Big Man On Campus

From the moment I knew I was going to be a mother, I anticipated the first day of school. You are supposed to cry. Happy tears, sad tears, both. I really was not sure what would happen to me. Maybe it was the wonderful summer we shared, or maybe it was his excitement and pride, walking through that door a BIG kid, or possibly I escaped quickly enough to avoid reaching defcon 5...but I survived, dry eyed and smiling. And so did my Big Man On Campus.

Zach became empowered by the idea of being a Kindergartner before preschool was even done, which helped him reach plenty of new goals thru the summer months.

We were heading to Florida in June, and he knew he wanted to be riding that big boy rental bike and not dragging along in the baby trailer. As soon as it was warm enough this spring, we took the training wheels off his bike. I had been wanting to do it for some time...even tried it once or twice. But this time, we were both committed. Second lap around the block and he was up. He has been a fearless stunt artist since he was a toddler. So, in true form, less than an hour after mastering balance, he was zipping down the driveway hill. By the time we got to Florida, he was a machine.

Equally important for our trip to Florida, was learning to swim completely unaided. Sure, last year he ditched the floaties, learned about the diving board and did short swims to the ladder, but there was always someone there to help. After a few swim lessons, he finally ditched the doggy paddling....by the first few weeks of summer, he was bringing back dive sticks from the deep end.

Sometime in July, Zach determined that kindergarten involved all work and no play. He protested daily about going to school and no amount of reassurance convinced him otherwise...until we went to meet his teacher and he saw his classroom. Now, he actually gets disappointed if he doesn't have homework or has a long weekend. I love that he likes school. I love that he adores his teacher.

Farewell soccer! The local soccer program was unfortunately disorganized and lacking guidance. The no-score rule is one thing, but the coaching is poor and the kids just watch butterflies through most of the games. So, now that Z is a kindergartner, he has qualified for football. Despite the fact he would have looked adorable in pads and this is just flag football, I have to admit, I am pretty excited about this. I love cheering for my boy!

And time for Zach's fine print:

He reads like a machine. He looks forward to homework every day. He loves legos. He finally stays in the lines when he colors. He writes love letters to me and his daddy and writes and illustrates stories...many of the words phonetically spelled and sometimes tough to make out, but hey, its huge progress right? He does simple math. He is fascinated by dinosaurs and airplanes. He can kick my butt in Super Mario Brothers. He loves Where's Waldo. He has meltdowns, is sassy, is strong willed and feisty. BUT, He is fearless and outgoing. He is funny and adorable. He LOVES golfing with his daddy. yada yada...i wont go on..I think he is wonderful.