Kinder it is! TYJ!

Okay so this is not really new news (I'm like a month behind here, heh) but yes, as the title states, Kenji is going to Kinder now!! Hmmm, let me back track a bit. Well, due to many, many things (I'll save, you the reader, the details :D) happening, changing in the last couple of months and with things not panning out as I would have liked them too (I guess our ways are not His ways, right)?! :) I found myself seriously tossing up the idea of putting Kenji into Kinder not only for the obvious reasons; schooling, fun, etc. But also as a means for him to interact with kids (he's the only kid here, other than my 12 year DS brother) and get to practice and better learn Spanish!

Now as you all know, or at least parents, heh. Tuitions are not cheap! :D Speaking of tuitions, I knew that I didn't want to put Kenji into just any school - a public shcool. So with that factor alone the amount of money I would need in order to put him in Kinder could easily have been doubled! Yes, I'll be honest here, worrisome did hit, for a bit. Until I armed myself with faith, (you'd think lots of it but no it truly felt like I only had a bit of faith to put forth due to the many things I was experiencing at the time) and put the Lord on the spot through prayer. I told Him that to be perfectly honest there was NO way that I could afford such a thing, so He was going to have to do something, a VERY BIG something and pretty soon, as we were already in the beginning of August and school years begin towards the end of it.

Well, inspite of my little faith :D the Lord, unbenownst to me, had already began to prepare the way for the impossible - in my eyes. One day, our August Prayer Day, (we have a sweet friend who joins us for this occasion and she likes to bring lunch, wine and bread for communion) while chit-chatting at the table our friend out of the blue tells me "You know I see Kenji very restless. He needs to get out of his at-home environment. He needs little friends, don't you think? When the school year begins, why don't you enroll him into my Kinder, I'll pay for it!" Then she added, "Can you do that, like does your group allow it?" I explained to her the latest about that very subject and she embraced it very happily. It's given her a greater respect for us (The Family) to see that we aren't stuck in the past but are rather moving, changing, expanding while also remaining so radically different from the endless churches she well knows. I was SO amazed, baffled really, and ever so thankful to the Lord for once again coming through for me! TYJ!

(This friend of ours has known the Family for many, many years, but sadly didn't really know much about us, our doctrines etc., until we came in contact with her through some FM brethren here and began to get her up-to-date with how the Family is presently. She loves it, everything! And on top of joining us for our monthly PD she wants to begin having devotions with us 3 times a week! - for now. She's a labor leader, a go-getter type of person and has a connection, in some way or form, with many affluent families in the city).

As the month grew closer to the end - enrollment time and the like - I wasn't totally sure how much or what exactly our friend had in mind to cover financially. She had told me, that Prayer Day, we would talk about the details later. So with my faith a little stronger now, yet at the same time a bit apprehensive to find out if I would have to put forth some money towards Kenji's tuition, books, uniform etc., as I clearly had literally $ 00.00 for this. If it hadn't been for my mom's encouragement to leave it ALL up to Him through prayer, I would have worried myself sick, again. Silly me. :D

Anyways, with just a week away from kids starting school our friend called us and asked me to come by her office and sign Kenji up. I had butterflies in my tummy, I really did, as I made my way to the schools office. After the sign-up paper work being completed, she said; "Oh here, take these 2 sets of uniforms (shirt/shorts & shirt/pants) and sweater. And later when the winter uniforms and P.E uniforms arrive, I'll separate a set for Kenji. Is size 2 fine?" Size 2 looked closer like a size 3, so it was perfect! But that's not all, she then added; "He'll need a set of "Kinder I" books, let me see if my bookstore friend still has some." After the call she gave me a slip of paper and told me if I wouldn't mind doing her the favor of picking up the set of books down town as she wasn't sure she would have the time to do so that day but didn't want to loose those books, as it was the stores last set. And added, not to worry about a thing she had already worked out the payment. -- Would I mind merely picking them up?!! Heck no!! :D

So that's the brief (ha!) version of how the Lord not just answered my prayer - to have Kenji go to Kinder - but my desire as well, which was to have him go to a private school and to boot it's bilingual, and only 2 blocks away from our house! And the only expenses I had to make were buying him new tennis and school shoes and the pics they ask for when you sign them up! It couldn't have been better, or easier, or cheaper! He really does spoil us! :) TYJ! Today will mark 4 weeks of attending Kinder - what a shiner! Thankfully this time around he did a lot better when being dropped off - he hardly cried - TTL as that made it sooo much easier on me. :) -- My baby, I miss him so much when he's away.

