Gettin' Jiggy With It

Change

Transition

Ryan goes to school in 2 days.  More like 1 day.  I am in NO WAY prepared for him to go. 

I still have one or two items I have to go get to complete the requested list from the school.

I still have so many unanswered questions. 

Ones from the simple….What do I pack in his lunch?

To the complex……Will he hold tight to the truth we have tried to teach him?

Yes.  I do realize this is only Kindergarten.  But it’s such a HUGE change.

Do you know that they start at 7:30 AM???  That’s earlier than my high school/college classes ever started.  Are they crazy?!

Seriously.

Ryan’s bus arrives at 6:54 AM, and he needs to be at the bus stop 5 minutes prior.  The good thing is the bus stop is at the corner directly across from our driveway.

I have NEVER been a morning person.  For me to get up by 7 AM is a big accomplishment.  And that has worked for the most part for us.  I can feed Blaine, have some quiet time, maybe read a chapter from my Bible, sometimes even shower before I go get the other boys for breakfast.  They’re normally pretty good about playing upstairs first thing in the morning until I call them for breakfast.  After breakfast the boys will go get dressed and do a few simple chores while I clean up the dishes, get dressed.  Shortly thereafter, we will try and sit down and do our morning devotion together.

What am I going to do now though?  I need to be up by 6 and have Ryan up by 6:15 at the latest so he has time to eat and get dressed.  Tim’s alarm normally goes off around 5:20 AM for PT.  Should I just get up then?!  I don’t think I’d make it through the day!  My husband is a great man for being able to get up that early and go all day.  I tend to need more sleep than him though.

Do I do the devotion with Ryan by himself before he leaves and then later with Colin? 

Then there’s the sleeping situation.  All three boys sleep in the same room.  It’s worked out great for the most part.  Ryan sleeps in the top bunk bed and I’m not sure how I’m going to wake him up without waking up the others. 

Do we need to move Ryan to the other room?

Maybe I should just go ahead and wake the others at 6 AM?

Crazy you say…but I’m thinking that when bed time comes around I don’t want to be putting Ryan to bed at 7:30 because he has to get up early and then the other two to bed at 8:30.  That’s at least two hours of baths/bedtime routines.  Then come 9 PM I know I’m going to be exhausted and ready for bed which leaves little to no time for me and Tim.  So this idea is sounding appealing to me.  Also, this way we can still do our morning devotion together before Ryan leaves.

The decision to enroll Ryan in public school was difficult.  It kind of snuck up on us.  I think we were enjoying having Tim home and traveling that when we got back we didn’t realize we were so close to school starting.  We probably would have been completely oblivious to it unless my friend asked me about it one day.  Also,  I think we were both expecting to have received Tim’s orders for his new assignment before we would have to make any big decisions.  (Still waiting on those by the way.)  We discussed it off and on for a few weeks.  Then in the Sunday paper was a section on school enrollment the following week.  There were a few nights in a row where we stayed up late talking about it.  Discussing the pros and cons.  We were both on the fence.  I think I prayed continuously those few days for direction.  One of the big deciding factors though was the fact that Tim and I were both confident that a move was in our future within the next few months.  Whether that be to a different duty station or just to the next town over where our church and friends are.  We both knew that if we did move I would be spending a lot of time cleaning/organizing the house before and after the move and would be distracted in teaching Ryan.  The best thing is knowing that it is a decision that can always be changed.  We can revaluate throughout the year, especially at semester’s end, and decide if this is what is best for Ryan.

I think one of the hardest things for me in this transition is the lack of information we have received.  When I went to enroll him, and when we went to meet the teacher night, it seemed like it was expected that we had done this before.  That we should know where to go and how it all works.

I felt like I should have worn a sign that read “Help!  First time around!”.  I’m not sure that would have gotten all my questions answered though.   I think it hit me first when I left from registration and was driving home and I didn’t even know what time school started. 

No one gave me that information. 

They told me what time he should be at the bus stop, but some kids can ride the bus for an hour before school actually starts.  I probably filled out 15 pages of repetitive information at registration and I walked out with 2 pages. 

1.        What time he would be picked up and dropped off from the bus.
2.       His school supply/dresscode list.

Really?!  That’s it! 

It’s sad to think that now-a-days that’s all that most parents want.  They probably don’t ask for more.

So I went home and did some research on the school he was assigned to on the internet.  Some info, but not specifics.  I was praying that we would get more answers during Meet the Teacher night.  I got a few but not nearly enough to satisfy.

I just find it hard to believe that they just expect a 5 year old (sometimes younger if they attend the pre-K program) to just hop on the bus the first day, get off, and go to class without really being walked through the process.  No wonder half of them are scared.  Ryan isn’t of course.  He’s super excited.  I think I’ve got the scared angle covered for him.

Why can’t they do a dry run through with the parent’s allowed?  Ryan’s never been on a bus before.  Wouldn’t it be exciting to be able to go on it with him and show him what it’s like?!  To go to the school more than once before the “big day” and to know how to get from the bus to your class room.

