jude does pre-school v2

it's been a long time coming, school that is. after last years horrific experience we needed to make sure we were all ready for school again. we sought out every pre-school in the valley, talked to many teachers, and settled on the summit academy in draper. i knew it was the school for us when the teacher lovingly told jude "if you cry, you still have to stay at school.".

after months of preparation and drive-by's, today jude started school.

jude was fine with the thought of going to school until this morning came. when i told him it was time to go and take some pictures, this is what happened. he screamed and yelled and cried, telling me he already knew enough and that he needed to stay at home with me and greta. he decided to run away. i tried to talk him down from his ledge but once he is up there you just have to let him go, for a minute. it was very upsetting for us both and i thought for sure that today we would have a repeat of last year.

however, greta was ready to get her picture taken.

she is so delectable.

greta was quite concerned about jude after he ran away down the street, so she followed suit.

jude calmed down enough to get in the car and we went to yaya's to pick up his 'books' he had made. lunch at mcdonalds is also another great way to soothe his soul, especially when they have new batman toys. after a quick healthy lunch, school could be discussed without tears. jude was finally ready.

batman + joker = a soothed jude malcolm

this is the best shot i could get and yes, we were in the mcdonald's parking lot. jude's pre-school requires a uniform, a hard pill to swallow. i love dressing my kids. it's a little vain, but it's my thing. i made sure his uniform was spiffy enough and of course found the cutest shoes to accompany his dull outfit. we won't lose him in those, or the other 3 pair he has.

jude handled drop off like a seasoned veteran. i think it helped that we waited in line and he saw other kids getting out of the their cars and playing. by the time it was our turn jude was already out the window banging on the door telling everyone "hi". his teacher opened the door and asked if he was ready for school and he nonchalantly answered "yeah. bye mom." and ran to meet his friends. as we drove off greta starting sobbing for her jude and i looked in my rear-view mirror to make sure jude was okay, he didn't even look back. i might have cried along with greta had i not been so relieved.

it was a long 3 hours and i sort of waited by the phone while gretsie napped thinking they may call, but they never did. greta was so excited when i woke her up and she was ready to get jude. as we waited our turn i watched patiently jude wait for us, he was the cutest kid there. then once we were in his view he made a mad dash for our car (which he got in trouble for). once he was in and buckled up he told me he had fun at school and wanted to go back tomorrow. he told me they read stories, colored, ate crackers, and played outside. i know jude, and all of those things would be included in favorite past times. i am so glad today is over, especially since i did today with trevan out of town. i just hope the rest of the school year goes as smoothly.

i am so proud of my boy, and by the way, he is so my boy.

29 meets my man

trevan is 29 today.

29 is a perfect age for trevan. not old, not young, just perfect.

(however, i don't think i will feel 29 is perfect for me).

when i met trevan he was 21 and the most amazing thing i had ever laid my eyes on. really, it was love at first sight. i remember my stomach sinking and knowing he was the end of me. i wanted to grow old with him, see him in every stage.

seeing trevan through his 20's has been a privilege. he has grown from a son to a father, a student to a professional, and from a boy to a man. it's a lot to do in 10 short years. i am not sure if ever again he will have such a transformation in a decade and yet he handled with ease. he was made to be a grown up, unlike me. trevan is responsible, he thinks all things through, he is honest, he is not sporadic, he is sure of his decisions, he is a hard worker, and he is passionate about his passions. trevan is a man at 29, and that is something to be proud of.

he is not perfect but perfect for me.

and perfect for his adoring fan club.

happy birthday senor.

i love you.

foreva-eva? foreva-eva.

the name game.

being pregnant and all, names have been weighing heavily on my mind. i have a few (maybe 2) that i like and one day if i am brave enough i will share them with you. having names on my mind has got me wondering about a few things...

- why anyone would name their child certain names (like half of the names on jude's preschool roll call)?

- why lukas haas' character in 'inception' has the name i like most for a boy? he is so unattractive.

- how the name jude got so popular?

- why my name is kennan?
a. boy name
b. no one says it right
c. boy name.

- why i don't like any girl names?

- why people tell you they hate names? especially after you have already named someone that (ie. greta)

- why mixing up the spelling of name makes it unique?

- why people "breast" their names, as if they were a hand of cards in a high stakes poker game?

- how some names are even conceived?

and most importantly

- what name will fit the baby in my belly?

i am not trying to be a brat or judgemental. naming a child is heavy duty and it should not be taken lightly. if you carry a child for 9 months, gain 400 lbs, suffer through sickness, and childbirth i think you are entitled to name your child whatever you please. really, i do. of course, i love my kids names... umm duh, i named them. i don't expect anyone to love their names in return. jude and greta where our choices. they were the perfect fit for us.

for me, its always exciting to hear what people decide to name their children. what people name their children say so much about them. however, sometimes i am baffled and have to try really hold in the puke in my mouth of some of the names i encounter. other times i love them so much, i tuck the name away for storage in case i need to use it in the future. my opinion is just that, an opinion. however, for the good of the world, please try to hold yourself back a little when mckailadayzee and trytone are front runners on your name list. you won't regret not naming your child that, i promise.

what names do you love or loathe?

i'd love to have this discussion with you.