First Day of Kindergarten

The day had finally come, August 26, 2013, the first day of Kindergarten!! As expected, I photographed every moment of the day. I just couldn't be more proud of my sweet BIG boy!

Jonathan's Kinder Favorites!

And just for comparison - here he on the first day of Pre-K! Doesn't he look like such a baby?

This sandwich stamp is what my mom used on my sandwiches when I was in school.

The note I included in his lunch! :)

Easting breakfast! He didn't want to get his shirt dirty.

The boys right before we left!

We are there! I was a big ball of nerves! But he was excited!

 

Dropping him off at his class. We were allowed to bring him in, but asked to stay at the door and not enter the room.

And then, he turned and walked in and never turned back. I was SO PROUD. You would think I would be sad, but he showed me that he was going to be alright.

He went right to his seat and started his school work!

 

Okay, so I hoovered in the hallway for a little while and then when they stood to do the pledge, I snapped one last photo. He never even saw me! I felt really good about leaving him!

At pick up with his teacher, the sweet Mrs. Kirkpatrick.

And then, we went to Braums for a much deserved ice cream treat.

Kinder? Already??

I know that I have dropped off the face of this earth lately, not just on blogging, but just over all communications. This Kinder stuff, how we got here, how it started, getting used to a new schedule...it has been an adjustment, but it has been good. I am HAPPY> Jonathan is HAPPY! And that makes me SO HAPPY! We have started school!

This has been a monumental year for me and my big boy Jonathan. He turned 5 back in April and in August, he began Kindergarten. The road to getting myself prepared for school was a bit bumpy, stressful, worrisome...I spent morning, noon, and night thinking about it, for months!

Almost 5 years ago, I became an official "stay at home mom". I LOVED it immediately (and still continue to)! I NEVER wanted to return cooperate life! I loved that I was the one taking care of my son full time and not some stranger. I had had the hardest time handing him over every morning for the 2 months that I went back to work. And now I knew what was happening with him every single second. It was great, but I will be honest, while it was a perfect fit, there were days that weren't so easy. I had an inside joke with myself..."ummm, when does kindergarten begin???" I thought it was funny, so I laughed at myself. But I felt guilty for even thinking it, so I didn't share it with anyone, until now.

January of this year it hit me - oh my gosh! He is going to Kindergarten THIS YEAR. And instead of being happy or excited, I was sad, really sad. I became really weepy about the subject. I had knots in my tummy. I just had an overall dread about it. Every activity Jonathan had with Pre-K, I was there and emotional. You might have picked up on that with my earlier posts back in the Spring. One of my friends thought I was crazy, but I told her maybe I am just getting it all out now and I won't be so sad when he actually starts. (which is actually almost what happened!)

Part of my dread had to do with the school we were zoned to attend. While it is an exemplary school on scores and what not, I hadn't heard a positive thing about it, NOT ONE THING! It worried me. The more I talked with other moms the more I learned and none of it was good. Now, I know that NO school is perfect. Some years are just bad for whatever reason. It is a long story, that I will try to not bore you with, but Michael and I finally decided it was worth a shot to try to transfer Jonathan to a different school. Our school district allows you to transfer without penalty. The school we decided to apply to is just the next one over, not too much further. And everyone seems to LOVE it!

Another long story short. We put in the transfer in February and we were told we would not find out until TWO WEEKS BEFORE school started if our transfer request was granted. I finally got to a place where I had peace about it. I felt like God had lead us to this decision and we would get in no problem...Feb to Aug 12th seemed like the LONGEST I have had to wait for something that I really, really, really wanted!

And guess what? We were REJECTED!!!! WHAT??? That was a bad, bad day. Really bad day. I cried A LOT. Michael likes to tell a 'funny' story about the conversation we had that day. He was trying to console me, and I was inconsolable. He says, "it's going to be okay" and I respond through my screaming tears, "NO IT'S NOT!!!!!!" You get the picture? I was upset. I hadn't realized how much I really wanted this for J. And then the tears continued to flow as I told Jonathan and HE CRIED. My heart was broken.

The next day I was resolved to get over it and accept the school that we would be attending and be positive. And I was...Then FOUR DAYS before school started, I got a phone call! It was the school we wanted to attend. They said they had some space open up and they would like Jonathan to come after all!!!!!! WHAT????? I sat there, in shock. She said, "are you there? Would you like to come here still?" ...I finally responded, "YES, of course we do, sorry, I'm just catching up with whats happening here."

Told you it was a long story!!! But we are all so happy! Very, very happy! The school is amazing. We love all the teachers, the principle, and especially his teacher Mrs. Kirkpatrick. It is a perfect fit in every way. I am so thankful that everything has worked out as we had hoped. I am learning that I need to let go and let God's plan play out.

My big Boy and I having lunch at his school!

The Blessing of the Kindergartners

The Blessing of the Kindergartners, All Students and Teachers is a type of ceremony that our church does the Sunday before school starts. I remember last year and I was a mess watching the whole thing! I knew that it would be a special day for our family this year. We invited our local family members to attend with us and we were so happy that Aunt Amy and my Uncle Jim could attend!
I was a big ball of nerves that day, but I was so thankful to be a part of a church that makes it such a special time for the whole family. It really did help me and Jonathan (I Think) prepare our minds and hearts for the next day.

The Kindergartner Sunday School Class.



The Kindergartners up on stage being "Blessed" by the Children's director Holly. An encouraging story and a bag tag with scripture telling them God is always with them.

The they called ALL students of ALL ages to the stage. After more encouraging words, they asked the audience to pick a child that they see on stage and commit to praying for them this year. It is a heart warming ceremony that I still tear up thinking about.

After the service, we went and got Ben out of the nursery! He was so excited to see Jim!!! 

A group shot!