First day blues...

So a month ago I would have thought I'd be overjoyed tonight. The boys head back to school tomorrow and it will only be TR and me at home for the first time. I am excited to have some time alone with TR, it's true, but am surprisingly sad at the thought of my other boys leaving me again. There have definitely been long days this summer, but there has also been fun and a welcome opportunity to spend the time with my boys I'd been missing the last two years while working.

The boys seem to be semi-excited about their new journey. CJ did not get into the Chinese immersion program after all, so we decided to leave AJ in the French program as well. I met with CJ's team for an hour last week and came away with a great sense of confidence. The teachers had great ideas for incorporating him in the classroom and it's obvious that they have the experience to give him what he needs. CJ was thrilled to learn that his French teacher plays the guitar and they will be singing lots of songs in French. The only thing that could make him happier would be if he handed CJ the guitar.

AJ came to the new parent orientation program and got to meet his teachers, which made him happy. He doesn't adapt to change as well as CJ and has more anxiety about the switch from his old school, but he is being incredibly mature about it all. We had a chat this weekend and he is definitely planning for the best. One of his teachers is from London, and he thinks that is pretty cool. There are 4 other new students in the class, which should also help.

Craig and I are happy that both classes have about 20 kids in them and there are two certified teachers in each, a 10 to 1 ratio is hard to get anywhere. It is also an established school, going into it's 12th year, which shows in lots of ways big and small. They have already ironed out a lot of the bugs and have set routines and a fantastic school culture. One example, the school has a first day celebration, complete with a parade down 12th street accompanied by fire trucks, which they will both love.

Erica and I took the boys for a walk on the C & O canal at Great Falls this morning and it was fun to watch them exploring nature. Craig was working on the basement when we got back and AJ took some extra wood and made scales for Craig and I, hammering the nails himself and painting them. He was very proud of his work. CJ played games with his aunt and took it easy. They hung out with friends before dinner and generally had a great last day of summer vacation.

We've delivered the supplies to school. I took orders for first day of school lunches and they are prepped. Craig is going to stay with AJ for the first part of the morning and I'll be in CJ's class with TR. We are all as ready as we can be for the changes that will come with a new school year.

The mixed emotions inherent in parenthood always surprise me. We spend a lot of time waiting for what is to come, for the first steps, first words and all those first days of school. Yet when they are here, they are inevitably accompanied by a tinge of sorrow, for each of those changes is one more small step away from you. We work hard to ensure that our children are prepared to leave the nest in little ways and then big, but can never ease the pain that we feel when we are no longer the center of their lives. It seems that growing pains are not just for children.