Beautiful Life Friday- Choosing Gratefulness

I sent him to school on Wednesday.
He had no regrets, no second guessing, no asking himself:
"How did I get to be five so quick?"
"Didn't I just used to be a baby?"
"Where has the TIME gone?"

No, he just hurried onto the bus and found a seat. When I, on tiptoe, craned my neck to try and get a glimpse of him, all I could see was his little head emerging slightly higher than the seats, looking out the window on the other side of the bus. And that was it, my baby had gone to school.

For 13 1/2 years I have had a child in my care for 24 hours a day. Even during years when Maura was a half day pre-k and David a kindergartener, they were morning and afternoon, one of them was always home. So here I find myself, home in a quiet house and it's new again. Just like it was new to be a mom at home with a baby, this is new again, and that's okay. During the summer, when this would cross my mind, I would feel the self doubting begin to seep in. "Did I even pay attention to the past 5 years?" "Did I give him and them a good start?" "What if I wasted the time I've had with them and now we've moved on from that phase?" I am prone to the wondering, the doubting, the faithlessness. God turned my attention to the things that make me realize this phase is a blessing; and a time to grateful.

He reminds me that I have been graciously granted:

Four children:

• Who live in my own home. I do not share custody of them, I do not see them only on select days of the week. I get to have them with no stipulations. My husband and I tuck them in at night and get them up in the morning.
• Who have a wonderful father that is a wonderful husband. I am thankful that Gord is such a great father and cares about our children with all his heart.
• They are all healthy children- what an incredible blessing this is. Incredible to me.

With this in mind and heart, I recognized life changes, such as having your baby go to school, is not something to be dreaded; it is to be embraced and celebrated. The feelings of anxiety and fear slowly gave way to (tempered) excitement and anticipation.

I am grateful for those precious years that I had to watch each child go from complete dependance on me, to marching onto the schoolbus without a backward glance. But I still don't know where the time went.

Here they are returning home from their first day.

It's Beautiful Life Friday at The Inspired Room. Click over to see what makes life beautiful.

First Day of School! (2009) Landon

First of all, he begged me to take him to the busstop at 11:15 and I knew that was approx. 40 minutes early but I took him anyway. He kept telling me when and how to take his picture.  

Then he got bored and laid on the driveway. 

He wanted to see this picture in the screen on the back of the camera and he asked "what is the brown spot on my nose?"

Bored from waiting....

Finally the bus comes!

And it was fine- we were happy and excited. 

First Day of School! (2009)

We started off bright and early this morning. It is a gorgeous day, so that helped with the cheer meter. The kids were all quite enthusiastic about starting today. 

Adam is starting 8th Grade today. His Guidance Counsellor called him yesterday and asked him to help a new kid out today- so he was looking forward to that. (Funny thing- the new kid's name was SO very Cape Breton sounding that I actually felt a little homesick. The same name as my school friend Cheryl's dad.)

Both boys wore these Tshirts to school today......

Adam left at 6:30 am. 

The younger kids leave at 8am. 

Maura is starting 3rd Grade. 

It is a lucky teacher that gets to look at this cute little head. 

We seem to get a picture on the rock each year. I'll have to dog up some of the others. 

Hugs from Landon

David sporting a new backpack. 

I heart backlit, sun-diffused pictures. 

And they get on the bus. 

One more to go later today. Sad mama. 

Click on these links to see old First Day of School pics:
2007 First Day Pictures
2008 First Day Pictures

Adam's Sixth Grade Promotion

Tonight was the Ceremonial Promotion of the Sixth Graders to middle school.
Adam's teacher, Mrs. Uccello...love her!

Adam marching in with his class:

Waiting for his name:

getting his diploma

making sure I get the pic :)

greeting the administration:

A Common Mallard made out of ceramic by Adam :)

The Uncommon Maura:

3 days of school left! woohoo!

Gordie just left with all the kids, walking down to the bus. If he is here, which he usually is, he walks them down to the bus. If he isn't here, well, then they walk down by themselves. It's hard to believe how very quickly this year passed by. The boys leave for PEI on June 26, so we will have a few days together before they leave as usually they leave the day they get out of school. (Maura leaves later with Maria)

Some quotable quotes from this week;

"I quit of this blue house"...walks outside onto the deck saying "you can't do nothing!"

"my shoe is not tight-ed"

Yells to Gordie who is standing in the doorway "you can't block an exit!" 

(I'm wondering if he heard that on Grandpa's bus. )

His newest line he drops: "that's IM-pressive!"

Maura's school play

Each year the first graders perform "Strega Nona" plays and every year they have performed for the other first grade classes. This year was different, all parents were invited to see the performances in the gym. When we arrived, we grabbed our seat and waited for the first graders to arrive. M's class came in and sat in the "performer's section" and they filed past without me seeing my little girl, so I went over to the group and looked for her, thinking I would see her hand waving madly at me, but I still wasn't able to spot her sitting with her classmates and teachers. Just as I was about to put on a "Ramona-Freakshow" I spotted her coming with a classmate, Michael, a little boy who is handicapped, his aide was pushing his wheelchair and Maura was pushing his "cool" walker for him, as he would need it when he was on stage. It was cute to see, and she seemed to enjoy helping him, he was a preschool and kindergarten classmate for her as well.

School Has Begun, No More Laughing, No More Fun.

Today was the big day..........
Adam in 6th
David in 3rd
Maura in 1st.

BooHoo. I miss them already!!