Bode's Kindergarten Graduation!

I can't believe Kindergarten is over and Bode is starting 1st grade (he has started)!

We had the best year! Bode had an amazing teacher that he loved so much. Mrs. Becky was fabulous and so were all of her helpers. Besides the bus incident, we couldn't have asked for better.

Bode did awesome at Graduation. He actually wore his cap, this is a first! He looked like one cute kid in it. They all got to pick a song to sing and Bode participated in all of the songs, which is pretty awesome too, he usually won't do this for a crowd.

Each child was given an award, Bode was given the Show and Tell Award. Bode loved to bring Show and Tell, not just on Fridays, but everyday! He brought something to school everyday. His teachers were so great to let him bring things, he didn't even take it out of his backpack, he just wanted to bring it and leave it in his backpack.

Bode and Mrs. Becky! Love that smile, so cute!

This is Bode and a student helper

Bode and Mrs. Danielle, she was so awesome too!

Off to 1st grade we go! Thanks for a great year!

4th grade!

Our little guy has started 4th grade! I can't believe it! I want to Cooper to stay at this age for another 2 years. He is at the perfect age, he still loves me, he still listens, he isn't too emotional yet, and he is just a good kid all around.

He is excited for his class this year, I think he knows every person in his class which makes it very nice for him and for me. There were no tears the first day, which there usually is. The first day of school is usually pretty scary for Coop and this year he had no problem. I keep telling him that 4th grade is pretty awesome! He is going to learn about Utah and it is the grade before things get too serious, it will be a good year for him.

Cooper and Luke on the first day of school

I usually take a picture of each of my kids on the first day in front of the house, this year I have been pretty bad. I took this picture on the 2nd or 3rd day of school which is still okay, right?

Good luck Cooper!

Bus

Okay, this is story that I have contemplated posting about, it is one that has ripped me apart and made me so frustrated, sad, angry, angry and angry! But, I am hoping one day, it may be a story we will laugh about, probably not for a long time, but hopefully. It happened over 2 months ago and I am finally to the point where I don't start to tear up, or start to shake when telling it. But I need to remember it (not like I am going to forget it, but just in case).

So here it is....

Back in September when Bode started Kindergarten, we were excited for him to start a new adventure. With that excitement came nervousness and everything that comes with your child starting a new school year. Bode does not do well with changes, he actually does awful with changes, so I know this was going to be a BIG adjustment for him. We were excited to know that he would be in a class with a wonderful teacher (she is amazing, he has always had wonderful teachers). That made the transition a little easier. With the classroom being new, there is also a new bus to ride on. The first couple days were very traumatic for Bode. There was a little boy that screamed the whole bus ride that really freaked Bode out, he did not want to get on the bus. And when he got on the bus, he moved himself clear to the back of the bus so he did not have to sit by this little boy. There alone made me feel bad about putting him on the bus, but I had to. Bode will be riding the bus for a LONG time and he needed to get use to it. Well the little boys crying shortened a little more each day. Finally Bode was finally getting use to going on the bus. Relief.

Well, the next week Bode got on the bus at his regular time. Off he went to school. Time passes and passes...the door bell rings, (3 hours after Bode left for school) it was Bode and his bus driver. Hummm...I thought, I asked "Why is Bode home, was it short day, did something happen?" The bus driver responded "No, the school called and wanted me to swing by and bring Bode home." Hummmm...weird, but okay. Bode comes in and of course I call the school to find out what is going on. The school answers, I say, "I am just wondering why Bode is home from school, was it short day, or something happen?" They responded, "Bode? Bode hasn't been to school all day, we have him down as an absent." Me: "What?" tears start coming, I am really freaked out at this point. ME: "Well where has he been?" So at that point the school called transportation trying to figure out what happened. No answer, finally they called me back and we discussed what had happened. I am really not going to go into detail of the conversations we had the next day or so, the transportation ended up working things out with us and there really is no reason to get into that. But to answer a few questions that may arise, here are a few answers.

Where was Bode for the 3 hours that he was on the bus:

Bode got picked up from our house, he is first. The bus driver then made the rounds and picked up all the kids. The driver drives to the school. All the kids get out of the bus. Bode stays on. Bus driver does not walk the bus therefore he does not see Bode on the bus. I am not sure if Bode had fallen asleep or what, but Bode did not get of the bus. The driver then says that he went to the transportation garage, ate lunch and read. The time came for the drivers next pickup and that is when he/she realizes that Bode is still on the bus. The driver freaks out, brings Bode home, makes up a story and leaves.

