off to school...

it has happened. my precious 9lb baby boy has grown old enough to walk through the doors of kindergarten.

monday afternoon our family went to school so that henry could meet his teacher. he was so excited and yet quiet. i could tell that seeing familiar faces made the unknown not quite so stressful. his teacher, mrs. schmidt, is just what we had hoped for- she loves Jesus with all of her being and her primary goal is to help give this room full of 5 yr olds a biblical worldview. she has such energy and a smile that comforts. we pray for her daily and are excited to know her more as the year goes on.

monday night, i found myself in the kitchen preparing a lunch for henry. i had it all planned out- half a sandwich, yogurt, chips, raisins, juice and a moon pie. henry has been looking forward to having a moon pie in his lunch almost as much as he was looking forward to going to school. my mom rarely made me a lunch for school but i had friends who would share theirs with me and i never wanted that for henry. it has always been a big deal for me to provide a great lunch for my kiddos.

as tuesday morning came i got up around 5:30 so i could get myself ready before the kids got up. when i went in to wake henry up i knew that he would be groggy and a bit grumpy (just like his daddy in the mornings). much to my surprise he popped right up and said, "hi mommy. it's my first day of school, right? i'm going to go take my shower now." he was so excited! everything went smoothly- he got dressed, brushed his teeth, ate his breakfast and got his new big boy backpack. we headed out the door, dropping the girls off at a dear friend's house, and then- we hit traffic. we actually were a little late the first day of school. i can't stand to be late. i get this anxious feeling in the pit of my stomach and then i get antsy. much the same as i feel arriving at the airport and just not being sure how long it will take to go through security and get checked in and then board the plane. i realized it was time to pray for my boy's day and so we turned off the radio and began to pray for all that was ahead. it was then that i started to get a bit teary-eyed. we pulled in the wrong parking lot and had to hike to the other end of the campus and then without any hesitation henry ran into his class. he didn't bat an eye- i had to stop him so i could grab a picture.

day 2 he popped out of bed with the same enthusiasm and he even offered to set the table and help me with the laundry before breakfast. he let the dogs out and was done with most of the chores before his food was even on the table. once we got to school though he had some slight hesitation but only enough that he asked if i would give him a hug and a kiss outside the classroom. he is growing up and and i am seeing more and more the blessing my precious son is.

am i enjoying the quietness of my home? yes. do i miss he and daphne arguing? no. do i miss him during the day? immensely! i find myself watching the clock that last hour excited to hear how his day was and what he did in class and with his friends. he even brought home some homework yesterday and will have math homework four days a week. he loves it. one of his buddies was mad the first day because he didn't have homework yet and another little friend was mad because he hadn't learned to read that first day. i know this year will be filled with many new adventures and i just look forward to seeing how God is going to grow and shape our little man.

Lord, i know you are going to do great and mighty things in henry this year. thank you for what you are going to do in his life and ours. we praise you and thank you for henry's teachers and his school. thank you for their servant hearts and their undeniable love for you. may you help henry to grow in wisdom and in stature as this year continues. i love you, Lord.