On Starting Kindergarten

Once, before we had any children, Eric and I were invited of to some church friend's house for dinner.  There were two other couples there, each had a baby, and the missionaries.  The missionaries asked "so what do you do in your free time"?  I guess not having kids I didn't think much of it but when I was introducing our family in church at the beginning of my talk I thought about when they asked that question.  And now I think "have you seen these 3 things we haul around everywhere"?  This is what I do in my free time.  I thought I might have something on here to add about me but really this week was all about the kids.

 

My oldest started kindergarten this week.  It went surprisingly well.  I walked him into his classroom the first day.  I pictured it going something like a scene from the Grinch Christmas cartoon.  You know the part where the Grinch and his dog Max are sledding down the hill and at one point Max ends up wrapped tightly around the Grinch and the Grinch has to shimmy him off one leg at a time.  Ya...that is how I pictured the experience going but there was none of that foolishness.  We walked right in, he found is name, put his back pack in the cubby, and started playing with the puzzles on his table.  I was shocked.  I was just like "uh ok...uh bye...uh no crying....uh aren't you going to miss me".  This was totally out of character for my child who, since crawling, has cried when I left him with anyone.  I was quite proud, impressed, and a little sad that he had grown up.  I drop him off everyday in a car line and he just walks right in with no looking back.  Crazy.  Now I still really have no idea what goes on at school.  Only that he likes recess, has a friend named, Nicolas, and they do the same thing they did in preschool "work and play".  I could go on about my worries and sadness about him growing up too fast, losing his innocence and care free life, but I try not to think about that because I can't change it.  The whole thing really wasn't sad or anything for me.

 

At home it is so much calmer and peaceful.  This kid has soooo much energy.  I try to spend extra time playing legos with him now at night or snuggling with him in his bed (after I heave myself up that blasted bunk bed ladder).  Bryce and Dustin have come to appreciate each other more.  I don't think they really paid attention to each other much when Mitchel was home.  

 

 

 

On the other spectrum of sociality I have Dustin.  Total opposite of Mitchel.   He is calm, carefree, and will go anywhere or play with anyone as long as it involves trains.  I took him to his meet the teacher for preschool last week and he loved it.  His teacher said she had trains at home she would bring since he likes trains.  He has been talking about it EVERY DAY since.  Every morning he wakes up and asks if he gets to go to school today.  Then he talks about how he has to remind his teacher to bring her trains.  I hope she really does have trains. 

Basically that has been our week.  Tomorrow I get to take Bryce to the doctor....again because we think he has his 4th ear infection.  Blah!  I did finally get him to eat a very small about of apple sauce if I served it on a graham cracker.  Dustin was weaned and drinking cows milk from a sippy cup just about 6 weeks older than Bryce is now....but Bryce still won't eat much solids.  And I have tried every suggestion that has come my way.  I have never seen a baby so adamant about not eating.  First he would close his mouth and turn away.  Then he started blowing raspberries if we put food near his mouth.  Then he added shaking his arm and hand in a kinda "no no no get away" fashion.  Now putting him in his high chair is like trying to put a cat in a bath tub full of water.  So much fun we are having here.