It's taking him a little longer, though, to adjust to the new surroundings/environment, etc. But he's getting there, slowly. :) The other day I learned that he made a little friend! Yay, Progress! And he's beginning to communicate a little more with his teachers. What I really liked, though, is that his main teacher is both his Spanish and English instructor, rather than having 2 separate teachers for each language - that would only make it all the more difficult for him to adjust and grow in confidence. So I'm happy for that. :)

Okay, well I'll leave you with some Kinder related pics and of an activity we did with a couple who faithfully comes for weekly classes, as do their kids. Enjoy!

Big day!

Yep, it sure is a BIG day for my muffin. And I'm so proud of him for being such a brave little guy. Speaking of bravery I'm pretty proud of myself as well! :D Okay so what's the "big" deal? Well, today is Kenji's 1st day of Kinder!! Believe me it's a huge deal, well at least for me, as he's still my little boy - he's not even 2 1/2 yet :( - and yet he's growing up so fast in so many ways.

When dropping him off this morning, at 9:00, I was filled with so many emotions; happiness at seeing how fast he's growing up, pride at seeing him walk away with his teacher and attempting to be a brave boy, sadness at having him be away from me for some time and watching his face be a bit perplexed that I wasn't joining him at school, worry as far as whether he will understand the teachers, get along with the kids, inform his teacher when he's got to go potty, or come back to me safe and sound to name a few. :D

I know I shouldn't worry myself sick with these things because he will probably be just fine, as many people have assured me of this. Yet, I think its natural for a mother to worry a bit about her kids first day at school, no? It's just a motherly instinct to be preoccupied about your child's well-being. But that doesn't mean you have to let your worry or imaginations get the better part of you. :D So, for the duration of his school hours (till 1:00 pm) I will do my best to not worry for him, but rather pray for him to do well and adjust easily to all the new things he his experiencing.

Alright, just to clear things up a bit. He's not going to be attending the Kinder full-on, I'm just putting him in for a couple of months. Simply to have him "grow-up" a bit more in the sense of being away from mommy, and I think it will also help him learn more Spanish and speak it. He's talking quite a bit, but it's still just parts of phrases and sentences. I guess not having other kids, both his age and a bit older, to 'copy' or learn from has sort of made his speech development a bit slower in coming. So, DV, this will help him a bit in those areas as well as help him socialize a bit more with kids his age and others in general.

Oh, the reason this all came to be is because a friend of ours, a faithful 12 stones student, who happens to be the principal of this upper class Kinder/Primary school offered to have him attend free of charge. That in itself is quite a miracle as private schools are sooo freaking expensive! And the nice thing about it is that the Kinder is only 2 blocks away! So, I prayed about it and the Lord gave me the green light, with of course some cautions and steps to follow to ensure that this experience be a pleasant and fruitful one.

9:30 am - So, there you have it! I'll let you know how Kenji did on his 1st day of school later today when he gets back and gives me the run-down. :) So stay posted! Here are some pix before he went off to school and other ones from last week's happenings. :)

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2:30 pm - Okay I added a couple more photos since Kenji returned from school now. His teacher said he did fantastic. He was a bit nervous and uncertain of participating at first - missing mommy, no doubt - but after a while he got over it and had a great time. He behaved well AND he was a dry shiner! I'm SOOO proud of him.

When I went to pick him up I had to wait about 5 minutes while they brought him to me and upon seeing me Kenji broke out into this huge "puchero" it was sooo darling and sad at the same time. His face was one of "why did you leave me, mommy?" :(

I picked him up and he held on tightly to me while giving a huge sigh of relief. On our way home I asked him if he liked the little school to which he nodded "no" with a very stern and serious face. Ha! But then I went on to asking him what he did and he told me they played at the play-place, colored, read a story, and "lots of stuff" as he put it in his own words. So I asked him if he wanted to come back tomorrow and he shyly said "yes." Ha!

When inquiring if he had eaten his mid-morning snack he said yes, but that the teacher didn't put his bib on and he said he only ate a little bit of his gordita and then he gave the rest to a little girl because she was hungry, so he ate his apple instead. Awww, so sweet! What a considerate little gentleman he is :P or his inherent flirting (ahem) is coming out at such a young age. Hee-hee.

Well now the biggest hurdle (first day of school) is over with (whew) now lets just pray that things continue to go well. :) Thanks!