First Day of PreK



We're now into our fall routines...and it's 102 degrees outside.

Crazy.

Actually, this week hasn't been too bad with an ever so slight breeze outside. It's been fairly chilly in the low 90's.

Jonah started PreK yesterday! Last year he went to Mother's Morning Out twice a week and this was the face of an excited three-year-old on his first day of breaking free from Mama's apron strings....

So precious.

(Note the high-protein/low-carb breakfast. I'm pretty sure he ate more than just sausage. Maybe.)

This is the face I got yesterday from an experienced four-year-old who knows practically everything one needs to know about life in general....

I'm serious. That is the face he gave me. I used my best high-pitched "Aren't you excited!!!!????!!!" and he gave me that.

(I'm glad to see that in addition to sausage this year, we have cinnamon toast and cheese grits. Good to see we're back on the carbs again.)

Later on, he got a little more into it...

"Inja" Style

[Click here if you need more explanation.]

Oh yeah, baby! We're excited now!

Finally, a serious one to appease Mommy.

Good friends of our's told us to pick a spot in your house and use that same spot to take the "First Day of School" pic every year so you can see how they've grown. This is said after raising two boys. Their youngest had his "Last First Day of School" pic this year. I'm pretty sure the facial expression was probably the same as Jonah's breakfast picture.

Gosh, he's so big! And yes, that's the same bookbag. It was practically unused so we're using it again. And note that we're going to Lunch Bunch this year! I'm telling you, the boy's pretty much grown.

He was nervous getting in the car. How could I tell?



Every toy had to come with us. Last year, everyday at the same red light we would pray for Jonah's day. This year, we reached the same red light and I asked him if he would like me to pray for his day. He nodded.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7 

I snuck a picture. Don't you just love that he's big and tough and Mommy is absolutely insane to take a picture at breakfast but it's completely normal to stroke Lovie's ears when you're nervous and want to pray? I love it. Big...but not too big....yet.

After we prayed, he was all smiles.

He said, "Mommy, I'm SO excited about my big day!"

     "I am too, Buddy."

     "Why are you excited? It's not your big day, it's my big day."

Gotcha. Still all about you.

He went right on in and had a blast! And he left every single toy in the car...after kissing and hugging Lovie good-bye, of course. Did Mommy get a kiss and a hug? No. {sigh} Oh, well. I'll make him when he goes off to college if I have to tackle him in the dorm and sit on top of him in front of the whole hall. Just you wait.

This morning, everything was back to normal...

...including a Pop Tart for breakfast in the car and pulling up about 5 minutes late. It's gonna be a great year. :)

My Little Angel

Jonah starred in his first big production this week. His preschool put on their annual Christmas play for the parents and while I have always considered him to be an angel, he officially got his halo on Wednesday.

Isn't he the cutest thing?

Here he's singing "Come On, Ring Those Bells" and he was just a ringin'....so much so that one of his jingle bells flew off and went into the crowd!

Here he's singing, "Happy Birthday, Jesus".

I filmed the whole thing and am including it here just because it's my blog and I can if I want to! :) He was very serious about his singing so he looks like some Nazi Angel. He was also very serious about "holding a bubble"- for my non-teacher readers, that's how you keep little ones quiet in the halls. They have to "catch a bubble" in their mouth. I also caught him being very serious about picking his nose but I tried to avoid it the best I could. The funniest thing was that when the chorus of angels was singing a funky "Twinkle, Twinkle Christmas Star", Jonah decided that there weren't enough verses. Everyone ends the song and he belts out as loud as he can, "SHIIIIINING..." but then quit when he realized he was the only one going to the 3rd verse. Doesn't he know that Baptists only sing the 1st & 4th stanzas? We only take advantage of all the verses if we're trying to exhaust an invitation. He's still in training. What was even funnier was the girl next to him turned and looked at him like, "How many times did we rehearse this?!" It was all I could do not to wet my pants as I struggled to hold it together.

Feel free to watch it when you have an extra 15 minutes or so (It's actually 14 minutes & 11 seconds long). Just ignore the narration done by Ouida. ;) And pause my player at the bottom of the screen.

"Sue Nanna"

I knew this day would come. I just thought it would be a bit later in life. Say, after 13?

All month long Jonah has been coming home from preschool with his bookbag full of Thanksgiving crafts. There's been the paper plate turkey, the handprint turkey, the placemat made from woven strips of construction paper, indians, pilgrims, corn, and yesterday came this.

It's a wreath full of everything that he's thankful for. Of course, I immediately looked for Mommy on there. ;) I made the list. But so did another special girl. And I'm not talkin' about his sister. Check out the lone brown leaf.

