September 11th was Zeke's first day of Kindergarten!!!!
Class of 2030
I'm this big!!!!
Class of 2025, 2026, 2029 & 2030!!!
Ga-Ga bought Zeke is his first day of school shirt. The T-shirt underneath has an arcade game on it and it says Game Over! Ga-Ga also bought his new shoes!
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Dinosaur bone backpack!!!
That's a big sign for a big boy!!!
He's such a handsome boy!!!
Let's go Mom!!!!
I drove the kids to school for Zeke's 1st day and then I walked Zeke to his door.
I accidentally clicked the HDR button on my phone so the two pictures of him and I together are darker than they should be! Oops!
Standing in line! We got there right when Ms. Davidson opened the door. Yay for not having to wait!
He looks terrified in this picture, but he really wasn't. I think it's so funny how he was not wanting to stand close to the person in front of him!
The super shy finger has come up!
At his desk!
We found his coat and backpack hook!!!
After this I took him back to his desk and helped him open his Play-Doh. I didn't want to linger long so I kissed him goodbye and then I left.
When I got to the van it really hit me. I didn't sob or even have tears fall down my face, but I did get teary eyed. For the last 10 1/2 years I have had kids at home with me. There have been a few distinct times in my life where I have honestly felt the page turn and the chapter end on that part of my life's story per se. I remember the last week of being at high school and knowing that everything was going to change. I was truly going to be an adult and my childhood was officially over. That's how I feel about this shift in my life except on a whole new level. It's not just a page turned and the chapter is over...it's the book has finished and it's time to pick up the next installment in the series!
I think I feel that way not just because all my kids are in school, but also because....I got a job!!!
I remember quite a few years ago Michael had mentioned that I would be going back to work once the kids were all in school and I thought he was straight up nuts! I had no desire to do that. I wanted to be a career homemaker. I wanted to be able to have my house in tip top shape. I was going to volunteer and be able to help friends out when they needed it. I had plans! Hahahaha! Fast forward a few years and I had a couple kids in school and I started to have the tiniest flicker inside me that thought it might actually be fun to work outside my home one day. Not long after that I started telling everyone that I was going to work at my kids school once Zeke was in Kindergarten. I was going to apply to be a Sub Para so I could get a feel for the job and see if that was what I really wanted to do. At the end of May I worked really hard and got my resume all updated and I submitted that to the school district. All my Para friends were so confident that I'd hear something. Months went by and nothing....not one email...not one phone call...nothing. I in no way think that the school district not contacting me has anything to do with me or my experience. I'm completely qualified. The simple fact is...that's not where God wanted me to be!!!
Last Easter after church I was walking out to the van and my Pastor stopped me and asked if I'd be interested in being the Administrative Assistance at the church. I told him that I would actually be interested, but that I wouldn't be available until September because I wasn't going to put Zeke in daycare. That was that! Weeks and months went by and even as I was applying for the job at the school I felt my heart pulled more and more towards the job at the church. I did feel like I should follow through on my original intentions of applying at the school, but I was feeling apprehensive about actually taking the job if it was offered to me. First off I'm used to volunteering at my kids school. Being a Para and volunteering are two completely different things. I was afraid that I would really dislike not being able to help out the teachers. My heart has always been to lighten their load so they can work with the kids and not be stuck in the staff room making copies. I was honestly 100% sure that the church would hire someone for the job LONG before September! That's months and months and they would surely need the help.
In July when I was volunteering at church office, Pastor Andy stopped and asked me if I'd still be interested in the job. I told him that I had actually been wanting to talk with him about it. About a week later we had a really great meeting and he offered me the job. It was super funny because he offered me the job and then after that asked for my resume! :) I was so happy that I had gone through all the trouble to get it updated when applying for the job at the school!!! Of course it was July and I wasn't going to start work in the summer time. My official start date was 09/11! I had already come in to the office for two days after we got home from Wyoming....just to get a feel for things. I knew right away I was going to love working at the church. First off I LOVE my church....I love the people....I love being there! The night that I came home from my first day I was SO excited to tell Michael all about MY day!!
In regards to my schedule I work Monday - Thursday 9-3. It's so perfect for me and the kids. We all get ready in the morning, I take them to the bus and then I drive straight to work. When I get off in the afternoon I get home with just enough time to put all my stuff away and then walk down to the bus stop to pick them up. Since I have Friday's off I'm still going to be able to volunteer at the school. I'm going to be there the first and third Friday's of the month. On the second Friday I have an outstanding date set up to hang out with my best friend Kim and then I'll use the 4th Friday of the month as my monthly shopping day.
In regards to their days off, of course working for the school would have been ideal, but we are going to make it work. First off Michael gets banker holidays because he works for the county. He actually gets holiday's off that the kids don't....hello Columbus Day! Secondly I have awesome parents that were used to watching Zeke for me every single Thursday all throughout the school year. Now they aren't having to do that so they are going to help us out when we need them too. Of course during the summer months will be the hardest, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there. I already have plans in my head for how to make it work so I'm most definitely not worried about it!
Zeke Man got to ride the bus home with the big kids on his first day.
He had a great day! He didn't eat much of his lunch at all and he had a hard time getting down from one of the toys at recess, but he seemed to do just fine!
As for me I enjoyed my first official day as well!!! I feel a bit overwhelmed just because I don't know all of my responsibilities yet....or even the ones I know I don't know exactly how to fulfill them yet, but I do know that in just few short months I'll feel so much more confident. I'm so excited for the new book in my life's story to unfold. I most definitely love it when God writes my story!!
