Back to School

August 2015
Before I knew it and long before I was ready for it, summer was over and the kids were headed back to school.  I'm always sad when summer comes to an end, but this year has been extra difficult for me. Even though Miles will only be in preschool for 3 hours, twice a week, it is so strange to realize from this point on my kiddos will all be in school. Under normal circumstances I would happily embrace entering this new phase of life, but as it is, this was supposed to be my year home with Ellie and now being home alone is just another reminder of her absence. Not to mention most of my memories of last year's back to school time are intertwined with Ellie's hospitalization and death. I think this will always be a hard time of year for me.
Regardless of how I feel about it, I have three kiddos who are super excited and ready to begin this new year.

Mason is starting 3rd grade at Rohwer Elementary and will be in Miss Kober's class. This wasn't the teacher of his choice (she's not as outwardly fun and outgoing as some of the other teachers) but from what I've heard she is a very structured teacher which Mason will benefit from greatly. The thing Mason is most excited about 3rd grade is participating in HAL Math - particularly getting to do ALEKS on the computer, learning more multiplication and division, and learning cursive. He is also excited that his classroom will now but downstairs with the older grades.

Brynn is starting 1st grade at Rohwer Elementary and will be in Mrs. Heusel's class. We don't know much about Mrs. Heusel, but have heard she is very nice and I know Brynn will make the best of and thrive in any class she is in. The thing Brynn is most excited about 1st grade is that she can sit anywhere on the bus (kindergartners must sit on the first few rows), her class will have it's own door (the kindergarten rooms are clustered around a common play/bathroom area), and that she will get to sit in a desk instead of at a table.

Feeling good in his basketball clothes and new basketball shoes, Miles is ready to rock preschool.

Miles is starting his first year of Preschool at Imagine and Explore and will be in Miss Kris' class. I am expecting this to be a very different experience than we had with our other kids in Mrs. Young's preschool (Oh how I wish Miles could be attending Mrs. Young's), but I'm hoping it will be a good experience for Miles to be introduced to the structure of school and how to be a positive member of a class. Miles is beyond excited to be like the big kids and going to school. He looks forward to any days he gets to stay for lunch bunch and eat lunch at school like the kids do. As I pulled into the parking lot on the first day of school Miles informed me I could just drop him off. He was kind enough to indulge me and let me walk him to class where he ran right in without so much as looking back and started chatting away with all his new friends.
And that leaves me. Left behind at home to try and figure out what my purpose in life is now. Sigh.
No matter how I feel, I'm sure the 2015-2016 school year will be another great year of learning and fun for my kids.