The Last Day of Kindergarten Eve...

I have been ALL KINDS of emotional this week. I am not a crier by nature, but I do cry at the weirdest, most random things. When we left James at kindergarten on the first day of school, I did not cry. I went to my house and fixed breakfast for a friend who was {8.5 months pregnant and} sobbing her eyes out, but I did not cry. I did not cry all day long while I wondered what he was doing or if he was making friends. Do you know when I cried? When I picked him up. I busted out in the ugly cry when I saw the parapro walk him out of school that first day and put him in my car. Boooohooooo! I've been feeling sappy all week long.

My baby is about to be a first grader.

This year has been awesome. It has been hard. It has been fun. It has been exhausting. We have cheered for James. We have disciplined James. And we have let go of James just a little bit more. Because that's what happens when you send them off to school. I'm not there to tell him to PUH-LEASE wipe the sloppy joe off of his face after lunch. {Side note: Cafeteria food has been a shock for us. JAMES LOVES IT. He was the pickiest eater but he will try anything from the cafeteria. I KNOW. Sloppy joe day is his favorite day.} I am not there to hug him when his best friend would rather play with someone else on the playground and tells James that he can't play with them. I'm not there to remind him to sit up straight or listen to his teacher. I'm not there when they announce he's the student of the month. And I'm not there when he gets in trouble for something not-so-nice and has to deal with the repercussions.

I don't get to be there for those things. And that's ok! Because that means HE CAN DO IT. Y'all, kindergarteners can do those things!

{Remind me to write a post to parents in the YMCA t-ball league. They're going to need to know that in two years when their kid is playing rec ball, they can't BRING THE WHOLE FAMILY TO STAND ON THE FIELD DURING THE GAME. Remind me. I'll tell you about it.}

We are SO PROUD of the things James has accomplished this year.

This year, he has:

* Learned to read!

Allow me just a Mama minute to brag here. He was reading sight-words-only at the beginning of the school year. Somehow, just a few weeks in everything clicked for him. They score kids in our county using the Founta Pinnell Literacy Collaborative program. That means that they break reading levels down into letters. You start on Level A. Kindergarteners SHOULD be reading on a Level E by the end of the year. James benchmarked around an F a month or two into school. He is currently reading on a LEVEL M. Almost the end of second grade! We are so proud!

* He was Bulldog of the Month for the month of February!

* He had more than 20 AR points. Pretty good for a kid who didn't take an AR test without me until January. And I only helped him three times at the beginning of the year.

* He played Upward Basketball for the first time - and LOVED it.

* He played t-ball for the third time - and EXCELLED at it!

* He had two choir performances at church - Christmas and Spring. And he could've been the understudy for some of the older kids because he knew all of their lines!

* He tested into the GIFTED program - one of only eleven in kindergarten.

A note from his gifted teacher on Facebook:

* He turned SIX {and then SIX-AND-A-HALF...it's important, y'all...it's on Cacky's calendar!}

* He lost TWO TEETH! {Also a big deal.}

* We also took a ton of fun trips this year!

The year hasn't been without its hangups, but it has been great. I am so sad now to let kindergarten go. And I was so sad to let it start just nine short months ago!

Tomorrow is James' last day of school. Our summer is jam-packed and is going to be GREAT. But this first year of kindergarten has been wonderful. And I hope that he always remembers it.

Kindergarten Rocks!

This morning we were up bright and early at our house. I started my day at 6:21, which is approximately four hours earlier than I would like to begin it. It was a big day. After I hopped in the shower I went to the kitchen to get James' lunch fixed and get myself some coffee. I heard screeching around 6:45 and when I met the boys in the hall James said Will was upset that he couldn't go to kindergarten. Two things about this - #1 James got up by himself and was excited enough about kindergarten to remind Will it was the day to start and #2 it might be a long day with Will. Will. was. furious. He wanted to go to kindergarten, too!

I finished making James' lunch, started the boys' breakfast, and then Eddie came in and took over while I got myself ready. We needed to leave the house around 7:30 to get to school on time (we live FOUR minutes from the school but the traffic is a nightmare right now because of construction in front of the school) and after taking back-to-school pictures we were running about 5 minutes late.

Just because it's all about our memories, the boys discovered at 7:20 that I had rotated toys in our playroom last night. I pulled out new toys that they hadn't seen in a while and, unfortunately, they found them before school. James was FURIOUS that I had done that when he had to leave and go to school. He wasn't so worried about not playing with them, but more about Will playing with HIS stuff while he was gone. I think it's going to take a while before he adjusts to leaving his stuff alone all day with Will.

In the midst of James' fit I took him outside to take pictures, so this is what I got:

Thankfully, he perked up for some good pictures.

As soon as we were finished with pictures we loaded up and headed to the school!

We pulled in and found a parking place and then walked him into his classroom. This was the part I wasn't prepared for and it was a little uncomfortable. Moms of children who are going next year, it is AWKWARD. We followed him in and Will looked around a little bit and his teachers just sort of stared at us. I know it's because they wanted us to do whatever made us comfortable, but I felt like I needed to just drop James and run. Tomorrow I am walking him in again and I'll be more intentional with my goodbye. I snapped a few pictures and told Will to give him a hug and I told him I loved him and we left. And then I realized I'd forgotten to leave his teachers' gifts so I had to go back in and hand those out. :)

We stopped by the nurse's office on our way out to drop off EpiPens and then we headed back home!

I had invited a few friends over for a Woohoo Boohoo Brunch at my house so that I would be distracted and just to give us something fun to do. It wound up being a good decision and one I'll probably try to do every year! The W's came by and J was sobbing and laughing at the same time (she's pregnant!). I distracted her while I made breakfast and Will and W played together. A little bit later my co-teacher Tiffany and her little boys T and R came by to play as well. And then our new neighbor and her baby dropped by to round out the group. The Ws had to leave early but B and Tiffany stayed. Tiffany wound up staying with me until 2:15! It was perfect! We snacked, the boys played, we caught up since we haven't seen each other all summer, and then I got in the car to go and get James!

We left our house at 2:19 (remember, it takes FOUR minutes to get there) and he didn't get into my car until right at 3. I had the foresight to bring a book for myself and the iPad for Will, but MAN. That pick up line is HOT. I had the air cranked up and it was still hot. I'm looking forward to the line in October - March. :) I'm also hoping to get some good reading done in that line. I read a whole chapter today!

James had an AWESOME day. The highlights were: lunch, a honeybun for kindergarten breakfast (that I don't think he actually should have eaten!), recess, and learning the rules in the computer lab. :) He was HAPPY. One of my besties, Lori, put him in the car at the end of the day and she called me later to check on him because dismissal is apparently LOUD and she said his eyes were as big as saucers and he looked like he might cry. True story, I cried as he got in the car because I was just so happy to see him!

We've read a library book called Kindergarten Rocks a few times. James announced today that Kindergarten does, indeed, ROCK.

He talked to every one of his grandparents today (every time one would call and said, "James, how was school?" Will would look at me and say "DEY {they} knew he went to school today, too! How dey know dat?" We had a special afternoon snack - milkshakes - and then we came home to watch a movie and play iPads until Daddy got home. I was WORN OUT.

We had a quick supper {leftovers}, Eddie bathed the boys, and it was time for bed. They were in bed before 8 and Eddie was asleep by 10. This is an awesome and unusual change of pace for our household. James did wake up and walk into our room a little while ago. I held him for a minute and then put him back to bed.

Sweet kindergarten boy. Hoping the second day is as fun as the first!