This first photo above is of Tyler's class last year, the Young 4s Rainbow Class. I've been saving it to post here and now I'm fitting in on this post, but he's in a different class this year and actually with a different group of kids, even. Last year was the best school experience for all of us. I just LOVED Tyler's teachers and the entire school is warm and loving and I'm so thankful we are there. As we returned for open house, almost every person we came across greeted the boys with familiarity, and this is a big place. Tyler learned how to pray almost like an adult last year, thanks to his teachers, and to hear him do that with such heart and grace was amazing. When we moved last year and I was faced with putting Tyler in a Pre-K or the Young 4s class, I decided to go with the Young 4s and that dictated whether he would start Pre-K or Kindergarten this year. The kids in the Young 4s are all Fall birthdays like Tyler's and having seen him be the youngest by over half a year in his past classes, I just decided that I wanted him to have the same benefit of experience -- and turned what was a disadvantage into an advantage. I do risk him being a little bored, but Tyler loves school, especially the social aspect, and so far seems right at home. One of the benefits of starting him in Pre-K instead of K is that he's only a year apart from Austin and they are such intense playmates that I hope they will continue to share friends and that the 1 year will be less of a gap that the 2 years might have been. Now Austin will be one of the younger ones in his class, but with a big brother he's always striving to keep up with, I think he will be right at home there as well.
Tyler's birthday has made him the star the first week of school the past 2 years -- we came in with cupcakes the very first day and Tyler was the star student and leader of the week. I know he enjoys this attention but I don't think he needs it. Tyler amazes me with his adaptability and it's another quality I want to help him keep. This year he's not with the same group of kids because they are in the 5-day Pre-K and I just put him in the 4-day to line up with Austin's schedule. As you can see, I'm clearly in no rush with the school thing and want to enjoy my boys every minute I can. Faced with leaving his friends and meeting a new group, Tyler didn't even bat an eye. He took to it with all the love and enthusiasm of school he's always had, making me so proud and grateful for his fearlessness. Austin, to my surprise, is shy -- which everyone would probably say "of course!" to knowing him, but at home he's anything but shy. Yapping and disobeying and talking back and making jokes -- he's an old soul in a little baby boy body and I was truly a little taken aback when I chatted with his teacher yesterday and she told me he talks very little in school. Immediately, I thought "oh, you are an introvert like your mama," as I looked at his wide eyes and felt his hand grip me more tightly. We are more alike in many ways and Tyler and Scott are more alike, though our looks favor the opposite.
With Austin, this routine of 4 days a week is working much better than the 2 day a week routine. Consistency is key for us introverts :). While I've certainly learned to break my shell and enjoy being social, it's not something I know how to teach and I'm just going to have to figure than one out as I go.
As for our 4 day school week, we are loving it and I'm going to try very hard to save Fridays just for us. My Fall work calendar is making me a little dizzy, so we will see if I can do this, but right now it's working great. Last Friday our adventure consisted of walking from downtown Woodstock to the library, then back to share lunch at Pure. The boys picked out books that we've been reading all week. I loved how the first thing Scott did was smell the library book -- it takes you back. And this library is only half a mile from the one I used to go to at their age (it is now an antique store). I was flooded with nostalgia on that walk -- the circle of life and how Woodstock has changed and grown with me. "This is our town!" Tyler loves to exclaim whether in the car or on a walk. He says it with such pride and my heart fills with happiness at our decision to make this move. While we are out in the country, we have a historic town just down the road -- a favorite fountain, an antique train for them to hop on, favorite restaurants, icecream shop and a little park of weekend festivals. Roots. It's what I've always wanted for them and in a constantly moving american culture, they are second generation Woodstockers --- surrounded by aunts, great aunts, great grandmother, cousins and old family-like friends all in this little radius. Even better, we have a second hometown of Peachtree City to visit on the weekends, which we did last week, golf carting to lunch and icecream.
I hope the boys always love this life we've worked so hard to have with them, and most importantly, never want to leave :).
