Samantha's first blog

pamelamyers | June 5, 2017

It was bump up day today for Samantha, where she got to visit her new school, Scenic Hills. This past weekend, we rode there on our bikes and Sam played at the massive playground, and also, struck a pose with the Cougar Paw!

Mark has been taking her there a lot to play, figuring that if she spends some time there this summer, by the time school starts, she will feel really comfortable in the environment and on the equipment. After this past September’s drama over her inability to reach the monkey bars, I will take all the help I can get in making her feel more at home.

The kids were bussed there and given a little tour, saw the classrooms, the gym, the cafeteria, met some teachers, and all kinds of other things. Sam was so happy to find out that she will have Mr. Patella for gym (he is her current nutrition teacher) as well as the same teachers for art and music. I am glad that the SLC borrows some specials teachers from Scenic because Sam will have so many familiar faces. She seemed really excited when she came home from school, which is a good thing. She didn’t have anything bad to say about the school, that’s for sure. I know one thing she loves is no more tables! All the kids have individual desks.

That night, the parents had an information night. Mark and I got to see more of the school and hear a presentation from the principal. It will be quite a change from the SLC, and the school is so different, but we did like what we saw. I think Sam will be very happy there. I just hope she manages to get a friend in her class. It would do a lot for her to make her feel comfortable.

Onward and upward I suppose. Second Grade. Yikes. We were given our tour of the school by a few 5th grade girls and they seemed so much older than Sam, and yet, not so old. This will be the first time Sam is in school with kids that are so significantly older than her. I do worry, but what can you do? She has to move on into the real world. And that means older kids who have conversations and use language that I’d rather Sam not hear. I know the grades are pretty isolated from each other during the day, but the bus…well, the bus is another story I guess. We’ll see what happens. My little girl is growing up! Waaahhhh!!!

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pamelamyers | June 1, 2017

Today was Field Day, Sam’s last official school event! It was rained out from the week before, which Sam was sad about, but thankfully, today was beautiful! Warm and sunny, but not sweltering hot like it was last year.  Sam’s first event was the cup stacking. She had been practicing all week at home. 🙂

There were a couple of water-based events because, well, kids like playing with water!

One of Sam’s best events last year, and this year too, was the beanbag race. So many kids just totally fell down, but not my girl! It was really super cute. A bunch of kids gave up and just rolled themselves in the bag back to the starting point.

This event is one of the harder ones. There are letters in the cups and they have to find all the letters needed to spell their phrase. I will say though, it was way harder when they were in kindergarten!

Go Team Yellow!

Last event was the hula hoops. Sam had a hard time understanding this last year, but this year she did great.

When the events were over, the kids relaxed with a water ice. I was shocked that Sam tried the blue raspberry kind! She must have been really hot because she ate a good bit.

It’s getting really sad that the days are ticking down. Pretty soon we won’t be at the SLC anymore!

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pamelamyers | May 22, 2017

Today was Sam’s Spring Sing, one of the last times she will have an organized event at the SLC. I am glad that this is one of the last ones though, she loves to sing and she loves being with her friends. We tried so many times to get her to look at us so that we could get a photo but she kept chatting away with the little boy next to her, Michael. She told me, “He’s the nice one.” I know she thinks half the boys in her class are nuts!

She generally will sing, but gets a little shy about doing all the various hand motions. This time though, she really tried and did such a great job. I see her do them at home a lot and it was nice to see her confident enough to do them in front of an audience.

It was so obvious she was having the time of her life. She smiled the whole time!

We are so proud of our girl. After the concert, all the kids sat in the first few rows while a slideshow was shown with a bunch of photos from the year. The kids loved it. They were all bopping around in their seats like teenagers at a rock concert while the songs that overlaid the slideshow played, especially Pharrell Williams, Happy. It was one of the cutest things I have ever seen! Great job, Samantha!

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pamelamyers | May 11, 2017

Today was Samantha’s class trip to Woodland Park. From what Mark and Sam told me, they all had a great time! Each chaperone was given a small group of kids that they were responsible for, but the class traveled as a group. Each small group was given a clipboard and a list of things they were supposed to look for. Mark told me that he barely got to hold the thing before Sam commandeered it. What a shock. Off they go!

They all look ready to hike. Thankfully, the weather sort of cooperated. I think it rained a bit, but when you are in the trees, it never really seems to get to the ground.

Sam was super excited that she found a snail! She told me that it was the first snail she’d ever seen for real. Me too! Well, at least I got to see the picture. She thinks the other kids were jealous. I would be!

One of the many reasons I thought it would be good for Mark to go and not me. The creek. I would be freaking out the whole time about Sam and the other kids getting cruddy, and Mark just dives right in. Of all the pictures her teacher shared in the weekly newsletter, Mark is the only one actually doing anything. He was in the creek, digging around in the dirt….The other parents (moms) are just standing off to the side.

Mark trekked across the creek for this one!

He also found a grub. And held it. Ick. Not for a million bucks. But the kids all loved it and that is what is important.

A successful field trip all around. A bunch of happy kids, especially Sam who got to spend the time with her Daddy.

Sam thinks her Daddy is the best Daddy in the world. I have to agree!

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pamelamyers | April 20, 2017

Today Mark and I were mystery readers in Sam’s class. Usually it is me that goes, but Sam really loved the idea of Mark coming too. When I signed up for the slot months ago, I told Mark about it, but didn’t tell Sam. She was so excited when we showed up at school! The first thing she said to Mark when she came out to get us in the hallway was, “What are you doing here?” She had that cute, sideways smile on her face that tells you she is tickled pink.

Mark did such a great job reading to the kids. They loved the book, one of Sam’s favorites, called, Goodnight Already!

I warned Mark that reading isn’t as simple as reading, because the kids have a hundred comments and questions and you get interrupted a million times, but he rolled with it fine.

There is always time for at least three books, so then it was my turn. I read School’s First Day of School, another of Sam’s favorites, and finished off with a Frog and Toad story. The kids seemed to love the books.

I really love being in her classroom. I go as often as possible, and volunteer at lunch whenever I can. It makes Sam happy, and it gives me a little glimpse into her daily life without me. I’m glad Mark got that chance too. And I’m glad he got the chance to show off his skills with the kids. He has always been better in general with kids than I am, and today, it showed.

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