed her leotard before we left so that she wasn't revealing her baby b.o.o.b.i.e.s):

(I do have one with her carrying her little dance bag but she's doing her forced smile which makes her look like Jack Nicholson in the Shining.)

Cross-the-Floor exercises with Miss Valerie:


Doing their first mini ballet routine:


Cross-the-Floor with streamers (aka "magic wands"):


Heel-toe walks:


Their first mini tap dance routine:


And at the end of class they each had to show that they could do first and second position and they would get a sticker. Here is McKenna taking her first dance exam (she passed! But don't worry....all of them did. The teacher wasn't about to send anyone home without a sticker!):


And what was Kyla doing the whole time? FLIRTING!


So that was a fun morning. She did very well and most importantly, she enjoyed it! She can't wait for next week!

I'll update on Monday about Kyla's first birthday party and McKenna's first day in her new class! I'm off to bake Kyla's birthday cake! Enjoy your weekend!