The Goldie's

This morning started out like any other..

A work out, a shower, breakfast, getting myself and the kids ready, ect.

But then something out-of-the-ordinary happened.

A bus came, and took my oldest baby away to kindergarten for 6.5 hours.

And just like that, my life as I have known it for the last 5 years and 11 months, has been changed forever...

I turned my baby over to the public school system...
He is now spending the majority of his wakeful hours with people I don't know...

Does this seem ludicrous to anyone else? I've spent his whole life controlling his environment -- what he was doing, what he ate, who he spent time with, what was being put into his sponge-like, beautiful head, ect. And now I'm expected to send him somewhere where anything can happen and be okay with it?!

If you can't tell, this whole kindergarten thing has been hard on me. I've looked endlessly into the local charter and private schools, debated the pros and cons of homeschool, and so forth.

But in the end, public school (and Brad) won. Because if I'm being honest with myself, I have to admit that his teacher is awesome. That there are only 17 kids in his class, plus a full time para-educator (basically a trained teachers helper). And that the public school system here is incredible and out-ranks all the private and charter schools. So I'm choosing to have faith instead of fear. And despite my all-out sob session this morning, I'm actually feeling surprisingly peaceful about the whole thing. Now time to document:

Yesterday was orientation, where we went to school with Nick for an hour and a half. Nick was in true "Nick-form" and was incredibly shy and uncooperative. His teacher had a little scavenger hunt for the kids to do with their parents to get to know the room and the morning routine. Nick wanted Brad by his side the whole time, even when the instructions were to sit on the rug and read a book while the other kids finished.

 But when the teacher called the kids over for a story, Nick perked up a bit and listened attentively.

And when she told them to line up so they could go play on the playground with the para while she talked to the parents, he willingly obliged.

 And after the meeting when we went to get him from the playground, he was a happy camper.

 This morning it was time for him to ride the bus and spend the whole day at school sans parents. He was "a little bit nervous, but mostly excited." Here he is drinking his first-day-of-school-smoothie:

 Walking to the bus stop, a few doors down...

 Standing in line, waiting, waiting, waiting...

He put on his green jacket just in time for the bus to come --

going...

 going...

 going...

 gone.

 It was a long day. Luckily, I have wonderful friends who spent the day with me. Even still, I don't think a minute went by where I didn't think of my boy. 3:04pm couldn't come quickly enough. And this view was a very welcome site!

 He gave me a huge hug and then turned to his siblings:

 He loved his first day! He said he wasn't scared once and is "excited to go back tomorrow and the day after that and the day after that and all the rest of the days!" I'm proud of my brave big boy and I'm excited for all that he will learn!