Back-to-School!

Tomorrow morning, Thomas goes back to school.  He will be in the First Grade.  Yesterday, someone asked me, "How does it make you feel to think that he'll be in the First Grade?" I answered him honestly when I said it's not that big of a deal because last year, when he was in Kindergarten (although his school calls in "Primary") he went all-day, so we kind of went through all the "big deals" all in one year.

Thomas was able to meet his new teacher on Friday and got to see which kids were in his class.  He was hoping that Calvin, Tristan and Ben were in his class.  Calvin is.  Tristan's in the other class and a huge surprise--Ben's parents pulled him out of the International school and enrolled him in the local German school instead.  But, the disappointment didn't last long because after all the silly boy Calvin is in his class so all is well.

Thomas has his bright orange t-shirt with Transformer's on the front along with the jeans with the skulls on the pockets picked out for the first day of school.  I have his gym bag packed. And his backpack and lunchbag all ready to go.

So, tomorrow, we start a new school year.  One that doesn't seem all that different from last year.  Thomas isn't nervous...he told me himself it's not that big of a deal--it's the same school and a lot of the same kids are in his class, the only thing that is different is that he has a new teacher.  My carpool days are the same and Thomas is thrilled to be riding with Tristan again all year.  Truth be told, I would have put him on the bus this year but it helps out Tristan's mom on the days that she works (those are my "permanent" driving days) and Friday's we alternate--sort of.

I am sure Toby will wander around most of the week, missing his big brother.  His schedule will have to be adjusted somewhat because he is generally still sleeping during the time that we will have to leave to pick Thomas up from school.  In September, I am going to start hitting the gym a couple times a week and he will go to daycare.

Speaking of Toby, I have had two different people (they were German) ask me within the past two weeks "If I'm going to put him into the German kindergarten this year?"  you see in Germany, they start attending "kindergarten" at age 3.  Toby WILL be three (where does the time go) in January...but I'm not interested in sending him to the German kindergarten (it's nothing more than daycare).  He can go to daycare (US military) this year when I need to do something without him (gym, doctors appointments, hair and nail appointments or any other thing that a 2 1/2 year old shouldn't tag along to) but that will be enough for this year.  I'll probably want him to start attending some kind of preschool next year when he's 3 1/2...and that is soon enough for him, in my own opinion.

Until later,

Emily