SMOKE BOMB IS GOING TO KINDERGARTEN!!

This is Kindergarten registration week at our elementary school. Wow! It just blows me away! I cannot believe Smoke Bomb is going to school next year. Where does time go? I remember the first time I saw him on an ultrasound and heard his heart galloping along. I remember "meeting" him in the OR for the first time, amazed by his beauty and high pitch scream! I remember giving him baths in the kitchen sick, his head full of curls that I refused to cut, holding him after bathtime singing "baby,baby,baby" as I rocked him, the way he took his socks and shoes off every time we rode in the car, the first time he said Mama, the list could go on and on.

It is phenomenal how many memories we have over such a short span of time. It is also remarkable how much we forget or watch go by without realizing the magnitude. Our neighbor is aspiring to write a book - something along the lines of "if I had known then that this would be the last time". I think this concept is spot on. As a parent, especially new parents, we tend to often focus on the baby's firsts.....first bath, first tooth, first time walking, first day of school. I once read in a parenting magazine that we should also be vigil about the baby's lasts....last time they use a pacifier, last time they wear diapers, last time they need help to get dressed. It seems this might help us keep things (and life) in perspective, particularly on the days when we are tired and overloaded with parenting.

I was a wreck when we had to register Bottle Rocket for Kindergarten. It was hard for me to let him go and I questioned myself about whether or not I had done enough as a parent to get him ready. There were a few weeks when I even distanced myself from him (unconsciously) so the pain would not be so hurtful. I see now that was selfish. God has a plan for us and He will not give me (or Smoke Bomb) any more than we can handle. I see now that I can stay stuck in yesterday and wondering if I have done enough for my kids, or I can focus on the present and enjoy today with my kids. Sure it isn't always easy and it is a choice we must make, but the reward is much greater. Sure there are other things I could have done/do that might benefit my kids. But it is important as a parent to also be confident that we are doing the best we can for our kids.

I did not have as hard of a time today registering Smoke Bomb for school. I still don't want to let him go off to school and I will miss him next year during the day like crazy, but this time around I am choosing focus on things a little differently. I am choosing to make the most of our time together before August rolls around. I am using naptime to spend one-on-one time with him, giving him additional responsibilities to help him feel independent, working on letters and numbers with him, etc. So that when his FIRST day of school comes, I will know in my heart that we had a blast in the LAST few months before he became a Kindergartener! So I encourage you to seize the moment and make sure memories are not passing you by unwatched. Make the most of today! It is worth it!

*On a funny note: Several teachers and parents stopped by to chat today at registration and remarked about our newest child coming to school next year. I giggled in my head. It reminded me of my husband in the months following the birth of our fourth child. When people asked how old all the kids were, he excitedly replied 6,4,2 and new! It always cracked me up. Today when the teachers asked about our newest child coming to school, it made me think about Verizon Wireless and their "New Every Two" option for phones. Hehe....look out school, we are on the plan!