"Sue Nanna". That's right. My child's first crush. "Sue Nanna" went to Homecoming with my brother, Tyler, his freshman year and apparently made quite an impression.

Can you blame him?  Not only is she stunning, but she knows how to have a good time.

She's also athletic....

...and not afraid to get a little dirt on her face, even if it is sparkly with a little glitter.

Tyler saw Jonah's wreath and said,
          "HEY! Where's my name? How come Sue Anna's on there but I'm not?!"
          "She comes and picks me up eeeeeeevery Sunday," Jonah answered.
          "But I come and pick you up from your class too sometimes. What about me?!" Jonah proceeded to put his hand up to his mouth, leaned over, and whispered,
          "You're cool. But you're not as pretty as Sue Nanna."

Well said, son, well said. You see, "Sue Nanna" is also in my small group at church. While she could very well be a model for her beauty on the outside, she models the best kind of pretty on the inside. She loves Jesus. I guess even though my three-year-old's first crush is on a girl more than a decade his senior, at least she's a good one who loves the Lord. And that is something I can be very thankful for.

Bow Battles

I would like you all to know we had a huge victory in our household Sunday morning.

And it was still there when I picked her up from nursery.

The score is now:
          Mommy          Esther Grace
                  1                    3,407,093

I'll catch up sooner or later, just you wait and see.

(Yes, we are eating our breakfast out of a QuickTrip kid's cup.)

Arktoberfest

Today was Arktoberfest at Jonah's preschool. It was his first theme day at school and my first parent volunteer experience. The children came dressed as different animals that would have been found on Noah's ark. (Except the preacher's son came dressed as a Ninja Turtle.....I guess turtles were on the ark but I'm not sure the Bible's clear on their martial arts skills.)

We took this picture when we came home.
Just excuse the Chick-fil-a on the front of
our shirt.



This is my favorite view. :)
His nose made a roaring sound when
you pushed it.

We pulled up to what looked like a zoo. Granted, most preschools do tend to lean that way but this one is very well managed. :) It was a bit out of the ordinary.

All of my pictures are pre-kids because I can't be in the same room as my child or he breaks out into convulsions, cries uncontrollably, and suctions himself to my leg so as not to allow anyone to tear him away from me. He's not right. We'll probably be in therapy until he's 30. That or he'll just move in down the street and raise his family right underneath me like his own mother did. Who knows- the jury's still out.


He did promise me last night that he wouldn't cry if I wasn't in his room. I guess he was lion. Ha! Get it? Lying? Lion? Now you know where he gets his not-right-ness. Moving on.....


The day followed Noah on his journey beginning with the first part of the story told by Noah himself... & Mrs. Noah- the Bible's not clear on her exact name either. Poor thing. I can relate. I'm known as Mrs. Bear to most of the youth at church.

Does he look like a member of ZZ Top
to anyone else? He was also sporting
a stacked wedge if you looked from
the back.

After Noah began his story, he paused to let the kids help him build the ark. It doesn't look like much but it's a huge homemade floor puzzle that the kids put together to make the ark.

Next up? Snack, of course! You can't expect all those hungry animals to go 40 days and 40 nights without food, can you? The kids gathered food for the animals...which worked well for them since they were the ones in fur.

Then came the games. What else did you think the animals did for all that time crammed up inside a boat? Just ride? No. There was definitely entertainment.



Animal Bowling



Feed the Monkeys Bean Bag Throw




Flamingo Ring Toss
(You can't see the rings but you had to toss them
over their necks.)



Animal Golf



Oh, sorry. Random picture of skydiver in
the children's wing. If only our church had
 this type of budget! This is Esther Grace's
favorite part of BSF. That and the goldfish.




Musical Chairs Noah's Ark Style

The Musical Chairs room was my station. I don't know how it happens but I'm always assigned anything to do with music anytime I volunteer anywhere. I've decided that the workers at Jonah's school have seen my car had to dodge falling objects out of my car so many times through the pick-up line that they figure I'm left-brained and artsy. With organizational skills like that, they probably think I'm destined for Broadway!

Safe in the ark!

After games, the kids listened to Noah tell the conclusion of his story and how God promised to never flood the earth again with a rainbow in the sky. All of a sudden, I hear a familiar voice start saying,
     "Woah, double rainbow! So intense!"
I about died! In case you are unfamiliar, we have a running joke among our close friends involving this video:
 

 
Everytime one of the ladies makes a great dessert or we're just in a goofy mood, we start quoting this guy-who is obviously enjoying some sort of.....um,.....organic supplementation. I'm talking complete with fake sobs, hollers, moans, full out foolishness in front of any and everyone. Football games, church, public restaurants, you name it. We're getting a head start on embarassing our kids when they're teenagers. I don't even know how we were ever introduced to this but apparently someone's picked up on it. Oh, be careful little ears what you hear, I guess.

