Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Another Chapter

Middle School...

Lockers

Multiple teachers

Contacts

Football

Broken arms

Crushes

School Dances

Quiz Bowl

Drums

Getting taller

Peer mentor
Honor Roll

Figuring out life

Searching for identity

Dreaming about the future

Growing in maturity

Over....




A new chapter begins August of 2011

HIGH SCHOOL!!!!

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Last Day of School: Litte Dude

Today was the end of Little Dudes first year of preschool.  

He has so loved preschool.  

When I would drop him off he'd skip down the hall, happy and excited.  When I would pick him up, he would run out with a smile on his face and jump into my arms.  

He would hug his best friend and the two of them would walk out to their mommy's vans holding hands.

Today was different.  There was no smile.  No running.  He tried to carry a big brave boy composer.  But his lip quivered just ever so slightly that I knew he was sad. 

We snapped a quick photo with his teacher. 

Then he fell into my arms, buried his head into my neck to hide his face.  

I could feel his warm tears on my neck.  



"Go!  Go!" he whimpered, motioning toward the door wanting to leave.  

Today there was no goodbye hug for his best friend; no walking her to her van.  

Today he just wasn't up to it.  

I tried to get a last day of school picture in the same spot that we took our first day of school picture.  But he just clung to me tighter.  

I'm so glad that he loved preschool that much.  Glad that we decided to keep him there next year rather than moving him into the program at our elementary school.  Sad that his heart was sad.  (I've never had a kiddo react that way to the end of school!!!)  But looking forward to all of the fun and adventure that we will have this summer. 

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Hugs

A wise mom of grown children told me once, "Never stop hugging your kids.  Even if they don't like it, keep hugging them.  Because if you stop, they might decide they do want to be hugged by you and how would you know?"

So, I make it a point to hug my boys, all three of them, big, medium and small. 

Little Dude runs and jumps into my arms and squeezes.

BuhBuh lets me hug and kiss him.  But most times his arms dangle at his side.  Unless it's bedtime then he wants a big hug.  I think it's a stall tactic, but I don't care.  If he has a bad dream he still insists on a "good night" kiss to make it all better.

The Boy curls up into a fetal position and squirms.  But I hug him anyway.  It doesn't really hurt my feelings that he doesn't hug back.  Because my job is to let him know that I love HIM

This weekend The Boy and I were at a youth retreat and at the end everyone runs around hugging all of their friends new and old.  

As I was trying to round up my group I was standing there face to face with The Boy; looking up to him.  He leaned in and let me hug him.  We were in the middle of a group of people and he didn't care.  We stood there longer than any other hug we have had recently.  This time it wasn't one sided either.