We were told where the busses will drop him off, but we didn’t get to see.   We didn’t get to walk that route. 

I know there will be teachers there to help and to guide.  Speaking of though… how is a teacher /authority of the school “marked” so that Ryan will know who to ask for help?  How is he to distinguish a “trustworthy” adult, from a possible “stranger”.

I’ll probably have to send him with a note card the first day with his grade and teacher’s name on it. 

Which by the way I THINK is Mrs. Hall.  Possibly Hill.  Again…nothing given to us with that information.  Or with a way to contact her if we have questions/concerns.

I don’t even have the school’s phone number come to think of it!  Ack! 

If we are ever doing something new, or even routine, I always try to explain it to the boys ahead of time and give them a list of expectations so there are few surprises.  In this situation I have been given very little information to share with Ryan.

We weren’t given any information on visiting either.  Probably because very few parents do.  I plan to eat lunch with him on occasion.  Go observe him in class.  What type of security do I have to go through?

I asked the teacher if she had a copy of their daily schedule.  It was five days prior to school starting (and she’s been teaching for 20 years). 

Nope.
No schedule. 

Maybe I don’t quite understand how it all works, and maybe a lot of parents aren’t concerned with what their kid does all day.  I’m not asking for specific lessons plans (yet), just a general idea of how his time will be spent while he’s there.

There are tons of things I wish I could “prep” Ryan with.  IE: Rules on the bus.  What you’ll be doing all day. 

He’s a smart boy and I’m sure he will figure it out and catch on quick but I normally don’t send him into a situation this big, this underprepared.

They have orientations when you get to high school and one for parents as well when you go to college.  I wish they would have had one for first time parent of a Kindergartner.  Or even for all the families just moving to the area.

Tim has shared in my frustration with the lack of information we’ve received, but he’s much better at going with the flow than I am.  I’m the planner. 

Get passed all the basic concerns and you uncover a whole other level.

He will be spending a majority of his waking hours away from us. 

I pray that our level of influence in his heart and life will remain strong, but what amount of influence will we lose?

In reference to public school with one of my friends I shared one of my fears..”He’ll be going to school with a bunch of heathens.”  (Yes.   That’s what I said.) 

It’s not really the fact that he will be going to school with those who don’t know Christ.  It’s a huge mission field.  But is he ready to confront that?  Have Tim and I prepared/trained him efficiently? He has not yet made a profession of faith.  How will this affect his attitude to the situations that will occur around him?

Yes.  Again, I do realize this is just Kindergarten. 

And I know Tim and my job as parents to teach/equip him is not over, but the time we have to do it in is about to change drastically.

I am SO thankful for the work of the teachers to teach our children some of the basics, but what about their character?

How much character training will slip through the cracks?

How much communication will be lost? 

Will he be loved?  Cherished?


There are SO many unknowns. 
So many what ifs. 

I have already found myself praying harder.

To protect him.  To guide him.  To remind him.  To secure him.  To save him!

Through this process though I think I’m already learning the importance of praying for my children with severe sincerity.  To battle for their hearts and minds.

I expect to shed many tears over the next few days. 

A Calling

I'm breaking my blog silence to post a reference for an article.  Mainly because I loved it so much and her book  Loving the Little Years: Motherhood in the Trenches is next on my list of books to read.

Plus, I don't want to forget where I found it.  Ha.  The article convited, challenged, and is a sweet reminder of what is most important.  I am excited to read more from her.  One friend already gave it a great review so I can't wait to order it and start reading it.



We Made It!

We survived our first 15 hour road trip as a family of five...in one day!!!!  We are on our first stop during Tim's leave in Colorado Springs.  Considering the length of the trip the boys did awesome!  Even with the few hiccups we had in our travel, overall it went very smooth and it really didn't feel like a 15 hour trip. 

What's a road trip though with out kids throwing up or blowout diapers?  Colin had been sick the past two days but he hadn't had an incident for about 24 hours and we were thinking he was on the tail end of whatever he had.  Apparently he had one more in him.  Thankfully he only "got sick" one time and his timing couldn't have been more perfect.  On our first stop he got out of the car and was hanging outside the van w/Tim and Ryan when the moment hit him.  We were SO thankful it wasn't in the car.  I had brought a towel and a few other things with us just in case, but it was such a blessing not to have to deal with cleaning up the car.

The towel came in pretty handy later though when Blaine decided to have a blowout.  I was just going to change him on the go, but when I went to pull him out of the seat I realized that it was ALL over the seat.  We were currently driving through New Mexico and there aren't that many places to stop but thankfully we were passing through what used to be a town so Tim was able to pull over right away and I had a little more space to work with.  I was EXTREMELY pleased with how well Blaine did.  When we made the round-trip when he was 4 weeks old and then at 2 months old he screamed a majority of the trip.  Yes..literally screamed and yes, a majority of the trip.  I couldn't keep in his car seat for more than 5 minutes without him having a meltdown.  My friend Sarah as said it as well, and it's true...he is a completely different baby then he was 6 months ago.  This time around he stayed in his seat a majority of the time just talking, playing, laughing and sleeping.  It was wonderful! 

