The final chapter...

One of the reasons I was such an enthusiastic blogger this summer was that, once our Summer of Fun was over, I would be able to have these posts bound into a book - a perfect keepsake to remember all of the great adventures I had with the kids this summer. 

Ready for first grade

Tuesday marked the start of the school year for the State College Area School District, and with it, the official end of summer vacation... One Crazy Summer is (pardon the pun) in the books and I can now say that I am Mom to TWO school-aged children.  I find it simply amazing.

I so vividly remember the day we took Matt in for his kindergarten orientation.  There was no doubt he was ready.  He's one of the most outgoing, bright, inquisitive kids I've ever known.  When the school bus came for him the following day, I had no reservations in letting him go. 

Leaving for orientation

But with Cathy, it was different.  Not just because she's my baby (though it most certainly is hard when it's your youngest, knowing full-well that this is the last time we'll celebrate a particular milestone), but because she's my quiet, reserved child.  And because, despite the great developmental assessment she had this spring, I will ALWAYS remember her past; I will always remember the geneticist at CHOP telling us that 'whatever Cathy achieves in life, she will have to work harder than other kids'.  And so I worry.

As many parents of kindergarten-aged kids do, I had my share of doubts over whether we should send Cathy to school this year or hold her back until next fall.  Obviously, we chose the former.  She was excited to start school and deep down, I knew that she was ready. 

Ready for Cathy's first bus ride!!!

When the bus came Wednesday morning, Cathy eagerly climbed the steps and took a seat with her big brother.  Once she was on board, the tears came... not hers.  Mine.  I honestly could not have been more excited for her and all the possibilities that lie ahead.  But no matter how well you think you have prepared yourself for it, it is tough to let your baby go.

If you know Cathy, you know that she's sometimes hard to get information out of and it's been real work getting her to talk about her experiences this week.  But I know that she's really enjoying lunch in the cafeteria and afternoon recess.  I know they sit on a new carpet and read stories, that her bus buddy is a girl (who she instantly recognized when we bumped into her at the park this afternoon).  And tonight over dinner, she let me know that her class is learning some simple sign language - Yes, No, I have to go to the potty.   

I could not be more proud.

Don't think I've forgotten about my son... one of my favorite back-to-school stories of the week belongs to him.  When Matt first found out who his teacher was going to be, he told me that he didn't like her because (brace yourselves) she makes kids write words.  Every day.  Can you believe the nerve of that woman?  But Tuesday afternoon as we talked about his first day of school, Matt let me know that he'd confused her with the other first grade teacher.  He followed up by telling me: "I love my new teacher.  Well, I don't LOVE, love her, but I really like her a lot".  I hope this is a good sign.

So... here we are.  The first week of school is over.  And even though I may reach for those few remaining slips in the Jar of Fun over the next couple of weekends, the Summer of Fun is technically over. 

There's a web site, Blog 2 Print, where I'll have my summer blog entries made into a book.  I priced it out earlier today... a hard cover book will cost less than $60.  And while that is certainly the most expensive book I've purchased since I bought text books for the CFA program eight or nine years ago, the stories inside the book are priceless and I can't wait to add them to my collection!