And a Pizza Man

It is shocking to think that today the kids started 5th and 3rd grade! Honestly, I look back and am stunned by how quickly the time flies by. If I think too long about it I get sad, so instead I try hard to focus on this very moment and to enjoy each day as it comes. Don't get me wrong, sometimes this is MUCH easier said than done, but it's something to which I aspire!

As I've mentioned before, this year started out being much more stressful than years past, simply because the kids are now going to a new school. Truthfully, it has been as much of a struggle for me as it has been for them. However, I really do believe that this is the best thing for both of them. 

Late last week we headed over to their school for Back to School Night. Everyone we met went completely out of their way to make us feel welcome. The kids felt so much at home that at the end of our time there, Faith was chatting away with some kids she had just met and Joshua actually reached up and took his SLIC teacher's hand and held it all the way to the front door of the school. It was a really great experience for all of us!

On a not-so side note, I need to mention that I am VERY grateful to all of the people in our lives who made this first day of school a positive one. As you can see from the picture above, the Hulk shirt dilemma was solved just in the nick of time, thanks to our dear friends Samantha and her son Brock. It takes a very special person to go completely out of their way to first FIND the right Hulk shirt online, then to ORDER it and have it DELIVERED before school started! Boy did it make a difference in Joshua's anxiety level. With that Hulk shirt he is invincible! Also, we are so blessed to have Grandmas and Grandpas who love these kiddos so much. Because of them, it is unlikely that either of my little sweeties will go to school not looking super cool (or "IN", as Faith would say).

Now, I am sure that most of you have either seen or have taken the super cute pictures of kids' first days of school. Many of the ones I have seen have the adorable kids holding creative signs with their grade levels and future ambitions written on them. A serious kudos to all of the parents who are super enough to manage this in the midst of the back to school chaos! I saw quite a few of these pictures last year and decided this year that I would try to join the ranks of the super moms and dads who have put this into practice so beautifully. Here is how OUR first day photo session went...

After having set out the kids' clothes, backpacks, snacks and everything else they may possibly need for the school day, I decided to sit down with them and ask them the questions needed for the oh so adorable first day photos. First I talked to Faith. "Faith, what do you want to be when you grow up?" She replied "A vet." No real surprise there. If you know Faith at all, you will know that she is super passionate about all animals, especially Cheetahs. They are her thing! I then asked her, "What is your favorite food?" She answered, "Spaghetti." This was another non-shocker, as she would eat pasta for every meal of every day if I let her. Finally I asked her, "What is your favorite subject in school?" She responded, "Science. It's SO cool!" Well, THAT was easy, I thought to myself. These pictures are going to be amazing! Boy, should I have kept that thought at bay, as to not jinx the project...TOO LATE!

I called Joshua over to ask him the same questions. "Joshy, what do you want to be when you grow up?" Joshua paused for a very long time. Unsure if he heard and understood my question, I asked him again. "Joshy, when you get to be a grown up, what do you want to do for your job?" I should throw in a little history here. From the time Joshua was old enough to tell me what he wanted to be, he has always said 3 things. He wanted to be a principal, a fire fighter and a robot designer. When I asked him the question,I fully expected to hear any one of these or possibly all of them. Instead, Joshua answered, "A pizza man." Hmmm...what is a pizza man, I wondered? I needed to ask for a little more info! "Joshua, what does a pizza man do?" He looked at me like "duh, Mom" and answered, "He make the pizza and drive the pizza and eat the pizza too." Well, how about that? I was really shocked! "You don't want to be a principal and a fire fighter and a robot designer anymore?" He sweetly looked at me and said, "No anks, Mama. I too growned up now." Ok...on to the next question. "Joshy, what is your favorite thing to eat?" Again, he looked at me like I had lost my mind! Why on earth would I have to ask him such a silly question? "Pizza" he replied. In my mind I am thinking, do I dare ask the final question, but I continued on. "Joshy, what is your favorite subject in school?" Now, this is a bit of a tricky question because Joshua has struggled academically from the very beginning of his school experience. However, Joshua is a WHIZ at math! He can do pretty advanced math problems in his head. Of course I was expecting him to say he liked math best. However, Joshua answers, "Lunch!" Now either I asked him these questions when he was hungry, or this year is going to be a pizza filled year!

Needless to say, I was unsure about how these photos would look to the outside viewer, but these answers are our truth right now, so I continued on! I designed 2 really adorable (if I do say so myself) signs. The night was coming to a close and everything was ready for this morning. I was excited! Of course, then comes the actual picture taking time. I handed Faith her sign and she looked a little embarrassed. If I hadn't asked her if she felt uncomfortable, she would have held the sign and taken the picture because she is just a sweetie like that. I am glad I asked, though. Very politely she told me, "Mama, the sign is pretty, but I don't think it's very "in" for 5th graders to hold those kind of signs anymore." SIGH...it begins. Thank you, puberty! I decided that maybe Joshua would be more excited than his sister. I gave him his sign, and he started to get teary eyed. What on earth is going on here? "Joshua" I said, "why are you sad?" He looked up at me with his puppy dog eyes and answered, "I not hold that cuz you not see my Hulk shirt in the picture."

So, as you can see, pictures were taken but those adorable signs...they are now in the garbage. So much for THAT idea! I have to laugh, though. It makes me wonder just how many moms and dads out there had fantastic plans for how this day would go, just to have those plans completely fall apart. I bet I'm not the only one!