Confession...I gave Ryan and Colin a small dose of Dramamine to help with the trip.  The bottle says it is for children and adults.  The last time we made the trip I didn't give them anything so I was a little nervous with the way the boys reacted to it.  Colin slept a lot...but I thought that could have partly been from him not feeling well still.  Ryan on the other hand was quiet.  No words.  VERY weird.  Kind of nice; but VERY weird...kind of scary.  Although it was nice and it did seem to help the trip go pretty smooth I'm not sure we'll be using it again on the way back South.  Tim and I still have to talk about it.  Maybe a smaller dose won't be quiet as bad.

We made it to my parent's house at a very decent time and the boys still had a couple hours to play and then went right to bed.  Of course they were up bright and early the next morning excited to hang out with Grandma & Grandpa.  So far the weather has been BEAUTIFUL and they even received some desperately needed rain this afternoon.  We have already had a few outings but are looking forward to the rest of the week here.  Some of the things on our list (some still up for debate):  The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Garden of the Gods, Pikes Peak, Cave of the Winds, and Mr. Wilber (a fountain for the boys to play in downtown).  Tim and I are also hoping to sneak out for a few hours.  ;) 

My Birthday Gift

I posted about the one big gift we got the boys, but I forgot to mention the one BIG gift Tim got for me for my birthday....A new mattress!  PRAISE GOD!!!!!

Before Tim even deployed a new bed was on our radar and it was at the top of the list of things to buy when he got back.  Tim bought the mattress set we had when we first got married.  It's been 6 1/2 years now.  It was a queen pillow top that he scored for $500!  As most of you can probably guess...we got what we paid for.  After probably about three years it started to sink in the middle.  I could lay flat on my back and my left side would be noticeably lower than my right. I remember being horribly uncomfortable in it when I was pregnant with Colin.  Tim had even tried putting plywood in between the mattresses for me, and we bought a 4 inch memory foam topper, but I pretty much slept sitting up for the last five months of the pregnancy.  After having Colin that bed was a love/hate relationship.  Some nights it would be great.  Other nights...not so much.  It was getting worse and worse and we were SO tempted to buy a new mattress before Tim deployed, but we were praying if we could hold out one more year we could bump it up to a king.  Plus, the bed was much more doable with just one person in it.

Tim got back on a Friday and on Tuesday I woke up whining. L.I.T.E.R.A.L.L.Y....Classy, right?  So we went out mattress shopping.  We went to a few different stores, but ended up getting a memory foam from Denver Mattress Company.  We weren't even thinking a king size mattress was going to work in our budget until we saw their prices.  They just delivered it this past Saturday so we've been in it four nights so far.  It was a little rough the first night, but I think I'm getting used to it.  Tim can sleep on anything so he's been out like a rock within seconds of going to bed.  We are both LOVING the king size and are very thankful we were able to get it. 

Oh and Ryan's reaction to our big new bed, "Wow!  It's big enough for all of us to sleep on it!  Ryan (Yes, he refers to himself in 3rd person) and Colin can sleep with Mom and Dad now!"

Yeah...good luck with that one kiddo.

Getting Dirty

A few weeks before Tim's unit deployed last year, one of his friend's car started having a lot of trouble.  Long story short....he needed a new engine.  So while they were away he was saving up his money for not just the engine but a few other "upgrades" as well.  The new engine was barely in the car before the guys were in the garage putting the rest of the stuff on.  The plan was to install a new exhaust and intake.

Once they installed the new exhaust they gave it a test run and I heard it from inside the house and had to go out to take a look.  It sounded great and they were all a little giddy over it.



They still had shocks that Alex wanted to install so a few days later Tim and Alex worked those.  I think they made at least three trips to Auto Zone/Sears for a certain tool.  Right around 8 PM they thought they had successfully finished when they looked around to find an extra piece laying around that they forgot to put on.  (Oooops.)  It was only another hour or so when they got it all together, and they were grining from ear to ear.

I was kind of sad that Alex didn't have any more upgrades to add to his car.  I enjoyed watching them work and see them gain joy from their accomplishment.  I'm sure something else will come up soon though.

One Big Gift

A few months before Tim came back we began discussing what we wanted to do for the boys.  Tim wanted to buy them one big gift.  We were going back and forth between a Power Wheels (which the boys have been wanting) and a Trampoline.  We ended up going with the trampoline.  I think it was a good choice.  The boys love it.  Although most of the day it's wickedly hot out and we tend not to go out till after dinner, it wears them out!  I've jumped on it a few times myself, but to be perfectly honest it feels completely different since I've had three babies.  (I feel like my uterus is going to come out.)  They love it most though when Tim comes out and jumps with them.

The only thing we are NOT looking forward to is when we move and we have to disassemble it.