Off to Kindergarten:(

He's off, and running!

So they say the day your baby is born to capture every moment because in a blink they will be so grown up and it's true as today we sent our little one to his first day of Kindergarten. I can't believe that five years has gone by so fast and now he is a school boy.

The first day of Kindergarten and it was raining, so umbrellas were in order and Connor didn't want to take his umbrella with him so hopefully it won't be pooring when the bus pulls into the school.

Connor didn't even want to stop for pictures, Here comes the bus Mommy and Daddy, please don't cry, I'm going to have so much fun at school. 

All the kindergarten kids have to sit in the front row so the bus driver can keep an eye on the little guys.

now the girls are home alone, at least until next week when Mara goes to her first day of preschool.

All I Really Need To Know

About How To Live and What To Do And How To Be, I learned in Kindergarten.

by Robert Fulghum

These are the things I learned:

Share everything.

Play fair.

Don't hit people.

Put things back where you found them.

Clean up your own mess.

Don't take things that aren't yours.

Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.

Wash your hands before you eat.

Flush.

Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.

Live a balanced life--learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and

dance and play and work every day some.

Take a nap every afternoon.

When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and

stick together.

Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: The roots go

down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or

why, but we are all like that.

Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the

styrofoam cup; they all die. So do we.

And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you

learned; the biggest word of all-- LOOK.

Everything you need to know is there somewhere. The Golden Rule and

love and basic sanitation, ecology, and politics and the sane living.

Think of what a better world it would be if we all, the whole world, had

cookies and milk about 3 o'clock every afternoon and then lay down with our blankets

for a nap.

Or we had a basic policy in our nation and other

nations to always put things back where we found them and clean up our own messes.

And it is still true; no matter how old you are, when you go

out in the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together.

--- Robert Fulghum

The First Day
I gave you a little wink and smile
As you entered my room today.
For I know how hard it is to leave
And know your child must stay.
You've been with him for five years now
And have been a loving guide,
But now, alas, the time has come
To leave him at my side.
Just know that as you drive away
And tears down your cheeks may flow
I'll love him as I would my own
And help him learn and grow.
For as a parent, I too know
How quickly the years do pass
And that one day soon it will be my turn
To take my child to class.
So please put your mind at ease
And cry those tears no more
For I will love him and take him in
When you leave him at my door

-taken from the "letter to Theo"
The hardest part of releasing you to elementary school — or any new experience — is realizing that I must give you up to the less-than-perfect world that awaits you.
While the world has been and always will be imperfect, I too have been an imperfect parent. But I was always willing to learn, to say I was sorry, to try harder the next time. And now I’m willing to release you, with the knowledge that school, like parenting, will be rewarding and frustrating and I cannot change that. Despite all those fortunes of your early life, you will have sad days and lonely days and days when you just don’t want to go, when your teacher doesn’t notice you or your best friend won’t play with you or another kid is mean to you.
If there are a few thoughts that carry you through, let them be this: While your dad and I have to let you go, no matter what you think or do or become we will always be there for you and listen. Dive off that cliff occasionally (check the rope first). And know that in our imperfect world, with all my imperfect ways, I have been given you and your sister, the two most perfect gifts one could hope for.

. . . and Connor Daddy and I have been given you, Samara and Meghan, the three most precious gifts we could ever ask for and we too want only the best of everything for you all, and we will always be here for you. We hope you have a wonderful year of learning, jumping through hoops and experiencing all that the imperfect world has to offer.
love,
mommy and daddy