Summer is officially over in our house. Today, our oldest son started Kindergarten. We all piled in the van at 8:30 this morning and drove the three minutes it takes to get to school. We navigated the hallways and walked him to his classroom. He immediately hung up his bag and made his lunch choice. He got excited when his preschool friend entered the room, but still admitted to being nervous. We took a few pictures, said our good-byes and left the room without any tears being shed. I’m not saying the tears weren’t there, we just did a good job of holding them in. As I type this, Oliver is entering his last hour of the school day, while we sit at home and anxiously await his arrival on the bus.

Technically, Oliver could have gone to school last year. We made the decision to wait and seeing him this morning only affirmed that we made the decision that was right for our son. I have spoken briefly in other posts about how hard it was to get into a routine this summer. It never got much better. We had a lot of fun this summer, but we also had a lot of difficult days. In mid-June, I was reminded by someone that this was our first summer where it would feel more like summer should. Last summer, we were still deep in grief. It was the end of June when the meals and groceries stopped coming in. I wasn’t cleared to drive until the first few weeks of June. It is a big blur and I remember very little of what we did. My goal was to get through summer and then survive the boys starting preschool. Holding Oliver back a year was the right choice concerning his grief as well. He wasn’t ready to be in a classroom of 20 other students when he was still having hard days himself. This morning, I saw a boy that is ready. He is ready to make new friends, learn more math (his favorite subject) and become more independent (if that’s possible!). We are excited for him and can’t wait to hear about his first day!!

We also know how fast time flies by. Our family has a better sense of this than most, at least in my opinion. For this reason, Rodger took the day off work to take Oliver to school and be with Garrison and me for the remainder of the day. Creating memories for both boys today was our goal. We surprised Garrison with a day out at the park playing baseball, going down slides and taking a walk around bridges and ponds. We stopped and had pizza for lunch, followed by frozen yogurt for dessert. Before we know it, our youngest boy will be walking through the doors of elementary school with his older brother showing him to his classroom. Time goes fast. It seems like just yesterday that Rodger and I were starting our senior year of high school together …

Rodger & Leann … 1st day of school as Seniors