Kindergarten

The last week of August was a big one for us. Xavier and Bennett faced a humungo milestone - their first day of Kindergarten...and I'm delighted to say that they both made the transition better than I could have hoped. I don't think I give them nearly enough credit for adapting to new situations. I'm writing this post at the beginning of their third week, and I'm still happily surprised that they're doing so well with their new routine. What isn't surprising is how much they love going. I knew they would. What 5/6 year old boys don't like being around a bunch of other kids their own age and learning? These are the easy 'school years', I'm imagining. And I plan to enjoy every second of that.

Ben's first day was Monday, August 24. It was a just a 1/2 day from 8:25-11:30, helping the kids (and the parents?! ;-) adjust for the full days ahead. He picked out his outfit the night before.

 

 

He said - "MOM! Take a picture like this, I want to see how my backpack looks." (Complete with require ID tag from the school :-)

 

 

 

Here's Bennett, figuring out the whole "where do I go every morning?" business. This is in front of our church (which is right next door to his school), and I think he was confused, because when we go to Mass, we park in a different lot. Hehe.

 

He requested I take this picture too.

 

Clara and Ben. Clara has been so wonderful looking after Ben and making his transition smooth. She's in second grade, but they eat lunch and have recess at the same time. Clara also keeps an eye on him in the gym after school, where all the "pick-up" kids wait for their parents to come collect them. Love that girl.

 

Here's Bennett strangling Gabe. With Avery and Cooper as witnesses.

 

 

Waiting at his table for his teacher, Mrs. Williams, to come get him and his classmates, Cooper, and Linus.

 

And off to class he goes!!

 

His first day was super. Heck, his first weeks have been super! I'm sooo glad we made the decision to have him go to Kindergarten this year (even though he's a "young 5", with a June birthday). Preschool would have just been way too repetitive for him. He loves school and is ready for the challenge of making new friends and learning new things.

 

 

Xavier's big first day came on Thursday, August 27th. Here he is, all dressed up for the occasion. Notice the look goes from "unsure to ecstatic".

 

 

 

We dropped off Bennett first (as is our routine everyday), and then drove over to X's school (its close, you can see Hazel Harvey Elementary from the parking lot of SPPS, and viceversa.) I had just moved him from his carseat to his wheelchair, and he was not too sure about everything.

 

But then some kids went by, and a bus pulled up (he likes to hear the big diesel engine), and that made everything better.

 

 

After that, I pushed him to his Kindergarten classroom and helped his paraprofessional, Lauren, get him set up for the morning. He needed a little music to get him settled down (he was unsure and anxious, which came out as whining.) Here is a picture I quickly took as I left. Just look at him gazing up adoringly at Lauren and holding her hand.

 

Xavier had a super first day. Unbeatable, really. We knew he'd love school, but the overwhelmingly positive experience he's having and the enthusiasm of the school/teachers/paraprofessionals to support him through all the challenges to come has really exceded our expectations.

Can't believe both my boys are in all-day elementary school. This is nuts. As an aside, all of you might be wondering what I'm doing with all my "free time". Well, to start, I'm tackling every organizational/thorough cleaning project I've looked at over the past six years and said..."Um, yeah...I'll have to get to that later." After that's all said and done (which I'm projecting will take another couple of weeks from now - HA!), I'm not sure what the plan is. Read ... Search for/listen to awesome old/new music ... Have lunch with friends ... Learn more about photography, for sure. The list goes on and on. And on. And on. And on. :-)