Unexpected school plans

The past few weeks have been filled with many things. For some reason it's felt very full partly because we've been battling various illnesses such as stomach flu and now colds and of course my almost constant morning sickness and weird food aversions. Chris has been working very hard and recently received some nice accolades at work which were very welcome! He is really good at what he does and I'm always happy when he gets rewarded for it.

Another thing that has been taking up our lives is the decision of where to put Anders for Kindergarten. We originally were going to enroll him in the public school down the street. It would be convenient, free and close. all good things. His pre-school teacher has been pretty straight forward with us that she doesn't think that he is ready for Kindergarten and so the upside to our local school was that they had a transitional class to get kids more prepared for the rigors of Kindergarten. Apparently Kindergarten isn't what it used to be and much more is expected of kids academically nowadays.

We weren't so sure that we really wanted to hold him back a whole year but want him to excel in school and have the best possible experience.
While thinking through this process we remembered that there was a school down the street from our old apartment that seemed pretty interesting. I used to walk by there and the enjoyed talking to the security guard out in front. He had mentioned that we should come and have a tour some time.
Chris reminded me of this school and encouraged me to make an appointment for a tour. Even it it was out of our financial range (which we knew it would be) it would still be fun to see what it was like inside. One interesting thing about this school is that it was founded by Actor Will Smith and his wife Jada Pinkett Smith and originated from their homeschool group. Because of this it has a very homey small school vibe and seemed to be an interesting prospect.

I called up the school and found out that it was definitely out of reach financially but still "would I like to come take a tour?" Why not?
So off we went for the tour. Once there I got to see the class rooms and lovely outdoor eating area and hear all about the learning styles and class sizes. Generally between 4-10 kids per class. They serve a cold breakfast and a snack and the day starts at 9 and ends at 4.
The head of school encouraged us to continue with the application process and fill out financial aid info and just see what happens. It couldn't hurt could it?

Anders got to come and spend a whole day with the pre-K class to see how he fit in with that group. Of course he loved it and they loved him and it was a splendid day.

Along the way I have been specifically praying about a couple of things and those prayers were answered quickly. This helped me in my decision process as well.

To make a long story short we had a family meeting with the head of school, the school counselor and the Kindergarten teacher and it went really well. Everything went smoothly and we found out that it would be possible to send him there. After a week for me and Chris to discuss it we decided that it would be a great fit for Anders. He would be in level 2 which is the equivalent of Kindergarten but there would be more space for him to grow up and master the skills that he needs without specifically holding him back a whole year.
The long day will enable me to spend some quality time with the new baby knowing that Anders is having a fun and enriching experience. I'm sure that the schedule will take some getting used to but we'll take it one day at a time.

We are pretty excited about this opportunity and are looking forward to what next year has to bring!

Fun weekend and Canadian Shannon visits

What a fun and busy weekend we had! It started on Friday when Anders and I drove down to my Mom and Dads house. Chris came after work (late) to meet us there and spend the weekend together.  On Saturday I worked until around 2 and then met Chris and Anders at the local Chick-Fillet for lunch.  That evening my folks watched Anders so we could get a date night which we spent enjoying gourmet food and fun company with friends Simon and Kristy. Sunday we went to my parents church and then all went to Penn park in Whittier to continue the yearly Mother's Day tradition of Subway sandwiches and family time. My friend Shannon came into town for a conference and came down to spend a couple of nights with us. I haven't seen her in over 7 years! She and I went to Bible school together in Sask.  Canada.

Monday I took Shannon to Leo Carillo State beach and Malibu and we enjoyed lounging around despite the cold wind.  Anders had fun looking for rocks and kicking sand on us. 

On Tuesday I drove her back to deep Orange County to the airport and then stopped at an ultrasound place that a friend had told me about. It was fun to get to see our little stranger kicking around with little arms and legs stretching all over the place. I've been so busy that it was special to take some time and connect with this little one. 

Yesterday was Anders half day pre-school and today he spend all day (9-4) at a possible school possibility. I'll write about that one later. 

So needless to say I'm all tuckered out. I'm keeping Anders home from school tomorrow to catch up on rest and play and hopefully I'll be able to put my feet up too! 

Puppy love, crazy outfit and Summer prep

Anders loves our neighbor dog Charlie and is generally very sweet with him. Charlie is very patient especially if Anders is eating lunch....

This picture cracks me up! The other day Anders found some overly small winter pants, neighbor friend Kate's Red sparkly had and a sweet looking basket and was all decked out to ride the purple flower bike around the yard. I HAD TO GET A PICTURE! Of course I told him how cool he looked but as you can tell by the look on his face he's a little miffed that I wanted a picture. =0)

It's been HOT this last week and we took the 30 minute trek to a fun splashy fountain area in Thousand Oaks. I'm hoping to work on getting some color even before Summer truly arrives.