To Nur-ser-y We Go!

 My kids are getting bigger.  This little stinker went to nursery for the first time on Sunday and it was fabulous.  My diaper bag was about 20 lbs. lighter without snacks and toys for the extra 2 hours of entertainment I am used to giving.

The report was that she did great for the first half hour or so, but started crying when the music leader left.  So the leaders went and got Ben to sit with her for the rest of the time.  (To be honest, I think she would've been fine.  Ben said she wasn't even crying when he went in.)  But I'm so grateful for her nursery leaders.  They are awesome.

I'm not one of those parents who coddles their young ones when it's nursery time.  I figure that having an attitude like "Hey, this is a new and exciting thing.  It's going to be different, but it will be great!  See you in a while, have fun!" probably works out better than "I'm nervous about you being ok, so I'm going to hover and make you feel insecure."  We'll see.  I just really believe that kids can sense your attitude about things even if you never say anything.  I've found it to be true with babies that if you are feeling stressed and insecure then they do too and it turns into a vicious cycle.  I'm thinking that makes it true for all little kids.  What's not to love about nursery?

And this little fella started Sunbeams at the beginning of the year, but we were visiting Grandma and Grandpa in Utah still, so we never got a picture!

He looks so tall to me all of a sudden.

I just absolutely love Emerson's Sunbeam teacher.  Even when he talks in a loud voice and can't stay in his chair with his apparently spring-loaded bottom, she stays calm and cracks up at him at the same time.  I love her.  I think he's adjusting pretty well.  The first week I took him in he looked like he was about to cry for a few seconds, but then realized he was a big boy like the rest of the Primary kids and did great.  I've had to talk to him about being a boy during Primary though because he loves to pretend he's a puppy or a train and that can get slightly disruptive.  So I've uttered phrases like, "Ok, let's use your reverent whistle" or "Trains fold their traction rods for the prayer" or "Puppies have to have their bottoms glued to their seat".  I loved peeking in and watching him pump his arms like traction rods to the tempo of the song.  (For those of you with interests other than trains, traction rods are those bar things that go across the wheels of a train.)  It cracked me up because the look on his face was intense.  Be the train, you are the train.

I wish I could've looked forward in time as a teenager to see all the ridiculous/gross things that are part of my life.  I love it though.  Like sincerely, I do.

Here are the outtake pictures of Sammi.  She's a difficult one to get to sit still.

Here she is, just being a little person.  I don't know why that cracks me up.  I guess it's just so rare that little kids stand still with their arms to the side?  My mom understands me, even if no one else does.