Back to School

Come Monday

On Monday I will do something I have never done before. I will be sending my child to kindergarten. Even though this has been the plan for many months, maybe even over a year, I am feeling so so sad. My baby girl is going to school.

I don't think I am making a mistake, actually I look forward to seeing how she matures and grows in these coming months. She has always been a mama's girl, and I want her to gain some independence. Additionally, her speech therapy will increase while at school.

Thursday, we met all 3 "new" teachers. I am confident they are well suited for each child. Isaac is even excited to start school (miracle of miracles) after meeting with his sweet teacher. Lauralyn saw shelf after shelf of meticulously organized books in her classroom and knew she was going fit right in. An added highlight is that our next-door neighbor, Jay, is in her class... his desk next to hers. :-) 

Kristin's teacher is very kind and nurturing. I plan to volunteer in her class on occasion to see everything in action and see my sweet girl learning. Really, I enjoyed getting to know my kids' classmates last year, and I see no reason things would be different this year.

Just tonight, Lauralyn saw a classmate who she was good friends with last year in Walmart. They shrieked with joy in seeing one another, hugging and jumping up and down. So girly, so cute. And while this child comes from a different race and socioeconomic family, their love was evident. (We ran into her again in the store, and they repeated the hugging routine). 

Moments like those make me see that I am not a "bad" mom for sending them to public school. (I say that because I have beat myself up for changing course and sending them, not because I judge other's choices). There are life lessons I could not teach at home. AND that's not to say homeschooling is wrong, because believe me, if I were a more patient, more motivated woman, I'd be homeschooling all of them this year.

With my ramblings rambled, I leave you with this: a photograph of my soon to be kindergartener. If you think of it, say a prayer for her (and her mama) Monday!

Turtle Time

The house we rented had a turtle nest perfectly situated in the front. What are the odds? Even more surprising, the nest hatched the week we were there. Holden Beach Turtle Patrol is a bit hard core, but only if it means not staying out too late. Turtles that were hatched late at night had to fend for themselves (or with the help of some ignorant tourists (us)). I'm pretty sure some ugly ghost crabs had a feast when nobody was looking. :-(

I will say it was awesome to see the turtles come out of the sand-covered nest and KNOW "I must get to the water!" The moment they are on the surface they face a huge challenge of getting to the water (without getting eaten), facing the surf (which can be really rough), and swimming many many hours to find a seaweed raft (without getting eaten). Not many turtles make it to maturity... if they do, the female will come back around 25 years of age to nest in the same proximity of her birth. The journey they make is truly amazing.

Supposedly, you should not use a white light around baby sea turtles as it confuses them (they look for white caps to know where the water is located), so you can use a red light instead. Red lights make for lousy photography, not to mention no camera flash in the dark. Photos aren't great, but you get the idea. What a great free entertaining science lesson!

Beach Moments {in B/W}

Beach Moments {in color}

Arrival

Can anything hold back the excitement of arriving at the beach? No! Not even driving through a monsoon for over an hour and finding the weather to be less than ideal. Within minutes, children were in the water. I have created some die-hard beach lovers in my children, and hopefully they will pass this love of the ocean down to their children some day.