After all that, the kids ended the day with trick-or-treating in the church's front office. They completely racked up on the candy and even got a Noah's Ark coloring book, crayons, and an animal pocket-notepad.

All in all, the day was great! I actually think that I had more fun than Jonah. It made me miss teaching soooo much! (Shhhh. Don't tell Bear. He'll make me go back.) I was even in the mood to make Monster Mash when we got home as a tribute to my days in kindergarten. After that, I put the kids down and once the house became silent, I remembered what staying home was all about......NAPS!

Ties That Bind

I've never seen my Uncle Dale cry (pr show tons of emotion at all, really). I've never seen my cousin Justin cry. I've never seen my Nana kiss my PawPaw (or vice versa). I've never seen someone die. But then again, I've never lived October 17, 2010 before either.

I saw PawPaw on Tuesday afternoon. My parents went together on Wednesday with my brother. Thursday, they brought dinner to PawPaw, who ate a heaping plateful of mashed potatoes! Friday, my dad went to see him and said that it was a completely different PawPaw. His liver was failing and he was confused from the toxins building up in his body. Sunday after church, I was planning on going over there to share with him one last time. I was just changing my clothes when Mom called and told me that I needed to get over there.

When I got there, everyone was standing out in the driveway. We talked a bit and then I went inside to say hey to PawPaw. He had slipped into somewhat of a coma and wasn't awake when I spoke to him. I went back into the kitchen with my Nana and we just talked about my babies. Much later, the hospice nurse came into the kitchen and told my Nana that she thought PawPaw would only be with us for a few more minutes. I went outside to get everyone else and we surrounded his bed. It was very peaceful. It was very hard. I saw the most stoic men I know completely lose it. I saw my mom hold my Nana and be a pillar of strength. I saw compassion and tenderness as the hospice waited until all the good-byes were said before announcing PawPaw was gone.

About 30 minutes after everything happened, Nana's house turned into a bustle of activity. Dale and Justin were searching for PawPaw's marine dress blues. Dad was pulling pictures out of the attic. Mom was calling a contact list that Nana and PawPaw had compiled. I was looking through scrapbooks with Nana while she picked out pictures she liked for the funeral home. All this while Skyler, Justin's month old daughter, slept in her car seat right in the middle of the kitchen floor. We pulled together the way a family should.

I wasn't sure if everyone would be okay after what I had just witnessed but they will be. On the wall in my grandparents foyer are two crossstiches that my Nana made years ago. She made one for each member of our family. It has our name, the meaning, and a verse to go with each person. I don't remember what the verses were but I do remember the meanings. PawPaw's name, Clifford, means "Enduring Strength". Nana's name, Jerry, means "Strong in Spirit". I saw strength yesterday.

Even though I may not have gotten my clear "yes" or "no" from PawPaw regarding his salvation, I do know that God never fails us. I gave him Truth and that's all I could do. The Lord is Sovereign and He knows all. He knew when it was the perfect time to take PawPaw. He allowed my Nana to be surrounded by family during one of the hardest times in her life. There's such mercy in that. She didn't have to be alone. Dale didn't have to be the one to find him. There was comfort and support. Isn't God good? I have to trust God with PawPaw. He knows his heart and it's a matter that I can not discern one way or the other. I do know that God is good no matter our circumstances. And that's enough for me today.

"For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations." Psalm 100:5



Trader Jo

Saturday, September 4 was a big day. It was the first gameday for Georgia Football, resulting in an avalanche victory for the Dawgs. It was the first Saturday in September and the fall weather was SO refreshing. Hutson Mason, UGA's backup quarterback fresh out of highschool, threw his first ever pass of his collegiate career for a touchdown. And Jonah spent his first night without a passie.

We were in the car on the way home from Grammy and Papa's tailgate and Jonah started talking about a cap gun. He's been hung up on a cap gun for about a month now after seeing one at a friend's house during our small group night. Bear said that he thought 3 was a little young for a cap gun. Maybe when Jonah turned 5. I casually threw out, "Yeah, and I know boys with passies don't play with cap guns."

That's all it took. He was ready to throw his passie away right then and there. Bear and I exchanged shocked stares, not sure if this was for real or not. I had just been to the dentist where he had explained to me that the passie had to be gone by age 4 or there would be permanent oral damage. I had shoved it into the back of my mind because I didn't even want to go there. Kindof like potty training. But everyone kept telling me that when he was ready, he'd let us know and it would be so easy. Well, the day was here.

