First Day of School

Yes, it is November 6th and I am just now getting around to posting the first day of school. But I refuse to give up (although I have been tempted many times) and have simply resorted to taking fewer pictures in an attempt to make it easier on myself. We'll see if it works!!

We had two separate "First Days" since Wyatt started on Tuesday and the Kindergarteners (Sadie) didn't start until Thursday. While I was waiting for Sadie to come out to take pictures, the boys wanted a picture together. (We ordered new glasses for Wyatt and they hadn't come in yet--unfortunately!)

What a smile! You gotta love the two front teeth that are absent.

Finally...all three!

I usually take a picture with Wyatt and our neighbors Lillie and Gracie--but poor Gracie was sick on the first day of school! Can you imagine?

Blake had fun chatting it up with our neighbor Jace

Starting in 2nd grade, the kids at Wyatt's school receive their own 'agendas' in which they write their assignments. We picked up Wyatt's agenda at the school open house when we dropped off all his school supplies and he was so excited to get to have one. So this was his first entry...

Wyatt wrote this during his first day and it made me a bit sad. Wyatt didn't know it at the time, but our closest friends in Woodbury--The Scribners (My good friend Dixie and Wyatt's closest friend Titus) were going to be moving. Dixie's husband got a job promotion and they will be moving to Kansas City, but thankfully not until the end of the school year. Still, though, it makes me so sad as Wyatt and Titus have been in the same class every year and were also in the same group in BSF when they were in preschool. In fact, Dixie and I didn't even know each other that entire year of BSF but I met her when the boys ended up in the same Kindergarten class. So the Lord actually brought us together through the boys, which makes it that much harder that this will be the last year they are together. But as Titus told Wyatt when he told them they were moving, "I don't want to talk about it. We just have to enjoy it while we can"--wise words from a 7-year old.

Two days later, Sadie had her first day. She could not have been more excited! Unfortunately she is in afternoon Kindergarten, so we too these pictures in the morning before Wyatt went to school and then she had to wait until after lunch to get on the bus. I lost track of how many times she asked if it was time to go to school yet. At first I wasn't sure how I felt about afternoon Kindergarten, but I know that of my three kids, Sadie would do best in afternoon. She wasn't anxious about going at all and is GREAT at sleeping in in the morning if she's tired, so I didn't have to worry about her catching up on sleep (Wyatt would take naps at least 3 days/week when he was in Kindergarten). 

(Wyatt wore his old glasses until his new ones came in--boy were these small for his face!)

Seems nearly impossible to get both boys smiling and looking at the camera at the same time

Me and my girl on her first day of Kindergarten

Blake was sick of everyone else going to school, so he made up his mind that he would be joining Sadie....all you need is a backpack, right?

Waiting at Sadie's bus stop

...more waiting on our neighbor's porch...

And she was off...just like that! She saw the bus, gave me a quick kiss and ran onto the bus! I have to admit that I was caught a bit off guard and got teary-eyed. When Wyatt went to Kindergarten, I had to be the strong one and didn't even have time to think about getting emotional because he was so anxious about everything. But with Sadie, she was SO ready to leave that it made me a bit sad. (Thankfully she was ready, though, because she was the only one at her bus stop and had no one else 'with' her but she wasn't bothered by that at all.) 

This picture actually reminds me of a picture my mom has of me in the exact same position....getting on the afternoon Kindergarten bus, waving goodbye and excited for the adventure (and friends) that awaited!! 

There are only about 7 kids that ride her bus and one of them is Dixie's son, Onyx, smiling at me in this picture. Sadie got on and sat right beside him. 

Another great thing about having Sadie in afternoon Kindergarten is that Blake doesn't have to experience much of his day with a sibling with him. He fell apart when he realized that Sadie was getting on that bus and leaving for awhile. Thankfully, though, he naps for part of the time and we have been able to spend lots of quality time together that I haven't had in the past. But next year is going to be a tough transition for him--he and Sadie get along so well and have so much playing together!

Sadie gets on the bus at 12:45 and they get off the bus at 4pm, so it's a pretty short school day. She comes home with all the 'big kids' in our neighborhood, including Wyatt, so we had several discussions about Wyatt looking out for Sadie and saving her a seat on the bus, etc. When they got home and two busses pulled up, I had a moment of panic. What if they got separated? Will Sadie be scared? Did Wyatt wait for her? 

So I saw this....

..and then this, which reminded me that I had no reason to worry! Sadie wouldn't be scared or worried or concerned--just excited to be on the bus and sit by other kids! Thankfully she did sit with Wyatt and Gracie and apparently, there were so many kids (once the Kindergarteners were added), that they couldn't fit everyone on one bus. So the first few days there were two busses making each stop, but thankfully they split the older kids from the younger kids, so only the 4th and 5th graders were on the 2nd bus. (Yes, there are A LOT of kids in our neighborhood!)

Finally, a group shot with Blake, Sadie, Gracie, Wyatt and Lillie

When I asked Sadie how her first day of school went, she first mentioned 'the boys screaming'. I was so alarmed but tried not to show it. I just calmly kept asking her about them...how many were there, what did her teacher do, etc. After much discussion and sorting through various details, Wyatt realized that these two boys were probably autistic kids. (Wyatt is quite used to seeing the autistic kids in school, seeing their aides helping them out, etc). I was still concerned about how much time and attention they seemed to take up but Sadie was more concerned with what autism is, why do some kids have it, how do they get it, etc. As we talked, I could see her sweet heart just being broken for these kids that did nothing wrong but have minds that don't work like ours. She wanted to know how we could fix it and how they can get better.  And then came one of those moments that you can never fully prepare for as a parent but just pray for God's wisdom.....Sadie asked, "Mom, I know God didn't do this to their minds, but why does he even let them be born that way?" Ugh...such a great question from such a caring heart!! We had a great conversation about it and for the next several days, every time we sat down for a meal, Sadie would pray for these kids and pray that they would get better. 

I realized that evening that she hasn't really had much exposure in her life to kids with any type of disability (I'm not sure that's the PC term, but you know what I mean). 

As a mom, though, I was also concerned that her little caring heart would be so focused on these kids that she wouldn't learn anything. Thankfully, after the first week of school, many of these kids are only in the regular classrooms for the first part of the day unless they are higher-functioning kids and can behave in a manner that isn't disruptive. So her education isn't being affected, but her heart was opened up! Maybe she'll end up being a special ed teacher one day because of it!

(P.S.  I talked to Dixie that night and Onyx never mentioned anything about it, so I am assuming it wasn't quite as disruptive to the other kids!)

Another side note.....Wyatt has come home from school on a number of days telling me that he tried to sit with Sadie on the bus but she insisted on sitting with other friends--no surprise there! My loyal child (Wyatt) attempting to look out for his little sister who is just dying to be Ms. Social all the time (I have no idea where she gets it from!)