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Wednesday, August 19, 2009

First Day of Kindergarten

Well, Christopher is now officially in Kindergarten! We woke up before the sun did this morning (about 5:45am) and started getting ready! Christopher was so excited, he was bouncing around the house! He helped Daddy fix breakfast and we all sat at the table together! Christopher had cinnamon toast and Dinosaur oatmeal!

After breakfast, I helped Christopher put on his uniform and we took some pictures before leaving the house. His backpack was a little heavy because of all the supplies, so Daddy carried the backpack and Christopher carried his lunch box! We got a few pictures with his backpack on, but it didn't last long. ;)

Since Daddy needed to go to work after we took Christopher to school, Mommy and Daddy drove both cars. Christopher rode with Daddy this morning. And let's just say, it was a good thing! As I was driving, my heart was full, and so I began to pray. I thanked God for Christopher and for Mrs. A, asked God to help Christopher make good choices, and generally prayed for Mrs. A, Christopher & his classmates, and the year they had ahead of them. Somewhere during this prayer, the tears began to fall. There was no use trying to stop them, it was useless! So, my prayer took a new direction, as I asked God to keep me from crying in front of Christopher. I didn't want him to think I was sad about him going to Kindergarten or to think it was a bad thing. He's very sensitive to others when they cry and I didn't want him worrying about me. God very graciously answered my prayer!

After taking the now traditional family photo outside the Commons, we found Mrs. A's room and helped Christopher put away his school supplies. We also got a special picture of Christopher with his teacher! Then, we went outside to the playground where the rest of the kids were. We waited there until Mrs. A came to pick up the class. Christopher walked in, sat at his seat, and immediately began working on the paper in front of him (all the while paparazzi mom was taking photos). He knew exactly what to do - and some of the other kids began following suit.

The only thing he said to me was, "I thought you were going to sub at my school, Mommy." I told him I would, but not today. He seemed satisfied with this answer and went back to his work. Daddy and I hung out against the wall and watched him work for awhile. It was apparently much harder on us than it was Christopher! :) I wanted to turn into a fly right then so I could hang out on the wall and watch my precious son all day...but, I had things to do, and so did he! So, as some of the other parents began to make their way out of the room, David and I reluctantly followed.

I called Gran & Pop when I got back to my car to tell them about Christopher's morning (since they live so far away). Grandma Jansen was still in the hospital, so I went by her room and showed her the pictures on my camera from First Look last night and from today. She loved all of them (except maybe the ones where I accidentally snapped a mom who walked in front of my camera just as I was snapping away)! :)


At lunchtime, I came to eat lunch with Christopher. He said, "Mommy, what did you tell me? Did you say you were going to come pick me up at lunchtime?" When I told him I was just comming to eat with him, he said he wanted to go with me. I reminded him that if he did, he'd miss out on recess and our after-school ice cream treat. Since ice cream is pretty much his currency, he decided he'd stay the rest of the day!



After school, we went to the Cafe' with his friend Emily from PK4 and her mommy. I started the tradition last year of having ice cream together in the Cafe' after the first day of school. It's a good time to sit down and talk about his very first day of school. Emily's mom was so sweet - she paid for our ice cream! What a treat! :) Last year, after school, Emily's mom (Maureen) and I would take the kids to the playground to play. Emily has a big sister in Middle School, so we go to the playground to wait until MS is out. Maureen and I got to be good friends as we talked while we watched our kids play! Emily and Christopher are in different classes this year, but the friendships still are strong! As the saying goes, "Make new friends but keep the old, one is silver and the other is gold!" :)

When David and I asked Christopher what he did today, his reply was, "Nothing. We just sat around all day!" Oh my...that kid can come up with some real doozies sometimes! Last week, he told me he could be the boss now because he went to "cowedge" (college)! I'd told him several weeks ago that he couldn't be the boss because you had to go to college to be the boss...so the stinker filed that information away and came up with it just when he needed it most! It reminds me of when he was about 2 years old (give or take a few months) and he kept pointing at everything in the store and saying, "Mine!" My friend Robyn told him he had to have money if he wanted it to be his, so he very promptly stuck out his chubby little hand to me and said, "Mommy, I need money!" Then when she told him he need a job to make money, he said, "Awww Man! I need a job!" I think David and I are gonna need a lot of prayer for wisdom as we raise this one! He's a quick thinker, that's for sure! :)

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

A First Look at Kindergarten!

I can not believe that I'm writing this already...but my little boy is going to be a big Kindergartener starting tomorrow! WOW! Time really flies by! It seems like just a few days ago we got the call that we'd been matched with his birth parents, and only yesterday that we brought him home from the hospital! But now, he's a big boy!

Tonight, Christopher's school had what they call "First Look" - which is basically a time to find out where his room will be and meet his teacher before school officially begins! I actually met his teacher, Mrs. A, about 10 years ago when I started my teaching career at that very school (different building, but same school)! During my 2nd year of teaching, I had the pleasure of teaching Kindergarten along with her...and she taught me so much about the profession! It was, by far, my favorite year of teaching! Now, Christopher has the opportunity to learn from Mrs. A, too! :)

I was also pleasantly surprised to realize that so many of my friends with kids Christopher's age are also in Mrs. A's class! I was also surprised to realize that none of Christopher's classmates from PK4 are in his class this year...but, I know that God is giving Christopher the opportunity to grow and make new friends! Some of his Kinder classmates are also his friends at church, so there were some familiar faces in the classroom for him, too! :) I think it's going to be a great year for him! =)

After First Look, we came home, Christopher took a bath, then we read a bedtime story & had a family prayer time (Christopher requested that I pray first, Daddy pray next, and he would pray last), and he went to bed with visions of Kindergarten dancing in his head. ;) I've checked his backpack to make sure all his supplies are ready for the morning, and I'm about to join David in bed so we can all get up at "Oh Dark Thirty" in the morning and be ready for our traditional 1st Day of School Family Drop-off! What that means is that all three of us will get up, get ready, and go to school on the first day. After that, David will take him to school an I'll pick up...unless I'm substitute teaching, then I'll do both! :)

For some reason, I'm a little more emotional about Kindergarten than I was about PK4. On his first day of PK4, I didn't cry...didn't even tear up. But, there's just something about realizing he's in "Big Boy School" (uniforms and all) that pulls at my heart strings...and I'm afraid I might not be quite as strong! We'll see...I'll let you know how it goes! :)