We went to Wal-Mart where he picked out an entire cap gun set (I think that was a little overboard) and promptly offered up his passie to the cashier as payment. She handed him his receipt and it was all over. Done. Gone forever, as he would say. Now we have a cap gun rifle, a cap gun pistol, a holster, a bandanna, and 2400 caps. Yay.

Yes, I filmed the whole thing like a crazy person. Here's a video for your viewing pleasure but I'm sure there are more interesting things you could do....like clean out your pantry. Plus, I'm trying to use some new video editing software but it was taking too long to figure out so it's just however it ended up once my patience was gone. A bit of a warning...the templates are pretty g-a-y so until we get new software, we're stuck with this.



And yes, Kami, I got the passie back from the cashier and am planning on bronzing it to put on our bookshelf. :) As for Jonah, he's doing great. In fact, he asked me right after we left Wal-Mart what did I think he could get for Lovie. I'd say, he's fine.

All Too Soon

This morning was Jonah's first day of PreK. Well, technically I think they call it ThreeK since he's 3 and only goes twice a week. Okay, and technically he's supposed to go three times a week but I just can't handle that so on Wednesdays he goes to Bible study with me instead of school. Besides, he learns more about the Bible in those 2 hours on Wednesdays than I do all week. So. This is already off to a bad start. Let me begin again....

This morning was Jonah's first day of PreK. We got up happy and ate his favorite breakfast: sausage like a hotdog (link, not patty) and cinnamon toast. He had to settle for the cinnamon toast because he wanted a waffle but there wasn't any time. He also thinks Mommy doesn't know how to make waffles because I hate the mess and Daddy's the one who usually makes those. Since Daddy was already at work, we went with an alternative option.


Did I mention that we had to make cinnamon toast twice because Mommy was so beside herself that she burned the first batch? Maybe we should've gone with a waffle.

After breakfast, we washed our face and hands (we had taken a bath last night), brushed our teeth, and got dressed.

Is he not the cutest? Yes, his teacher requested a regular size bookbag so his artwork doesn't get smashed. Artwork! He's going to come home with artwork! I love it.

We dropped Sister off at GB's so it could just be "Mommy and Me" for the first day. As we rode in the car, I asked him how he felt and if he wanted to pray about anything. We prayed for peace and joy last night because he "was a bittle bit scared inside" but he assured me that when the time came he wouldn't be scared anymore. He told me that he was good to go and Jesus had taken all the scared away. My sweet little man.

He requested "Holy, Holy, Holy", "Our God is an Awesome God", and "Everyday" as his ride-to-school playlist. We sang and talked about the tractor trailer trucks we passed. We pulled into the parking lot and I thought it would hit me but I was fine. So was Jonah as he said, "Bye Wuthie (Lovie)! Bye Pappy (Passie)! Bye Airpwane (his new toy from the airport)! I'm going to school!" and hopped out of the car.

We headed inside and one of his teachers, Ms. Martha, greeted him at the door. His grip tightened and he ducked behind my legs. I went in his classroom with him where we hung his bookbag on his hook. Ms. Tracy, his lead teacher, welcomed him and had a star nametag necklace for him. When she tried to put it around his neck, he shook his head no and plainly stated, "No. I don't need that. I'm not staying that long. I'm eating lunch with my Mommy." Ooooookay. She winked at me and put his necklace in his cubby.

Last Wednesday we had met his teachers and toured his classroom and he told them that he really "wuuuuuuuuved (loved) dump trucks". On the carpet were three dump trucks that Ms. Tracy had picked out especially for him. He relaxed a tad but still made me stand by the classroom sink so I wouldn't be anywhere near the door in case I tried to escape.

I waited a few minutes and slipped out with a set of parents who had just dropped off their fraternal twins, Jace (boy) and Joie (girl), as Ms. Tracy was making a big deal of how Jonah, Jace, and Joie all began with J. Apparently I wasn't as sligh as I thought because I heard a huh-huh-huh as Jonah slipped into his panic breath I know so well. It's his silent substitute for whining because Bear can't stand whining. I glanced at the teacher who nodded and shooed me with a smile. I blew a kiss and said, "Love you and I'll see you after Bible study" and slipped on out.

That's when I heard it. Slow at first and then rising to a full on holler. I wasn't sure what to do so I just stood in the hall to the left of his door and silently prayed for what felt like forever. He quieted down a bit but was still crying when I walked out to the lobby and got in my car. Surprisingly I didn't shed a tear but I was so nervous for him. I just want him to have a good time and to enjoy it so much.

