"It's time to say goodbye, but I think goodbyes are sad and I'd much rather say hello. Hello to a new adventure."
-Ernie Harwell
The first day of 1st grade was this week. This was not only a new class with a new teacher but a whole new program as Ashlyn enters Spanish immersion. She was excited and had nothing but good things to say about her first week of class. Several of her friends from Kindergarten also made it into the program and I’m sure it helped to have some familiar faces around. We’ve decided that if James and Isla are going to enter the program as well then Mommy and I will also have to learn Spanish so the kids can’t have their own secret language.
There’s something timeless about a boy with a frog. The two girls thought the frog was interesting for a few minutes but for James it became a new friend. It took a little convincing before he agreed to let his new friend go in the garden.
While James was getting to know his new friend, we were preparing to say goodbye to an old one. For over 6 years our house has been a home to a very special piece of furniture. It’s special because it’s where three children slept, and night after night slowly grew from infants to toddlers. Now that Isla has transitioned out of the crib into a bed, the crib has been passed to a friend of ours who is expecting.
The kids took some time to say goodbye in their own way, jumping up and down and almost breaking it before we could disassemble it. Luckily for our friend, it survived the ordeal.
With the crib gone the kids wasted no time in helping setup the frame for Isla’s more permanent bed. And Isla, tired after all the activity, fell asleep.
Seeing the crib go is a stark reminder that we have forever left that part of our lives behind. It’s comforting thought to know there are still three children sleeping in the house and there will be for many years to come.