First Day

always posing
 



Her teacher gave each child one to give to their parents. I love it.
Ms. Hickey might be may favorite teacher ever!

Tatum did great on her first morning of kindergarten, no surprise. She smiled and waved as her teacher walked the class into the building. For the most part Dustin and I held it together until she was out of sight. I did get choked up reading a note to her before placing it in her lunchbox. She was so excited to have her first lunch note. This afternoon I am going to surprise her with a Grandma-Mommy-Daughter ice cream date to celebrate her first day. I think she will be excited.

 As Dustin and I were standing there waiting to see her walk into school I realized only 13  years before she leaves for college and that she is Not going away for college. There are plenty of decent community colleges in the metro area she will attend. 

Later as I signed Brock in at daycare I realized, today August 21^st is three years and seven months after losing Payton and starting kindergarten is yet another milestone she will not have. Honesty I have been trying to act so excited for and proud of Tatum I have not thought about my future kindergarteners. I have not thought about Payton never going to kindergarten or the sadness of never watching her on her first day of school. I also have not thought about the joy of seeing Brock on his first day. The realizations were overwhelming.  I really need to get use to ‘firsts’ being associated with such happiness and sadness. But how?

Already August?

This year has gone by so fast and been so hectic. I cannot keep up. I keep telling myself everything will slow down after this or after that. But it never does. In one week Tatum and Brock caught the flu, one of our dogs started having seizures, we had several hundred dollars’ worth in repairs on both cars, and a toilet broke causing damage to flooring. Seriously that was one single week. The rest of the year has been much of the same. Yet, it has not all been bad. There have been many positives sprinkled in here and there… Tatum graduated preschool, Brock has become quite the charmer and climber, Dustin and I are teaching Sunday School together, and Dustin accepted a dean position. Yet, the biggest news of all is Tatum starts kindergarten next week.

I cannot believe my baby is old enough to be in kindergarten. It feels like yesterday we were bringing her home from the hospital. I cry every time I think of her starting school. She is a little scared because the school is so big (it is a k-8 so it really is a big school) but she will do fine. I am more worried about Dustin and I… we are going to cry like babies. This morning she had her kindergarten assessment. As her teacher was walking her out of the classroom Tatum loudly states, “School isn’t so bad after all”. Oh my, this is going to be an interesting school year J!