I came home and Esther Grace had already been fed, bathed, and changed. My mother is a saint. I just wanted her to sit with the baby and I was planning on doing all of that myself when I got home. She is completely wonderful. Once we got home, Sister was in desperate need of a morning nap. I think it's jet lag. I nursed her and while I was rocking and singing, it hit me. My Beanie is so big. He used to be the one snuggled up, rubbing Lovie's ears with his pudgy, little fingers. His little, rolly thighs outstretched on my lap with those long, blonde eyelashes sweeping his soft, velvet cheeks. Then, the tears came. Even now, as I type, the tears are rolling down my cheeks.

My mind flashed to college and dropping him off in his dorm room. Kneeling by his little twin bed praying for God's blessing on his future, protection over his social choices, and guidance in decisions. All too soon that'll be my life. All too soon this stage of passies and matchbox cars will give way to football and wrestling. All too soon football and wrestling will give way to driving real cars. All too soon he'll start dating and eventually find God's girl. All too soon he'll be a man.

But for now, I'll just embrace the Happy Meals and playground days. Treasure the non-stop pretend stories and stuttering paragraphs. Value the snotty noses and skinned knees. Revel in laundering little Grover undies. Because all too soon it'll be gone and I'll have oak trees instead of acorns.

Firsts

Not only was the past week the first ever youth camp for Jonah, Esther Grace, and Bear (yes-Bear), but it also culminated several weeks of firsts for our family.

Jonah took his first trip to Lake Oconee with Pop (my dad), Tyler, and Daddy.

(This was not his best performance but it is the best one caught on tape. He went all the way around the cove. Trust me, he's good.)

Esther Grace took her first steps and hasn't slowed down since.

(Please ignore the dusty footprints by the garage door. They're from one of Bear's "projects" and I noticed them after taping.)

With all this excitement, I'm wondering what my "first" will be. Maybe something is in store for me in Mexico next week at Katie's wedding. I just hope it's not my first tattoo.

Getting Started

The most annoying thing about being a Keeling is Christmas, hands down. Let me explain. You see, every single blood member of the Keeling family has at least one talent. When I say "talent", I'm talking a skill that any normal-type person would kill to have, usually on some sort of professional level, that exceeds all human imagination with absolutely no exertion of effort whatsoever. For Christmas, each member creates a hand-made gift for a person assigned to them the previous year. Every December I am witness to some of the most amazing craftsmanship as person after person presents his or her creation. There have been quilts, needlepoints depicting family members (like a photograph-I'm NOT exagerating), tables, chairs, guitars (yes, handmade and working), paintings that are worthy of Sotheby's,and one year there was even a whole room! It's humbling to say the least. What is probably the most annoying part of all is when questioned about their handiwork, every member will usually say, "Oh, I was going to really start earlier but life was so busy...I got the idea 3 days ago and just finished this morning at 2 a.m. Careful, the stain's probably still wet." What?! In all my life I could never begin to do what these people do and yet, here I am...a Keeling.

When I joined the family, I desperately wanted to participate but could never figure out what in the world I could do. Nothing that I could scrounge together would be fit to present to the family pet, let alone someone that I loved and respected. Yes, I know the whole point is "It's the thought that counts" but who really wants to be stuck with a home-grown Chia pet or their very own personalized sock puppet? I think not. After taking inventory of my God-given abilities, there is one that surpasses even some of the most-talented Keelings. I have been given the gift of gab. It's undeniable. Strangers have even commented on my prowess in the communication field.

So, here's where the blog begins. Since we rarely see family outside of holidays and special occasions, I figured this would be a great way for everyone to see our kids and learn more about us. It's a very raw work in progress since we don't have Internet at our house. (Yes, we are from the tribe that still communicates by smoke signal.) I'm figuring out all kinds of things on the world-wide web so things may change often around here. That and I may accidentally delete the entire thing occasionally....just to keep things lively. :)

On a more serious note, ever since I became a mother God has used my children to teach me some pretty profound stuff. (Like did anyone else know paper is edible? Who knew crawling tots love it's irresistable taste and texture?! I think it's in the grain category...) I titled the blog "Acorns to Oaks" after Isaiah 61:3. My prayer for both of my children is for them to grow strong in the Lord, mighty as oaks, rooted deep in Christ's love for them. But for now, they're my little acorns entrusted to me to water and fertilize. I'll share silly stories and some serious insights along the way. And if anyone else finds this interesting, maybe they could show me how to macrame next year's gift......