To Kindergarten and Beyond.........

A new adventure for the Kazmanian Devil........

We started out the First day at McDonald's with a family breakfast and all out Kindergarten pep talk!



It looks like they are deep in prayer here.....maybe they were, I know I was! :)




In front of his new elementary school! He is so handsome although not too sure about all this. It was a bit chaotic around the school with all the parents taking pictures and such....we were just glad not to be the ONLY parents who wanted to do the geeky picture thing. :)



Me and my boy! He was getting ready to reach up and grab my face and kiss it. Such a smooshie mushie boy!



We took him to his room and found his cubby .....he was just not too sure about all this hoopla!



Daddy was giving the last big pep talk......



Mommy filling out the last papers and Nick READY TO START THE DAY! What a smile!



Our boy is in elementary school! He has cried a little in the mornings but overall, he likes school! Pat and I were a bit overwhelmed at all the parental activity the first day. Parents were everywhere taking pictures and getting their little ones to class. I actually was impressed by all the fathers there. I'm glad to know that we will be a school with both parents involved and glad to see that actually both parents WANT to be involved.



All day/week on facebook and in blogland, I have been reading ode's to the first day of Kindergarten. Lots of introspective and weepy moms speaking their hearts. I'm not sure sending him to K was any different than preschool for me except for the length of time he is gone from us. My stomach was churning in anticipation. How was he going to deal with it all? How would he behave? Is he going to cry? Am I going to cry? The unknown just freaks me out.



I don't think we had the "typical" parent feelings because simply, he has only been with us 2 and 1/2 years. There are no baby memories, no amazement of how fast time flew, no reminiscing with fellow moms about "remember when", etc. We don't have that kind of time flow and memory recall. I don't dwell on those facts because I had no control over them. I try to remember that those 3 years in the baby house for good or bad helped create the boy that we have today and I really love the boy that we have today.

I have to admit that I was a school junkie....always loved it, always will. I loved to learn and I loved my teachers. So, I was generally so excited for Nick. He loves to learn and now he can have almost 7 hours of a constant learning environment, new friends, and fun challenges. I am just so excited for him and that is where all the introspection comes for me.

I am overwhelmed and amazed at all our boy has accomplished in 2 1/2 short years.
*learned how to be a son and a part of a family
*learned how to belong to a group in a different capacity than in an orphanage
*learned how to be a member of society at the store, in church, in school, etc
*learned how to speak a new language and new way of communicating
*learned how to receive nutrition in a non institutional and unregulated way
*learned how to be a friend
*learned how to play and pretend
*learned how to spontaneously laugh and to recognize fun and joyful moments
*learned how to be safe and avoid danger
*learned how give and receive affection and love
*learned how to swim
*learned about God's love and His hand in all of our lives
*learned to develop a love for books and reading
*learned to apologize and also to forgive

I think I could go on and on but you get the idea. This boy has done amazing things in almost 2 1/2 years.....sure all kids learn those things but he had to do it in half the time to be ready for Kindergarten. AND, he is starting on time at 5 1/2! We feel so blessed. We know so many adoptive and biological parents that have struggled so much more to get where we were this week and I just feel thankful. The potential and infinite possibilities that I hope our boy will be able to fulfill in the coming years gives me chills and tears most days! It is these kind of days...big days...that make me ponder for a short time the "what ifs"....

what if we had chosen fertility treatments over adoption
what if we had said, NO, we really want an infant.....he's too old
what if we had chosen the other child
what if we had decided not to pursue being parents
what if we had chosen Russia, China, or Guatemala

I know God would have had blessings and trials for us in any or all of those situations had we chosen them instead but God chose for our lives to cross with Nick's and we are all forever changed........ us by the journey and Nick by no longer remaining an orphan. It is the thought that another "Nick" or "Nicole" full of potential, full of love, full of worth may not get the same chance as our Nick did that haunts me. When I look at Nick's picture in front of the school, I think of them and then I cry. So my tears are flowing but not necessarily for the same reason as most other moms. I am honored and humbled to have crossed paths with Nick by God's grace but I am also brought to my knees in pain and conviction about the others.

Our church has been discussing what we as Christians are really called to do here on earth. They have been talking about "IT". What is IT for each of us that makes us more like Jesus, that causes us to take risks, to LOVE deeper and sacrifice more. Our pastor has called us to make a difference in Kentucky, the US and the World.......we are called to feed the hungry, clothe the poor, house the homeless and take care of the orphans....father the fatherless. Do we need the latest techno gadget, biggest house, fastest car, best schools, coolest clothes to be like Jesus to others? I say absolutely not. When are we going to get a clue? If we all decided to take on God's call to us then what would happen? Would we wipe out hunger, would everyone have a place to sleep at night, would there be no orphans who aged out of the system with nowhere to go but the street or crime, would one more "Nick" go to Kindergarten just like everyone else with mom and dad taking pictures and whispering I love you as you backed out of the doorway.....WHAT IF? I don't know at this point if we will adopt again but I know our hearts have forever been changed toward orphan care. We can make a difference, we DID make a difference in one life, one kindergartners life.......how many more can we help/love/serve? Yep, that's the stuff I thought about this week as my boy went to school, what about you? :)