First Day of First Grade

Vincent- Six years old
School: South Elementary
Year: First Grade
Teacher: Miss Pike (first year teacher!)

Vince couldn't have been more ready to go back to school. He is such a social kid and he needed to get back to being with peers each day. Kate was going to do formal preschool but I decided it was just too much to handle all of the pick up/drop off times with a new baby. Instead she and I have been doing our own little preschool and I love it more than I would have guessed. She definitely misses out on the social aspect, but I love the personal time we get to spend together as we review various curriculum and then have fun with art projects and baking. Drew tags along with whatever we do. I am surprised by how big and capable he is getting. These kids are growing up at an alarming rate!

John Ball Zoo

It's no secret that I'm a thrifty lady. I like to save my pennies but that doesn't mean I want to miss out on all the fun. Grand Rapids has been so good to me on this account. We can always find subsidized activities through the Fredrick Meijer family, the DeVos family, Amway, and more. This Summer we hit the jackpot with kids day at the John Ball Zoo.

I felt like a total champ taking the kids out on my own. I rely heavily on Paul but I'm in this sweet stage where the kids are pretty responsible and Andrew only has one nap a day. So I braved the city on my own and it was a great adventure. The kids were a bit spooked by the howler monkeys, they got a great view of the Tiger's walking around their enclosure, the playground was a total hit, and we enjoyed lots of complimentary snacks and prizes throughout the zoo. I was prepared for a total let down since I'm accustomed to the Toledo Zoo... but I've come to find out that a zoo is a zoo and it's just fun to be outside and see animals with the people I love the most.