School Days

I've heard a lot of parents say that the time just flew until their oldest kid went to the first day of school. And I'm sure that's true. But for us, the day came a little sooner than we were planning. We decided to put Elliott into a school for kids with developmental delays. And it was a really tough decision for us. We worried about sending him into the "real world" when he was so young, and we worried about him not being able to talk, and we worried about what would happen when he was around other kids with delays. But we decided to do it, and so the day came (a couple years earlier than we once thought!) and Elliott had his first day of school.

Poor kid. He didn't even know what he was getting into.


And, I am happy to report, it has been really good for him. Elliott walks in like he owns the place, throws his backpack and jacket in the cubby, and runs over to the play area. His teachers love him, and of course Elliott loves to participate in music time. And he loves to come home and show off his new dance moves.

And, just so you don't worry, we still have time to teach him other things, like dressing himself:


(that was all him--no help from either parent), and self-imposed piano lessons:


Good luck, Elliott--only fifteen more years of school to go! Until college, at least . . .

Boys

Bridget comes from a family of six girls and one boy. And at one point she was quite the girly girl. And I'm pretty sure she thought she could only reproduce girls. So when Elliott came along, she was a little surprised . . . but still convinced that all of her other children would be girls. When she got pregnant with the second baby, she was already telling everyone it was a girl. So, imagine her surprise when it was Elijah instead of Elisaveta

(it apparently means "God is my oath" in Bulgarian).

Sure, there are lots of fun things about girls: frilly dresses, dance classes, tea parties, My Little Ponies. Just to name a few.

But I'm here to say that boys are fun, too. Because with boys, you can have never-ending games of Ring Around the Rosie:

(don't mind the messy house--we just had a baby the day before)

wear cool clothes and make funny faces:


and hang out with the bros:


So next time you see the boy running amok in the grocery store or hear the boy screaming during church, just be grateful for boys. They're really not that bad. And, when you get the chance, congratulate Bridget on putting up with three boys in the house!