Tireful

Today after kindergarten I asked dg5 what was his favorite part of kindergarten. He said, "The ice cream." "You got ice cream after school," I said, "What about during school?" "I don't know," he said. Hmmmm.

Everyone called to see how his day went. When his sister called he noted that the day was, "tireful." His mother thought this was cute and kept using it. I explained that he'd never get out of kindergarten if she didn't stop.

Dg5 told his mother he was playing in the sandbox and that the other kids kept running through a watch he was making for Lizzy out of the sand. None of the kids would play with him he said. His mom said just to introduce himself and ask if the kids wanted to play. He said it makes him nervous. It's time to learn some coping skills little man. Maybe they'll be the most important things you learn in school. Dear Heavenly Father, please bless him that those skills may come quickly.

I overheard dg5 talking to PaPa YD. dg5 was asked if he learned anything. dg5 said, "I learned one thing," a pause, "I learned how to kiss my brain." Who knows where he gets that from?

The Future Paleontologist

This morning dg5 starts his formal education. For some reason I feel the need to document everything, like he ate dinosaur oatmeal for breakfast and he wore a T-rex shirt his first day. We leave in a few minutes. We'll take pictures and generally help him to feel the sense of excitement one should feel as they begin a new adventure, as they begin an education. I'm grateful we live in a country where dg5 can easily get an education.

A Father's Blessing

Tomorrow dg5 begins his formal education. A series of events have led us to this day, I guess starting all the way back with his birth. He's grown and he's a beautiful, bright, brilliant boy.

Tonight dg5's Mother put him to work packing his lunch. For his first day he's chosen a plain bagel with strawberry cream cheese, a Danimals crushable strawberry yogurt, a water, strawberries and a butterscotch pudding for desert. I hope all of that is brain food.

In his class are Lizzy (Lizard), Briant, Spencer, and Benjamin. He knows them all. They are our neighbors. We attend church with their families. During his kindergarten orientation we got to see his class; there is a playground (kindergarten only) just outside his door. The orientation was nice and I think it broke the ice. He's excited about school.

Nh and I disagreed about the bus. Dg5 wanted to ride the bus, but I didn't want him to ride. I figured, his mom is home, she should take him until he's bigger. I rode the bus. There are bullies on every bus. I know, I was one of the bullies. At orientation Briant's family heard of our quandary, offered a ride since they had an extra seat anyway. It is a nice solution to our problem.

Her older children will walk him to class and after school they will get him to their car. He will receive a dollar on his first day for the ice cream man after school.

In the end I've suffered more over his impending school than he. I feel that the beginning of school is the beginning of a routine and a scheduling madness that turns one day into a week, one week into a month and one month into a season and a season in to a year. In my heart I'm already sending him on his mission. At once I love that he'll start school and that we'll be able to share in that experience, it's that inevitable sign that he will grow and move on. Right now I'm not ready for that experience. It really is illogical, but it's real.

Every year before school Naomi's father would use the preisthood with which he is entrusted to give each child a Father's blessing. Tonight I blessed both our boys in preparation for school. It's not lost on me however, who has blessed who.