Kindergarten

We are there already.

With rollie-backpack and water bottle in tow, H, along with so many other 5 year olds, is an official kindergartner.

We celebrated the beginning with lots of talking about what, how, when... and a taco dinner with brownies and ice cream for dessert. When asked what she wants to do as a kindergartner, she replied, "Eat lunch...and play games." Sounds like her mom at the same age after getting a taste of school; lunchtime, recess, and PE were the best.

(eating her cream cheese brownie and vanilla ice cream celebrating kindergarten year)

Yet, her start to schooling will look quite a bit different than her parents'. Four of the weekdays, she will be taught at home by "Mom." This schedule with the little ones will be a lot more easy going and appealing. We can have breakfast and school in pj's if we want to...or need to. With a couple good books, we have begun, and as for that one weekday that "Mom" doesn't teach, she attends a public school option program for home schooled children where she enjoys a classroom of 5 year olds and a couple other teachers (her main class and extracurriculars).

As I think on H's first year of school, I am amazed at what choices we had to choose from. I feel blessed and thankful...that this year we can have a little more peaceful schedule (given the age of our family right now) while still letting H play and work through our public school system weekly with other homeschoolers her age. It feels like an incredible blessing to have such choices!

(ready to meet her classmates)

So here's to hopscotch, circle-time, "slow" mornings,...and our 5 year old starting to put this crazy, wonderful world together through games, songs,...and listening and trying her best with friends.