A new era!

Well, it took a week (with my mom here to help for that week) just to get our 1st day of school pictures posted.  Shew!  I am beat!  Without further ado, here is our Kindergartner!

Yep, so stinkin' cute!!!!

I think I have mentioned Lyla's school situation, but not sure how much detail I have given in blog land, so let me explain.  She is in a University Model School, called Providence Academy which is part private school and part homeschool.  She attends a regular Kindergarten class on Mondays and Wednesdays, like private school, the class sizes are small and they have chapel as part of their day.  On Tuesdays and Thursdays her schooling is done at home by Teacher Mom!  The classroom teacher gives us lesson plans for an entire week and we just do our part on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  Fridays are reserved for bigger projects, if they come up, occasion field trips and service projects that the entire school will take part in.

We love this model!  It is a perfect fit for Lyla, since she is still learning English.  It gives her exposure to a regular classroom and other kids her age (although she is a whole year older, K is the perfect grade for her) but lets us focus on things that may still be difficult for her since she is still new to the country and culture.

If I am being honest, which is kind of the point, it is SUPER hard for me! :)  I am guessing it will get easier, but homeschooling was not really on my radar until we were a few months away from bringing Lyla home.  We didn't know how she was going to adjust, we had NO clue what it looked like to adopt a school aged child (or even have one, for that matter) so I just opened my mind and heart up to every possibility.  So, gulp, homeschool became an option.  

Well, God worked, and is still working on my heart as I try to embrace and love my new role.  I do believe that this is the best situation for Lyla. We have already encountered a few things, regarding academics, that confirmed our decision to have homeschool as part of her education.  She just needs some extra attention in certain areas, where most Kindergartners may not.  She loves school, she loves doing school work...but I don't think she is real fond of Mom the teacher.  We're working on that!

Lyla and her teacher Mrs. Bunch 

(aka my good friend whom I have known for 4+ years, and actually taught a HS Sunday school class with for 2 years!)

She found her space at the table, and her name tag and she was a bit excited!!!

Since I will be a teacher on Tuesdays and Thursdays Macey and Xander will be doing school too!  Here they are on their first day of preschool!  Macey is my little student, she wants to do everything that Lyla is doing, and she can, and does.  Xander wants to be a part of everything, but he is a 3 year old boy, and well, just isn't always gung ho about school things.  Good thing we have 2 more years before Kindergarten!

First day of Preschool

As if starting school wasn't enough for one week Lyla had her first ever soccer practice.  I was super excited about it, she wasn't real sure what she was about to do, but once she got there she had a blast.  We have one more practice before our first game, but it will certainly be interesting.  This league is through our church, so it is non-competitive, and that is perfect!  Maybe she'll surprise us and be a soccer standout, but if not, she'll be the cutest little soccer player on the field!!!

Our little tiny Lyla, glad she's tough! :)

To end our school week Nana took Lyla to make her first Build-a-Bear!  She was thrilled!  She had seen Macey and Xander's, and then her cousins Alyssa and Lindsey had theirs when they came to visit, and she had her mind made up that she needed one too.  Nana to the rescue!!!

She picked a pink bunny, which surprised me.

Macey and Xander got new outfits for their friends, and here is Lyla with Britney the bunny in her wedding dress and heels.  

This week was a very emotional one for me.  I never thought I'd be the mom who cried when she dropped her kid off for Kindergarten, but that's who I am.  I didn't cry because I was sad, I am so excited for Lyla.  She is a bright, energetic and eager little girl, she will succeed in school, I have no doubt.  I think I cried because our lives are forever changed, we now have a school-aged child.  Again, not something to be sad about, just emotional from all of the changes that life has thrown us in the past few months.  When Lyla came home I knew I had 5 months with her at home before school started, I knew that once school started she would be doing things without me (gasp!) and the reality of that hit me right in the forehead.  So, tears, not hard tears, just tears as I walked out of her classroom and knew that she would be ok without me! :)