Our Second Summer

Today is the first day of school for the school district I worked in the past 4 years.  When I woke up this morning I felt the first day of school excitement thinking about everything that was going on with my old co-workers and previous students.  I also felt excitement because the first day of school marked the start of Carter and my second summer.  Rather than waking up early, packing Carter off to daycare, and crying all the way to work (like last year) I slept in until 7:00 am and headed out for a run with Carter and Harper.  The first day of school last year was especially emotional for me because Carter broke out the Sunday before school started and it turned out he had Fifth Disease.  Since it was the first day of school I was forced to send him off to daycare not feeling up to par.  I am so thankful that is something I will never again have to do!

He's been practicing climbing into his car seat, getting there!

After our morning run we came home so I could shower and we could eat a morning snack.  Then we headed out to the splash pad for some good ol summer time fun!  Carter made friends with a couple of girls who were continuously filling a water bottle and pouring it into a bowl in the playground equipment.  He didn't say much to them and they didn't say a whole lot to him, he just stood and watched.  He loves to observe.  Little mister had a blast playing in the water and I laughed so hard watching him and felt so full and happy getting the chance to spend more time with him! 

Watching the girls refill their water bottle.  They were pouring the water into the bowl shown above.

 

Watching for water to come out.

Getting sprayed in the face!

 

Lunchtime came and I was really hungry although Carter wasn't showing much interest in leaving.  I talked him into walking to the car with me and changed him back into his dry clothes.  We headed straight for Tropical Smoothie for their $5 flatbread and smoothie Tuesday deal.  I treated Carter to a special lunch date with a birthday gift card I'd received from his Papa and Gigi.  Normally we share a flatbread and a smoothie, but I was really hungry so I got Carter his own.  He ended up only eating half of his flatbread so I ate the other half.  I went out on a limb and ordered him a Totally Green smoothie with cucumber, spinach, kale, kiwi, and green apple.  I tasted it and it was drinkable but I definitely couldn't drink an entire one by myself.  Carter sucked it down like he thought it was delicious.  While eating we saw Jake's mom and talked to her.  Jake was supposed to come to our house today, but came down with Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease over the weekend.  She said his fever finally broke last night so we may see him on Friday.  During our lunch date Carter was really hamming it up, making faces at me and even squinting his eyes to make me laugh.  There was no where I'd rather have been than with my boy.

Enjoying his chicken pesto flatbread.

Going to town on his mostly vegetable smoothie.

We got home in time for me to read Carter a couple books and rock him for a bit before putting him down for a nap.  Once he was asleep I flipped through facebook for a couple of minutes to make sure he was asleep so I wouldn't wake him leaving the room.  My newsfeed was filled with first day of school pictures of past students and teacher statuses excited for the first day.  Seeing my sweet previous students all dressed up and smiling for their first day of school made me a bit emotional, but even then I didn't wish to be back at it.  I just wished I could peek into their new classrooms to see them for a bit.  One of the hardest things as a teacher is letting go.  You put your heart and soul into teaching a group of students.  Not just teaching them skills and objectives, but how to be kind and contributing members of society.  You teach them how to resolve conflicts, to accept the differences of others, and to care about others and the world around them.  You begin to love each child as you see them grow and become amazing people.  Then at the end of the year you send them on to someone else.  You are somehow supposed to cut your heart strings and watch them walk away.  I was always so excited for the first day of school, but typically spent the first portion of the school year missing my previous students.  I swear every year I came home and told Ty, this class just isn't special like my group last year.  I miss my old students and want them back.  I'm never going to love these kids like last year.  Then Ty was laughing at the end of the year when I was crying about my group of students moving on.  It was a vicious cycle and I felt like it never got easier, I just learned to accept it the longer I taught.  Today would have been my 7th first day of school as a teacher and my 24th first day of school since kindergarten, but instead of packing my bag and lunch and pulling into a school parking lot I was doing something much better.  I was playing with my son, enjoying lunch with him, snuggling him, and watching him sleep.  Our second summer is just beginning and I couldn't be happier!