First Day of School

For the first time ever, it was a first day of school for all four of us at the same school! The first day of Pre-K, 2nd grade, 4th grade, and back to Kindergarten for me! 

This has been a big transition for all of us, but we're so thankful to all be at Marvelously Made together! I was initially offered this job early last spring before everything happened with COVID & shutdowns. But before I go any further with this story, I should probably back up a bit. When we had lived here in San Antonio before, we obviously fell in love with MM. As soon as we found out we were moving back to SA, we knew wanted to be close to Helotes because of Marvelously Made. Obviously we wanted Brady to be able to attend preschool here, but in our minds' eyes I think we knew I would end up here eventually, too. {We just didn't think it would happen so soon or that all all 4 of us would be here!} Last fall the director of the school asked me I was ready for a job yet, and of course I wasn't at that time. Derek likes to joke that I volunteered myself out of a job there last year. ;) So flash forward to early 2020, the school announced they would be adding a second Kindergarten class for the 2020-2021 school year. I immediately felt like this was for me. Shortly thereafter, the school director happened to run into me and again asked if I was ready for a job. 

At the time, I excitedly but very hesitantly accepted the job. I was overjoyed at the prospect of teaching Kindergarten at this dream school, but it would have been a much more organic transition for us next year when Brady was ready to start Kindergarten. But there is nothing "normal" or "ideal" about the world we all currently live in. As summer was coming to a close, it became clear that the girls' local public elementary school would not initially be re-opening in-person, but instead they would continue with Distance Learning. We simultaneously learned that Marvelously Made, which in previous years had only served children from Preschool through 3rd grade, would be opening a new class in the fall for 4th-8th graders. So we were all in! In some ways this was a hard decision for me--taking the girls away from a school we loved, starting a new job after ten years at home, Brady having to go to school all five days--but in so many ways, this decision was an absolute no-brainer. If the girls were still enrolled in our local public elementary school, they would still be at home doing Distance Learning--glued to a screen for 7-8 hours each & every day. Our district has slowly started letting the youngest and most at-risk students return, but the students & teachers are required to wear masks, playground equipment is closed, and worst of all--the kids still have to do their virtual learning at school. And on top of all that, this is always where I eventually saw myself one day. It is quite literally a dream come true.

We are immensely grateful that our kids get to spend their days in place where their childhood is safely guarded. This transition hasn't been seamless for us by any means, but when I see Brady talking over the fence to Shelby {their Outdoor Classrooms share a fence line}, or Brady spies me and runs over to the fence to give me a kiss {the Kindergarten Outdoor Classroom shares a fence line with Brady's class as well}, or I see Hadley walking through my yard on her way to care for the alpacas, sheep, and goats with her classmates I remember what an absolute dream this place is. It is truly magical. It is school as it should be, and I'm so thankful we get to be a part of it.

After our first day of school, we swung by the Helotes bakery on our way home to pick out some yummy treats from their case. We brought them home to enjoy on the deck while I read aloud from the novel we were currently reading at the time--Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh. It was the perfect ending to the first day of our new normal.

And just so I never lose sight of what a blessing MM is to us or forget how weird the world we currently live in is, this is what lunch in the cafeteria and storytime in the library look like right now in our local public elementary school:

Here's to a year full of new adventures for all four of us! 

Grammy & Grampy's Visit

No matter what our zip code is, my parents have always managed to put their lives on hold to be there for every major event in our lives. They have been there for every house-hunting trip, every PCS, each time we've brought a newborn home from the hospital, they've driven 10+ hours to attend a med school graduation with a broken shoulder, collar bone, and ribs. They were there in 2007 as I hosted my first Open House for my first ever class of Kindergarteners, and my mom was there in 2010 as I packed up my classroom and condo in Northern Virginia to head South to Biloxi to join Derek at Keesler Air Force Base. And they were here last month as I prepared to go back into the classroom for the first time in ten years. Whew. I've been home raising babies for the past decade, but this fall started a new chapter for our family. And my parents were here, as always, to help us navigate our new normal. It was such a blessing to have them here for my "teacher work week" before the school year officially got underway. What could have been a stressful week was a fun, exciting, memory-filled adventure thanks to their presence. 

We crammed a lot into just one week! We hiked at Lost Maples, did lots of swimming, played countless games, got my classroom ready for the school year, attended 4 Open Houses (mine for my Kindergarteners & all three of the kiddos' classes), celebrated Shelby's birthday a little early, and my parents even kicked us out one evening so Derek & I could have a date night! My parents love all five of us so well, and we are forever grateful!