The Grass is Greener

Recently, Rebecca and I had an interesting conversation. We were talking about her days at day camp over the summer, and I said something to the effect of, "I would love to spend my days playing, swimming, singing, and doing arts 'n crafts."

Rebecca's reaction was very interesting, and very amusing. She started telling me how lucky I was that I was able to go to work every day. "You get to go to your nice office, drink coffee anytime you want, eat whatever you want, play on your computer, talk to your friends, and have lots of fun." I thought this was very funny. Rebecca then complained about having to play sports she wasn't interested in, and being outside when it was really hot.

This really made me think. When we are kids, all we want to do is grow up, and fast. As adults, we yearn for the care-free, fun-loving days of our youth. Why can't we just be happy with our current situations?

6th Birthday

We recently celebrated Joshua's 6th birthday. It was a great party at a local gym, with all his pre-school and family friends. And his cousins made a special guest appearance at the end.

Jen and I are so proud of Joshua. He's come a long way over the past few months. We didn't really appreciate how great he did at camp this summer, but when we look back at it, we are amazed at how much we threw at him. For the first time in his life, he got on a bus and spent the day somewhere that wasn't his home, without his parents or familiar teachers. And he did this all without complaining or fussing. He just went with the flow, and didn't get upset. (Of course, it did help that Rebecca was there to take him to his group every day, and take his lunch out of his backpack and put it in the cooler)

He adjusted very nicely to the day-to-day routine of camp, and didn't get upset when his counselors lost him for several minutes by the pool, or when a bratty kid on the bus bit his arm, or when the camp director put him with the wrong age group...and the list goes on. By the end of the summer, his counselor (not the one who lost him) nominated Joshua for Camper of the Year. The only reason he didn't win the award is because he was not at camp for the full summer (he missed 2 weeks in the beginning for Farm Camp).

And when it came time to start Kindergarten recently, Joshua went with no problems at all. He got on the bus smiling, and got to school smiling (we know because Jen and I went to the school to greet the kids as they arrived). He seems to like his teacher and the kids in his class, and adjusting very nicely.

Life is a series of adjustments to change, and it's important that kids learn that early on and are able to deal with it. This isn't easy, but is very important. Joshua and Rebecca are both doing great. You guys are awesome!!!!!

Back To School

Both kids went back to school this week. For Joshua, this is a big deal as he's starting Kindergarten in a new school, with lots of big kids and large classrooms. When the bus arrived, Joshua was more than excited to hop on. This was the part he was looking forward to - all he wants to do is ride on buses, trains, and planes. But what would happen when he got to school? Jen and I raced over to the school to make sure we were there to greet both kids and watch them file into their classrooms. They were both smiling and waving as they got off the bus, and headed separate ways - Joshua to the little playground outside the Kindergarten classes, and Rebecca off to the other side of the school where they have the classrooms for the big kids.

Rebecca was pretty excited to see some of her old friends, and has already started making new friends in her class. When she got home after her 2nd day, she said, "Daddy, we already started doing real work!." Shocking....The nerve of those teachers....

Anyway, seems like we are off to a good start. Hard to believe I have a 3rd grader and Kindergartener.