chet and holden started back to school on august 14. it was such a fun summer break, so we were all quite sad for it to end. but it ended, and school started, and we are back in a good routine. and, although summer is madly missed, i see the benefit of more structure and less party in our lives! we shall embrace the school life for now, and look forward to our next summer break.
chet has always been excited for school, and has always been such a great student, so i wasn't worried about him getting back into the swing of things. he ended up in class with his favorite friends (ruby, ethan, joaquin, kai), and has the most coveted second grade teacher in our school (mrs. caldwell), so we couldn't ask for much more. i can hardly believe he is a second grader though! how?! why?!
holden, on other hand, i was super worried about. i cried a lot, in the days weeks leading up to school! holden is a kind, smart, sensitive boy, who we are so proud of. and i knew he would do so well at school, once he got the hang of it. but it is super common for kids to be enrolled in programs before kindergarten here. like, suuuper common. which is great! but it is just not what i am used to, so we have never chosen to enroll our kids in any official pre-kindergarten programs. i have always considered kindergarten to be the year where you ease into school. but that is not at all how it is here. kindergarten is a full 5 day/week program. and kids generally go to pre-school for a couple years, and then TK (transitional kindergarten), and then kindergarten. so i was stressing over the fact that holden would be thrown in to class with all these 'experienced' kindergarteners, and just couldn't stand the thought of him feeling like he wasn't as smart as them. but, honestly, he fits right in! he is right on par with all his classmates. and i feel silly for ever questioning if he would be! but kindergarten has still been really tough for him to adjust to emotionally. he isn't used to be away from home all day. and many tears have been shed by both of us, as we get used to this new schedule. dang, i miss him being home. like, a LOT. and he misses being home, too. our goodbyes in the morning have been very sappy, and make my heart hurt. is there anything harder then sending your kid away when they are crying?! he was actually quite brave the first week. but, once he figured out that school was a permanent thing, the next 2 weeks were hard for his sweet little heart. his teacher, mrs. debbie, described how he would tear up several times a day, saying that he missed being home. mrs. debbie is the sweetest person, and i know she takes such good care of him, but it was hard for me to know he was sad when i wasn't there to help him. thankfully, i think we are just about at the end of our teary-eyed stage. holden is getting used to the kindergarten routine, and has found himself a best buddy (dylan). holden has officially begun his loooong educational career!
now it is just taddy and me during the week days. and it has been really special! i will treasure these next couple years that we get to spend together. :)
holden's very first time sitting in class!