Was Bode alone on the bus for some of that time?

We are not sure, but we are guaranteeing that he was. Bode probably did fall asleep for the first 45 minutes, but for the next 2 hours 15 minutes he had to have been awake. And if he was awake, the bus driver would have noticed him. But since he was alone on the bus, nobody noticed him. This leads to so many more what if's, that we just can't even go there....we are so glad that he is safe.

Is Bode okay?

Well, besides the traumatizing effect of being on a bus for 3 hours, he is okay. We feel very strong that it was a BIG mistake and the driver did not handle the situation like they should have. Bode seemed fine when he got home, just a little dirty from all of the dust on the bus and everything checked out okay at the doctor. The fact that he did not want to get on that bus for at least 2 weeks was a little difficult. I felt as if I shouldn't be sending him on the bus again. But again, he will be riding the bus for a long time and it is something we have to get use to.

What happened to the driver?

I am not sure, I know that he/she is still driving. I was running about 1 1/2 months ago and there was a bus pulled over to the side of the road (6:15 am) and I looked up and it was the driver. My heart started pounding and I felt all the emotions that I felt on that day. This was the first time I had see the driver since this all happened. So yes, I believe they still have a job, which I am glad for. I don't want anyone loosing their job during these times, but I sure hope that he/she is not driving special needs kids that cannot communicate.

Did he get a new bus driver?

YES! That is the one request we had. We did get a new bus driver and they are amazing! We love them and we love the driver that brings him home. I feel very comfortable putting my son on the bus with them. He is now to the point where he loves (well most of the time) to get on the bus and go to school. Happy times!

So that is my crazy story, not one that I enjoyed one bit! But like I said before, we know Bode was okay and it could have been much worse, so we are grateful for that. The things that Bode puts us through and the experiences we have with him I guess they make us stronger people. The long nights, the early mornings, the making quesadilla after quesadilla, the taking him to the potty, the screaming, the stubbornness, the language barrier, the messes, etc, etc...don't even match to the huge smile, the giggles, the dancing, the loves, the kisses, the snuggling, the "No's", the sweet little hands, the singing, the playing and all the joys he brings to our family. There are days, probably at least one or two a week, that I just say..."Do I have to do it, I can't do it today!" And then he will do that little something that tells me it is all worth it!

Student of the Month

I have ever mentioned that my Cooper is super sweet, awesome and just an all-around good kid! Well, he is. This month he was chosen to be the Student of the Month out of his class. Each teacher in the school, picks a student to be the Student of the Month out of their class. Each month they have a different value, this month it was Integrity. I think his teacher made a pretty good choice.

Here is Coop getting his award. Doesn't he look so excited to get it? This picture just doesn't show how excited he really was. :)

I am so proud of Cooper and the integrity he shows. He is very honest and always tries his best to make the right choice. Good job Cooper, I am super proud of you!

Jog-A-Thon

This week Cooper participated in his schools Jog-A-thon, the pictures were so cute that I had to post them.

This is right before the long stretch to the finish line.

Here is goes...

Still going....

Almost to the finish...

Cooper and Paul....I love how Paul has his arm around Coop.

Cooper and Ali

Coop did an awesome job, they had to run almost 2 miles and finished a lot quicker than I thought he would. If he is anything like his daddy, he could go far with his running, he is one quick kid. Good work Coop!

Bode starts Kindergarten!

It is that time, Bode is in Kindergarten, wowsers! He hasn't been to school since June so I wasn't sure how he was going to take it. The first day wasn't too bad putting him on the bus, he got on okay and did pretty well for his first day.

Waiting for the bus, not quite sure what is going on.

Bode sees the bus!

Bye, bye Bode!

Bode made it home, it was a nice short day and his teachers said he did great!

If this isn't the old man smile, I don't know what is...:)

Go Buzz! The backpack Bode picked out all by himself.

Well the first day was great! The next two weeks were a roller coaster for Bode. The second day not so great for Bode. I guess there was a little boy on the bus that screamed the whole time, this made it really hard for Bode. It made him super nervous, he wasn't sure what was going on and he was in tears when he got off on the bus at school. He puckered up and had a great day. The next day he would not even get on the bus, he was so nervous. I had to drive him to school and he was doing great until he saw the same little boy and he wanted nothing to do with his class. Each day got a little better, it wasn't so traumatizing every time he had to get on the bus, by Friday he was doing pretty good. but not for long....The next week he had an experience that still breaks my heart and it will for a while, and I am not to sure if I even want to explain that now, so I won't, maybe later.

