Carson's Last Day at JCS

Carson will be going to a new daycare in a couple weeks. We had to say goodbye to JCS today. He can't start the new daycare until he turns one in two weeks, but we would have had to pay for a full month at JCS, so we are going to improvise with the grandparents' help. We had mostly pros over the last year and a just a couple cons. We loved the teachers and facilities. I know he was loved and well taken care of. Also, it was very close to mine and Darrin's offices, which was convenient and comforting to have him nearby. The major con was that I felt like it was run more like a school (they also have K-12) without the daycare in mind. The daycare/school was closed for spring break, fall break, teacher planning days, etc. And, sometimes I felt like the teachers were inconsistent in the afternoon b/c again, after the school closed at 3pm, it was treated like an after school program (which also costed more). Just two cons, and thankfully the most important things like health, love, and safety were all perfect.

The lead teacher, Ms. Kristen, sent an email with these sweet words that definitely made me tear up.

It is with a sad heart that I say goodbye to Carson this year. I will admit from the beginning he has been something special to all of us. I will miss his easygoing attitude and big smile.  We get a big kick out of how fast he wants to eat.  He has come so far during our time together.  I have also enjoyed getting to know your family and look forward to running into you as the years go by. 

She also sent a link to almost 300 pictures that she took of Carson's first year. I think that is amazing that she kept pictures for every child and organized them to send to each of us. Wow! She was so personable and easy to communicate with. The teachers were absolutely perfect. He had a bunch, but we loved Ms. Sarah...

Ms. Amanda...

...and Ms. June. I can't say enough about Ms. June. She was so kind and loving. She was so happy to see Carson every morning. She was on vacation this week, so we mailed her a note with this picture. We all will miss her.

I knew JCS wasn't a long term commitment for us, so I didn't let myself get too attached. It was still a little sad today b/c milestones like this with kids are always sad. Carson will start his new daycare, Presbyterian Day School (PDS), two weeks from Monday. I've heard great things about it. It sounds a lot like Miles' daycare, which was amazing. We wanted to get Carson into PDS b/c he will grow up with kids that he will eventually go to school with. It's also quite a bit cheaper and that doesn't hurt my feelings at all. So, while we hated saying goodbye to wonderful teachers at JCS, I am very excited about the future at PDS.

I'll leave you with a few pics from Carson's first year! From all the smiles, I'd say he had a pretty great year.

 

 

Less Words Wednesday

After a year of talking about it, we finally bought the supplies to try a big slip and slide for the hill in our backyard. Miles and his best friend, Mason, had fun playing on Sunday. I think it was fun, but didn't live up to the hype. Maybe with more friends, more soap, or rafts to slide on, it might be more fun. After 45 minutes, they said the water was cold and the grass at the end was scratching them so they went inside. We'll try again another day. There friendship sure is sweet though.

Randomness from Today

Carson was pretty inconsolable during the night. Usually not sleeping well = sickness. He hasn't really been sick, but over the last week he's had a bunch of unrelated symptoms. The only one that I couldn't explain away was hoarseness. Since he was so upset last night, I decided to take him to the doctor to be sure he didn't have strep or something. I thought it was unlikely, but I can be too laid back at times regarding sickness, so I thought we better at least call. The nurse thought I should bring him in for a quick look. He loved the monkey mural on the wall.

She said his throat was red, but that it looked viral as opposed to bacterial. From the looks of it, she said that it was probably hurting him. Hopefully he's on the end of it now since it's been around 5 days already. We left the doctor and picked up Miles on the way home. Then, it was pancakes and sausage for dinner. Everyone was excited about that. Miles and I both got the giggles at dinner. Lots of laughs were had. I was laugh-crying before it was all said and done. 

I am in the process of redoing Carson's high chair (which has gone terribly wrong...a story for another day b/c I am not happy about it at all) so he just roamed the floor while we ate. We reached down and gave him a bite every now and then :)

We did finally give him 2 jars of baby food b/c she said soft and cold would be best for his throat. We've been trying to get away from baby food, but clearly he still loves it. He gobbled it up.

Our long summer days have been fun. A little more chill and less structured. We have been glued to the College World Series for weeks. We let Miles fall asleep watching it on the coach. That's what summers are for, right?

Privacy?

No privacy with this guy around. Reminds me of his brother (here) when he was little.

Fussy Baby

Daycare text around 4 this afternoon to say that Carson had a slight fever and just didn't feel good. She told me not to rush, but said that she thought I would want to come get him. It was no surprise b/c he hasn't felt good all week. He's had a low fever, nasty diapers, and has been in a cranky mood really since he had his surgery last week. I think the two are unrelated, but regardless, we are ready for him to feel better. After his bath, Darrin said that he thought his hair should match his mood.

It didn't stop him from playing with every toy in the house tonight.

He has teeth coming in everywhere and is drooling like crazy. Hopefully it's all from teething and he'll be back to his cheerful self soon.

Wordless Wednesday

 

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to our protector, navigator, breakfast maker, handy man, lawn boy, DJ, heavy lifter, top shelf getter, and so much more. You share the load around our house so well and I could not do it without you. Thanks for always bringing the fun to our family and helping us not take life too seriously. Thank you for being the calm to my crazy and always reminding me of what is truly important. Thank you for living a life that is worthy of imitation. Thank you for pointing our boys to Jesus. I am thankful they have you for a role model. We love you!