Preschool is all set up. It is a private, Christian preschool. We would not qualify for the free preschool through the district and this is a bit cheaper than the district preschool option.. plus we don’t have to wait to find out if we qualify for this.
We went to meet with the teacher today and ended up staying for about an hour. Her grandkids and niece’s daughter were there too and Ilya and Lena were just having a lot of fun playing. Ilya had been hesitant to begin with, so I wanted him to remember having a good time with the other kids. I think Lena is going to be very upset that she doesn’t get to go, but she still has another year before she starts kindergarten and I don’t really want to juggle taking them both (one would be in the morning and one in the afternoon) and the cost for both of them. I think we’ll probably send her when she’s 4, too.
When we asked Ilya yesterday about going to school and what he thought, he told us “Maybe later.”
We’ve also been talking to Ilya about his name and what he wants us to call him. He seems to be leaning towards “Reed”. I am not sure if it’s because it’s a new name to him, or if he’s tired of people mispronouncing Ilya (he’s corrected people before). He told me twice that he wanted the teacher to call him Reed, so that is what she’s going to do. He also said he wants me to call him Reed, but I’m having a hard time getting used to it. When I asked Lena what she wanted to be called, she told me “Reed.” When I told her that wasn’t an option, she decided to stick with Lena.
Now that we’ve set it up, I’m not so sure that Ilya needs preschool. He might have to teach the class himself. Here is a video of him reading to Lena… it was a bit longer, but Flickr cuts if off at 90 seconds…
a moose in moscow 
Be still my ♥. They are so adorable! Glad you found a preschool that you are happy with. He will soar.We can't figure sidereel out at all, I think we are too old to be hip. LOL Also, wondered if at your embassy appt you get a record of the kids shot records and if they had all that are required by our state for school?
Having just gone through our first year of school via the public school Pre-K, I have lots of opinions on this one:) First, my personal opinion is that it's very important to give kids all the love and security they need, and then they will fly when it's the right time. This year Tug went to Pre-K but he begged me to go and was very ready. He's 5 though and down here they wouldn't let him go to Kindergarten since he turned 5 a few weeks after school started. He was by far the most advanced kid in his class and was in his own ability group for reading. He never got bored though and loved the artistic and social aspects of school. Eli is registered for Pre-K in the fall but he doesn't want to go. And I'm not going to push him to go either. In my opinion, his resistance to going means that right now, he just needs more time at home with me. And I will gladly give him that knowing that he will blossom when it's time. This is all just my personal approach to parenting but I thought I'd share it with you in case it could be helpful:) I have no doubt that Ilya (or Reed) will do amazingly well in school. He is such a smart boy!