We hope that it will get better and better for Bode that he may enjoy like he once did. I know he loves school, he has awesome teachers (we have always been blessed with Bode's teacher, they all have been so great!).

Keep it up Bode, you are doing great and it will get better! Pretty soon you will rock that Kindergarten class, just like you did your preschool class!

Catch up Six-Cooper starts 3rd Grade!

Holy cow, my little guy is in 3rd grade! Can time stop right now? I love the age he is at, still so innocent and sweet, but then he is starting find out what he likes and his personality is growing. I love this kid!

I really hate the first day of school, and the first day going back to school after being off track and the night before all of these days. Cooper is a tad bit sensitive and he hates the firsts of everything, his nerves get the best of him. Bless his heart, he gets it from me. We have tears and nervous tummy the night before and after he is actually at school and realizes this is pretty good, he is fine. It is just that initial first day that gets him.

Coop is such a great kid and a great student, lets hope it stays that way. :)

Love ya Coop!

Goin' Buggy!

Cooper had his 2nd grade program last week and it was pretty cute. I managed to make it with both kids with the help of my mom. Thank goodness the program was only about 30 minutes because they wouldn't have lasted longer.

The theme of the program was called "Goin' Buggy" there were cute bugs everywhere! Cooper was a little bee. They sang songs about all the buggy things and did a great job. I really can't believe Coop is in the 2nd grade, it is crazy. He loves it, loves his teacher and he loves all the friends that he has made.

I was able to catch a few shots with the kids actually looking at the camera, smiling, not going to happen.

Cooper and Bode

Bode sure does love his older brother and right back at him, Coop loves him!

Good job Coop! We loved it!

1st Grade..."What a tear jerker!"

Cooper started the big 1st grade yesterday. Well he hasn't been that excited to go to 1st grade, some days he was more excited than others. I thought that we were doing a good job at talking it up and telling him that he was going to have such a great time. But he would keep saying "I am just a little nervous." First let me tell you a few things about Coop's personality. He is super sensitive and very tender. It is very rare that we yell at Cooper because it would just make him cry, but we don't ever have to yell at him because he very rarely does anything that he shouldn't. Just reading the school and classroom rules to him made him quiver inside, I know that I will never have to deal with him being the trouble maker. So back to the story... The day before he started he went and met his teacher and had a little tour of his classroom, I could see that he was still nervous, but being very brave. I continued to talk up 1st grade that night and tried to make him as excited as possible. I thought we were set!
Well the next morning I had to wake him up to get dressed (I never have to wake him up, he is usually awake at the crack of dawn so I should have known this was a sign). Well I was changing Peiton's diaper and he comes in the room just bawling, saying "I don't want to go to school, I am so scared. I don't want to go!" What do you say to your child that is so nervous and scared and you know you have to send him to school? Well I said what I think most parents would (I hope I am not the only one) I said..."Coop it is going to be okay, you will have a great time and when you get home if you can stop crying and be brave, I will take you to Target for a prize." I believe bribery is a great thing at times. Inside my heart was broken, I didn't want to send him to school I just wanted to protect him and take all of his fears away. Well, he calmed down eventually and we were on our way to school soon after. As we walked to school I could just see him holding the tears back. He had the look where his eyes were swelling up and your heart just hurts so bad because the tears just want to come out and your trying so hard to hold them in. I felt awful.
We found his classroom line outside the door and he just stood there nervous, but he was so brave. He did so great, there were no more tears, he stood there quietly not saying a word. I was so proud. He did a lot better than me. My poor cousin Kiley was there to comfort me and I sat there in tears when he wasn't looking. (Thanks Kiley for dealing with the crazy mamma!) I just get so nervous for him, I was the exact same way, but I was even more shy...didn't say a word, I know, hard to believe. After a long day of watching the clock every hour, I met up with him right outside the school and it looked like he did great. He said "it was a little fun." So that is better than not fun at all. And today he did great, a much better day!
It is so weird having my little guy gone all day long, I miss the kid. I am so proud of him and I am so blessed to have such a great little guy. And Bode and Peiton are so lucky to have such a good big brother. Love ya Coop!

A few pics before school. If you look really closely you can see his sad little eyes. O' they break my heart!