It’s Official…

 

We officially have a 2015-2016 Conroe ISD – Broadway Elementary Star student at home now.

I registered Erin for Kindergarten yesterday.  They have designated days to register for the Kindergarten Round-up and I found out they also have dedicated times!  Yikes!  Luckily, I pulled up right under the wire.  I had what I thought was all the paperwork with me then I realized I had forgotten the water bill.  (Yes, you have to show them a utility bill with the parent’s name on it to prove residency.)  Anyway, thankfully we’re right there so I just popped home and grabbed it and got back there just as registration was wrapping up.

They offered to let me fill the form out written or online.  I opted for the online version and I’m glad I did.  It took me a good 30 minutes to go thru the questionnaire and answer all the redundant questions.  I’m not sure why they ask for my phone number 10 different times, but they now have it. 

Last night I told her that I registered her to go to the big school next year.  I told her I had to fill out lots of papers to get her signed up.  She immediately ran to the backdoor so she could see the school and wanted to go over there to look.  Luckily they had given me a packet of 2014-2015 stuff so we went thru it like it was the Declaration of Independence.  (I guess in a way, it was!)

We’re excited about the school too.  I found a website that rated them and Broadway gets and A rating.  The highest is A+, but none of the surrounding elementariness got A+’s.  I think the class size has something to do with it.  There has been a population boom in our area and the size of the classrooms has exploded.  The article said that Broadway will reach capacity in a year or two so they have some of the larger class sizes.  I can live with an A rather than A+ rating.  I know Erin is going to be like a little sponge and soak it all up. 

The only downer was the form itself.  I got to a section that nearly broke my heart.  It’s the demographics section.  It asked questions like whether we had electricity and running water in the home.  It asked if we live in a tent, car or abandoned building.  It was so sad.  The worst part was the suburban guilt knowing that the kids that go to this school mainly live in our neighborhood and a couple of them surrounding our hood.  They all live in nice brick houses and I assume they have running water and lights.  I was also shocked by the number of language choices there were on the form.  I was expecting English, Spanish and maybe an Asian language or two.  No, there were about 40 language choices and half of them I didn’t even recognize!

While I was there, another woman was signing her daughter up.  The little girl was super excited and stood at the glass double door entrance to the school and watched the kids go to lunch.  She asked a 1,000 questions and was just as excited as Erin would be.  Her name was Paisley.  Cute kid too!  Maybe she and Erin will be in the same class.  Her mom and I bonded over lengthy forms and computer issues with the school laptops!

It felt great to sign her up.  I’m actually excited about school clothes shopping for her.  She loves to wear dresses and skirts and refuses to wear jeans or anything with buttons on it.  I’m wondering if that will change once we get to school…  I’ll order her school supplies thru the PTO.  They put together the packets of exactly what each grade needs and sell them as a fund raiser.  They deliver them to the classroom on the first day of school and the kids have exactly what they need.  I was looking forward to having her pick out folders and junk like that.  I will probably still take her to do it anyway.  And, there is always the major decision of which lunchbox to select.

It was a good and exciting day in the Mize household.  Mission accomplished.

Getting Big…

 

This week we register Erin for Kindergarten.  I can’t believe she’s already starting K-garten.  People tell you that the time goes by quickly, but when you’re in the moment of being a new parent you just don’t understand.  Now I get it.  I’m so excited that I got her paperwork ready 2 months ago when I found out when Kindergarten Round-up was! 

I wouldn’t go back to the baby days for anything.  I loved Erin then, but she is so much more fun now.  She has a sparky spunky personality and I can’t wait for her to start school and make friends.

I think the best part of Kindergarten will be the raise we get from the daycare!!!  It’s unreal how much we pay a year.  Although we’ve had a great experience at Gateway to Learning and we couldn’t have picked a better school for Erin, I’m glad it’s coming to an end.  She’s ready for a new challenge and new friends.  Every time we drive by Broadway Elementary she tells me that is where Jake goes to school and her and Luke will be going there too.  (The school is literally behind our house, so we pass it several times a day.  And yes, we hear about it every time!)

Instead of Gateway, we’re going to sign her up for the YMCA program after school.  The school is so close to the house and Daddy and Pawpaw are going to cut a gate thru the fence this month.  We’ll walk to school this year on pretty days.  (I have a feeling some of the neighbors will be using the gate too!) 

The YMCA has a great reputation. I have a friend from work who sends her kids there and another friend who uses a YMCA program at a different school.  They rave about it.  I called to find out when we can enroll and they gave me a rundown of the program.  They have counselors that watch the kids until 6:30 if you need.  They set up centers and have a homework area so that they can do homework or play.  Hmmmm… wonder which Erin will do! 

The Y is a fraction of the daycare money.  Our plan is to try it out for a while, but if we can pull it off with our schedules, we might just skip the after school and pick her up when the bell rings.  Tommy and I both work from home now, but we’re just not sure if it will work long term.  My appointments are sometimes long in the afternoon and I still have work to do when I get home.  Tommy has meetings at various times and has to go out of town.  We always have the Gram and Pawpaw Back-Up Plan, but for now we’ll try the Y.

Big changes coming to the Mize household and we’re excited.

Me and My Shadow…

 

A couple of snaps from Easter morning.

 

Bluebonnet Pictures 2015 (Minerva)

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

Easter at Aunt Lolo’s 2015

 

We made our traditional trek to Minerva to stay with Aunt Lolo this weekend for Easter.  The kids had a blast as usual.  Pawpaw hauled Erin’s Gator up there and she and William rode their cars for hours.  (I don’t remember having toys like this growing up!)

Saturday was the big egg hunt and dinner.  Sunday was church and getting home.  We had to hurry to catch that tiny window where Erin might nap but that it wouldn’t be too late!  We made it.  We got in a 30 minute nap on the way home.

Here are some pics from the weekend. 

Oh, and we got in our Bluebonnet pictures.  No, the kids are not dressed up, but they turned out great anyway.  The little patch we found was perfect with the woods and the barbed wire fence in the background.  Very rustic!