What scares you most on Halloween? Monsters? Witches? Evil spirits? Nope. A preschool Halloween party! Ekkkkkk! A classroom full of little kids hopped up on sugar, losing their minds and all sense of control. That's what sends my pulse skyrocketing! BUT, it's also a lot of fun and nothing was going to keep me from attending Baylor's class party. Sanity is way over-rated!
I'm not sure whether it was coordinated, but Baylor's best buddy Gabriel was also dressed as Darth Vader. The evil twins seemed quite pleased with their matching costumes and together vowed to crush anyone that posed a threat to the power. Looks like Buzz Lightyear might want to watch out!
Both Ms. J and Ms. S, Baylor's teachers, deserve a lot of credit for dedication to early education. I don't know how they do it, to be quite honest. Now, granted their typical day is hopefully a little less chaotic, but I still doubt I'd last a week in that environment. Let's just say, I take their requests to have Baylor in class 5 days a week rather than 3 as quite the compliment. There were a handful of kids in that class that I'm certain they would be delighted to see less of on a weekly basis. What a relief to know that my little man doesn't fall in that category!
Ms. J and Ms. S actually make corralling that many 3-year old years look easy. They never broke a sweat once during the 3-hour party, and if they were ever flustered, they hid it well. That was definitely not the case for the majority of the parents. I'd say half looked ready for a drink by the 60-minute mark, and the other half were plotting their discreet exit about an hour later. There were only a 2 other die-hards like me that lasted the entire party. Yes, I think I deserve a medal, and Ms. J & Ms. S clearly deserve sainthood.
Snack time was surprisingly healthy and even more shockingly...the kids actually ate the food! Who knew?! Oh, and Ms. J and Ms. S weren't kidding when they announced at the beginning of the year that cupcakes are a forbidden food in their classroom. One mom brought in 2 dozen "Martha Stewart-esque" cupcakes, and they sat in their container untouched for the duration of the party. Apparently, cupcakes are tasty but result in a colossal mess. Even saints have their limits!
Snack time was followed by arts & crafts stations which involved all the parents. I was lucky enough to be assigned to the Ghost Station which involved bottles of craft glue (Yay!) and tissue paper, and wouldn't you know it, we were lucky enough to be stationed directly under the classroom ceiling fan. Flying tissue paper EVERYWHERE, and no matter how many times you try to explain to a 3-year old that less-is-more when it comes to glue, they just don't get it! Fun & very sticky times!
Am I glad I made the time to attend Baylor's Halloween party and witness the utter chaos...I mean fun? Of course! However, I'm equally thrilled that this is a once-a-year event. Now, the countdown is on to mentally prepare for the Christmas and Easter parties. Oh my!
Most of the kids were shocked to see one of their storybook characters enter their classroom. I say "most" because as you can clearly see, not everyone was impressed. Give him a few years!
Baylor was all smiles as The Cat In The Hat read the class one of his stories and then handed out treats. Afterwards, the kids were able to visit five activity stations themed after the guest of honor's books.
It was a fun and exciting day for all...
Okay...MOST!
Thanks for letting us share it with you, Baylor!
I'm not sure whether it was coordinated, but Baylor's best buddy Gabriel was also dressed as Darth Vader. The evil twins seemed quite pleased with their matching costumes and together vowed to crush anyone that posed a threat to the power. Looks like Buzz Lightyear might want to watch out!
Both Ms. J and Ms. S, Baylor's teachers, deserve a lot of credit for dedication to early education. I don't know how they do it, to be quite honest. Now, granted their typical day is hopefully a little less chaotic, but I still doubt I'd last a week in that environment. Let's just say, I take their requests to have Baylor in class 5 days a week rather than 3 as quite the compliment. There were a handful of kids in that class that I'm certain they would be delighted to see less of on a weekly basis. What a relief to know that my little man doesn't fall in that category!
Ms. J and Ms. S actually make corralling that many 3-year old years look easy. They never broke a sweat once during the 3-hour party, and if they were ever flustered, they hid it well. That was definitely not the case for the majority of the parents. I'd say half looked ready for a drink by the 60-minute mark, and the other half were plotting their discreet exit about an hour later. There were only a 2 other die-hards like me that lasted the entire party. Yes, I think I deserve a medal, and Ms. J & Ms. S clearly deserve sainthood.
Snack time was surprisingly healthy and even more shockingly...the kids actually ate the food! Who knew?! Oh, and Ms. J and Ms. S weren't kidding when they announced at the beginning of the year that cupcakes are a forbidden food in their classroom. One mom brought in 2 dozen "Martha Stewart-esque" cupcakes, and they sat in their container untouched for the duration of the party. Apparently, cupcakes are tasty but result in a colossal mess. Even saints have their limits!
Snack time was followed by arts & crafts stations which involved all the parents. I was lucky enough to be assigned to the Ghost Station which involved bottles of craft glue (Yay!) and tissue paper, and wouldn't you know it, we were lucky enough to be stationed directly under the classroom ceiling fan. Flying tissue paper EVERYWHERE, and no matter how many times you try to explain to a 3-year old that less-is-more when it comes to glue, they just don't get it! Fun & very sticky times!
Am I glad I made the time to attend Baylor's Halloween party and witness the utter chaos...I mean fun? Of course! However, I'm equally thrilled that this is a once-a-year event. Now, the countdown is on to mentally prepare for the Christmas and Easter parties. Oh my!
Of course as we prepared for Baylor's open house on Sunday, I wondered if I was really ready to send my youngest off on his own into the real world? Ultimately, YES, I am! Baylor has grown bored with me over the past several months, and playdates just aren't cutting it anymore. He's too dang smart for his own good, and he'll no doubt easily transition into this new chapter.
Baylor made himself right at home as soon as we entered his new classroom. I'm sure it helps that he's familiar with the school thanks to big brother Jax. Baylor accompanied us when we'd pick Jax up from school, and he was a guest at all of the holiday parties. So, the teachers might have been new to Baylor, but they have known him since he was 3 months old. They were almost as shocked as Anh & me that Baylor is now old enough to be an official student!
Both of Baylor's teachers, Ms. Jennifer and Ms. Susan, made a huge fuss over him. Clearly, Baylor enjoyed the attention, but all he really wanted to do was explore his new classroom. We definitely don't have to worry about him being bored! There's no shortage of toys, books, or planned activities to keep him busy.
I think Baylor was actually disappointed that we were only "visiting" on Sunday, and he didn't get to spend all day with his new buddies! At least the real deal was less than 24 hours away.
On Monday morning, Baylor was eager to load up and head out with Daddy to start his day. He proudly sported his backpack and dress shirt that he declared to be "just like Daddy's." That's when it truly hit me that our little baby was now our little man, and he had his eyes focused on the future which will no doubt be bright.
As they drove to school, Baylor explained to Anh that he's "going to make a lot of new friends, share with everybody, and learn something." I'm glad he's been paying attention to our words of wisdom! Our star student is off to a brilliant start!
