Preschool Orientation

So, for quite a while now I've had preschool on my mind. I have a friend who I grew up with that lives pretty close to me now. She has taken all of her kids to Miss Kathryn's Apple Preschool and I had read on her blog that Miss Kathryn is the best. (Thanks for the awesome reference, Jenni) So, I got her number and called with intentions of maybe getting a spot in her preschool class for NEXT YEAR. Well, when I talked to Kathryn she mentioned that she does a 3 year old class and almost always all of those 3 year olds move up to her 4 year old class so its seldom that she has an opening. Then she asked if I was interested in starting Kelsie in the 3 year old class this year. I probably sounded so dumb on the phone because the thought never crossed my mind. She said that she had one spot left but was waiting on another family to see if their kid was going to take it. Honestly I didn't think it would work out but I told her to call me just in case it did. I was SHOCKED when 4 days later she called me and said that there was a spot open for us. I wasn't even prepared for it. So many thoughts and emotions went through my head. I was a true basket case the next couple days. I was feeling excited because I knew it would be so good for Kels but at the same time sad because me baby is growing up. Three sounded so little to begin school but then again its only for a couple hours two days a week. That's a good way to ease her into the school schedule. I convinced myself (with help from family) that it would be an amazing opportunity for Kelsie and that we had to do it. But then I got stuck with the fact that it is only a couple hours 2x a week. I didn't know how to do it out since I work full time. After a ton of stress (and tears) things fell right into place. It worked out that Grandpa Jerry would have time to take her to preschool each morning and then I would pick her up on my lunch break and take her to Gay's. I knew it would be a crazy schedule but that Kels would benefit so much from it. Thank goodness for Grandpa Jerry because otherwise there's no way it would have ever worked out.
These pictures were of Kelsie after preschool orientation. She had ironically made that hat that says school is cool just the day before at Gay's. Meeting Miss Kathryn was awesome. Kelsie was exactly as I predicted. Her shyness kicked in full force and and she wouldn't talk or even look at Miss Kathryn. Luckily Larry was able to go as well and he played with Kelsie in the play room to familiarize her with everything while I spoke with Kathryn. I know that the first day of school is going to be hard on Kels but I'm looking forward to her meeting new friends her age. Don't get me wrong, Gay has been- and still is- AMAZING. I will always consider her one of Kelsie's other moms. She has taught my kiddo so much! That's why I am willing to take upon this CRAZY schedule so Kelsie can have the best of everything. Just wish us luck...
 

Living Planet Aquarium

I love that we live so close to the Living Planet Aquarium. There are so many cool things to see there. We hadn't been in quite a while and I was wanting to take Kels and check out the penguins again. That morning I pulled up their website to see what time they open. I clicked on a link happened to read about the Penguin Encounters. Instantly I was hooked and wanted to do it so bad. I called in and they had 2 spots left. It was meant to be.

So here's the real scoop with the penguin encounters. I didn't completely understand it just by reading on their website. They only do it once a day at 1pm Friday-Wednesday. Only 8 people are allowed to do it at a time. Its kind of expensive and if you don't have a membership you have to pay to get into the aquarium as well. So at 1pm everyone meets with an employee and they take you behind the scenes. First you get to watch a really cheesy safety video. Then you get all bundled up. If you didn't bring a coat they have a some that you can borrow. Trust me, you'll need it. Its freezing in there. You also need closed toe shoes (for obvious reasons as shown in the video below. Luckily Kels & I were both ok in the shoe department but we did need coats. Then they walk you by all the birds, parrots, macaws, etc that they take around to schools for educational purposes. You also get to see the HUGE tanks of water that they  mix and maintain daily for the penguins. Then you walk up some stairs and they open the door to a little mud room. There is an L shaped bench that everyone sits on. Then they open the door to the penguin exhibit. The penguins are not required to come in and visit. Its only if they want to. Some of them are more outgoing than others. Ghostwriter was by far the most friendly and curious. He stayed in our room almost the whole time. He's also the one chomping on my foot in the video below. You're not allowed to touch the penguins because they relate hands to feeding time and will bite you. You only stay in the room for about 30 minutes- which I thought was about perfect. Sure I could have stayed in there and watched them for hours but it is cold and you do have to hold pretty still the whole time. I think Kelsie really enjoyed it. Truthfully, I was watching another penguin in the room when Ghostwriter munched on her foot first. It doesn't hurt but it definitely startled her. She curled up on my lap and then did fine the rest of the time. She especially cracked up when he chomped on my foot instead.