Back to School We Go

As a kid summer felt like it went on forever. By the time I started school again it felt like it had been  a life time since I'd seen my friends. I remember the first day jitters, stressed out about who would be in my class that year, where were my friends going to be, who was going to be in my lunch, and all the excitement surrounding the beginning of the year. Luckily for me my parents generally (with the exception of one year) picked which teacher I would have in grade school so I never had the stress of wondering who my teacher would.

I have now successfully survived the first summer, after a school year, as a parent. This was a tough adjustment at first, made worse I'm sure by the newborn brother. It took a few weeks to get into a routine, to remind Zane that at home most of the time he won't be entertained and there won't be any set activities. He just has to live, play with his brother (preferably without killing him), create, read, and generally have to entertain himself. Our one fun trip happened the second week of summer and after that there were no grand adventures. A few trips to the lake, but for the most part nothing too amazing. No trips to the beach or Disney World which I'm sure his friends and classmate will have done. I feel bad about that and truly don't see any grand family vacations in our future anytime soon.

However, the boys did eventually fall back into playing well together, greatly improved by our unplugging and eliminating technology. As is always the case, about the time they start to love playing with each other it's time for the next phase to begin. Thatcher has grown pretty attached to his big brother Zane, as have I to all his help. He's been amazingly helpful with Thatcher and just an all around joy to have around this summer. He's handled his brother's (both of them) meltdown and various issues with grace. He's read until his little hearts content and probably didn't write enough. We started writing letters again last week and his handwriting definitely isn't what it was at the end of the year. Ooops possibly should have written more and read less somewhere in there. Lesson learned.

My prayers for this school year are pretty simple. I pray that Rowan has an easier adjustment this year than last year. I truly can't handle months of pouting around and crying for his big brother. I'm painfully aware that as Zane's first grade year begins so does my last year at home with Rowan. I can hardly write that sentence because I can't fathom it, it just doesn't seem possible, and I'm sooo sooo sad about it. Hopefully he can remain pulled together and we can have a great last year of fun together. Possibly he could begin to learn a few words sometime before kindergarten as well. Secondly, I pray that Zane enjoys first grade as much as he enjoyed kindergarten. I hope that at least some of his little buddies from Mrs. L's class are in his class this year, and that if nothing else he doesn't have to sit by the people who were in the ever scandalous yellow family from last year. Yes, I've played out the scenario where he not only is in the same class as those girls but for some reason has to sit by them again. This won't go over well.

So now we're down to the last day. This morning we packed up his school supplies and waited in the long line to see whose class he would be in. He has been looking through the year book trying to guess which teacher he would have this year. He had been hoping to be in Mrs. Smith's class simply because I told him Uncle Able had had a Mrs. Smith in grade school. One luxury oft he first child and not knowing anything about the school is that I have no idea which teachers are "good." I have no preconceived thoughts about any of them so I've chosen to believe they are all good and trust the system. 

This year Zane will be in Mrs. Blue's class. She seemed very nice and seemed to have been a teacher for along time so I'm sure she has it all figured out. In great news his best buddy Ethan is in his class again and from what I can tell none of the other members of the yellow family are in his class. In other great news there won't be assigned seating and apparently there will be various options of places and things (bouncy balls/floor) to sit on. We got our shirts and were on our way. Here is Zane next to a tiny table that can be used when sitting on the floor.

We went to lunch with Uncle Able and Grandma to celebrate the last day of summer. In the afternoon the boys played at Aunt Abbey's while Abbey and I scrapbooked. I got his kindergarten pictures put on paper, if not too artistically. Then we came home and road bikes and read books, our top to summer favorite things to do. Zane gathered all his school related books to read this evening, all our favorites The Class, How Do Dinosaurs Go to School, Pout Pout Fish Goes to School, The Kissing Hand, and a few others.

I think we're all ready for tomorrow. Everyone is in bed if not asleep. I'm trying not to cry about how fast time is going. I'm trying to burn the memory of today's wonderful cuddles with Zane in my brain forever. He we come first grade!