Kindergarten...really? Already?

I was just about ready to throw out the messenger paper that our school district sends out, when out of the corner of my eye I saw something about registration for kindergarten for the fall. There has been great debate in my head at least, about sending T to k-garten next year. Our school district had the cut-off of August 1. T just missed it by a week, so we were trying to figure out if she could maybe "test in" or whatever the proper term might be, to see if she could attend in the fall or did we just want to send her to preschool again. The article in the messenger said that they had to be 5 before September 1st, so I immediately called. There was indeed a change for the fall, and she will be able to go. So, now there is no more questioning whether to send her to preschool or k-garten. T is a smart little girl, she is the oldest in her class now and I think she is a little beyond what they are doing in preschool but she doesn't seem to mind. I worry a little bit because it is a full day k-garten here and that's a lot when you are only used to going to preschool 2 days a week for 2 1/2 hours. I think she will do fine...I guess I'm just being a worrying mommy! Our son, bless him...will not love his sister going to school with him, so that might bring new challenges to our house, but at some point he will have to make the adjustment.

It seems like just yesterday we went to pick T up at the agency. It was after 9 p.m. til the caseworker got to the agency with her. What a sweetheart. Our son and her had a fun time running the halls while we signed the paperwork. From the moment we saw her, I knew she was going to hold a special place in my heart. That night she even looked at me and called me mommy. That is typically not the case as many kids being placed into foster care are very upset and distraught from being removed from the home that they know and love (whether the situation is good or bad). We have definitely had our challenges with the little bundle of joy. She can be very destructive...permanent markers are no longer welcome in my home. We've had fun with toothpaste, Vaseline, shampoo, lotion, etc. It's been a learning experience for sure. I've had to get things off sheets, carpet, and walls, I never thought possible. On adoption day, when my husband and I were on the stand testifying why we wanted to adopt her, you could just see the weight lifted off of her shoulders...like everything was going to be ok from that point on.

The roller coaster ride of foster care and even the adoption process can be so overwhelming, but to see the smiling face of a child that did not have the best start to their life...it makes it worth while.