Graduation

Jakob's preschool has a small graduation ceremony for all the 4 and 5-year-olds heading on to Kindergarten next year. We love this preschool and will miss the wonderful staff. They care deeply for our children and teach wonderful values and skills to prepare our little ones for the next step.

Jakob was so stoic during the ceremony and took this ritual very seriously. When he got his rolled paper he stood there with no expression. Mrs. Harms, the assistant teacher, yelled for him to smile. That's all it took and he lightened up and gave a great smile.

I didn't think I would have any problems getting through this ceremony without crying. I want him to go to Kindergarten. I researched all our options, weighed all the pros and cons of each program and made a wonderful choice for his continued education. THEN, they played a song about going out into life and achieving great things and to always remember you have a friend in God should you need someone to lean on. I was on the verge of a full blown crying session. Thankfully, the music stopped and I composed myself. THEN, they played it again. STOP!!

So, I guess I was a little affected by Jakob's leaving preschool and starting Kindergarten. Who knew?

The two pictures with girls in them are two girls who think Jakob is all that and a bag of chips. (Does anyone actually say this anymore?) The brown hair girl in pigtails is Rachel and she if very shy. The blond, Jenna, is much more outgoing and has her dad scared she is going to ask Jakob to marry her. She actually told her parents Jakob was so handsome and every time she looked at him she had hearts in her eyes. Awww, young love. Jakob thinks they are both nice and likes being their friend. We think he prefers the blond. I was showing Jakob pictures of me in Kindergarten and 1st grade. He thought I looked just like Jenna.

Locust Shade Park

Every year the Little Hands Preschool (Jakob's school) has an end of the year picnic with all the kids enrolled in their program at Locust Shade Park. True to its name it has lots of trees and great trails. Jakob did salad spinner art, got a tattoo of a snail on his hand and played hours on the playground. We had lunch with a few of his classmates and took a hike through the surrounding woods.

Jakob and I have made three very good friends from his preschool. The Drums, the Arratias and the Harms. The event was from 10 to 1 and this small group stayed until 3 having a wonderful time playing in the beautiful weather. Once we finally decided to leave the Drums, Arratias and us met at the Duncan donuts for coffee and donuts. We love these times and hope to have many more with this group.

On the Move

Once again we are moving. Not because George has a new job in a new state. This time we are on the move because our landlords are coming back earlier than expected and they want to live in their house. Bummer.

We have spent countless hours and brain cells trying to decide what our best option would be. Do we stay in Montclair? Probably not because Jakob is going to Kindergarten in Springfield (30 minutes away). Do we buy? Probably not because George will be getting another assignment in less than a year. Do we move on base? Yes, but there is a 1 to 9 month waiting list and 78 people before us. Let's rent in the Springfield area. We found two listings we thought would work and saw them both last night and picked the best one for us. YEAH!

Now, did we make the right decision? Who knows, we are just happy we have a place to live in August. The lease is still pending, so maybe there will be a follow-up blog that says we are still looking. NOOOOOOOO!

The house we hope to move into is close to Jakob's Kindergarten and the commute will be half as long for George. The house is smaller than the one we are in now, however it is plenty roomy enough for the four of us (I included BJ) The house has a great front yard and it is in a cul-de-sac so Jakob can play and ride his bike/scooter. There is a great deck and a tree house. What more could we ask for? There is no fence for BJ and we'll have to revert back to our Hawaii ways with him. A walk every day and a really long chain in the backyard.

We will still have a guest room and everyone is welcome. We'll send out our new info in August.

Transportation Day

Every year at Jakob's preschool they have a month where they learn about transportation. On the last day they get to bring their bikes, tricycles or big wheels to school and ride around the parking lot. Jakob loves this.

This year he brought his two wheeler and rode around like a big kid. He had the biggest bike there and had to go really slow, but still did a great job. The teachers have stations set up where they can get off their bikes. There's the bubble station, the McDonald's station, the chalk station and the drink station. Jakob's favorite was the bubble station.

Mr. President

Last Friday we had the opportunity to go to the South Lawn of the White House and see the president off on Marine One. WOW!

We woke up around 5 AM and drove to the Metro Station in Springfield. From there it was to the White House. We were very early and decided to stop at the Starbucks for a snack and drink. Jakob and George thought we should walk around a bit. I informed George I was not wearing the appropriate shoes for "walking around D.C." He rolled his eyes and off they went while I sat in front of the White House people watching.

Once inside the gates of the White House we were given badges to wear (even Jakob) and had to go through a metal detector. Jakob is a pro at this. (Sad isn't it?) The security guy said Jakob was smarter than 90% of the people he saw on a daily basis because he did everything right.

We walked through a breeze way between the Residence and the West Wing to get to the Lawn. (I don't know it those locations are supposed to be capitalized but we felt honored) We saw Barney's, the First Dog, water bowl. Jakob liked all the fire engines around the lawn and the fountain was impressive.

When the helicopter came in it was super loud and very windy. We were dodging leaves, flowers and insects for a few minutes while the helicopter made a precision landing on the lawn. Jakob could not stop talking about the entrance. The helicopter shut down and the President came out and held a small press confernce and then crossed to our side and waved. He motioned for Laura to come out from the Residence and they crossed the lawn onto the helicopter. Jakob also liked the Marine who opened and closed the doors. It was a very formal presentation and Jakob asked if he walked and moved like that at home.

We all had a wonderful time and felt very special to see the White House and President so close and without any barriers. Our chaperon works with George's office and he told us some history of the White House. The most fascinating was that every president planted a tree in the lawn. We saw Andrew Jackson's tree, it was enormous, and John F. Kennedy's tree. The president chooses the type of tree they would like planted.

We love the experiences we are getting with this assignment and hope to share a few more with all of you before we leave.