Hello there, you hunky pumpkin (inside joke)-

Today is a big day. HUGE, actually. For two reasons…

Big Day Reason #1: You have been home for two months today. That’s two months of time that we got to play and laugh and fight and make-up and travel and dance and sing and swim and hang out and learn to cross stitch. Two whole months of learning to be a family. We are immensely grateful that you were able to come home in the summer, when we have time to bond and be fun together before we jump into homework and report cards. I have loved getting to learn more about you, your funny faces, your moods, your likes and your dislikes. You are so hilarious and full of life.

Last night, Alex and I showed you that video of Kerry Strung sticking her landing on the vault with a broken ankle during the 1996 Olympics and your dad and I burst into tears at the end of the video in a fit of patriotic exhaustion.

You thought it was really weird and really hilarious. You watched us with an open mouth and a funny look on your face. As I took my bath to wash off the stink from kayaking earlier in the day, I could hear you chanting, “USA! USA!” in your fakey, Rocky Balboa voice as you made fun of us.

Who needs TV when we have three cool people sharing the same house?

The best part of these two months is that you genuinely seem happy here and it seems like you really believe us when we say we’ll love you forever.

Big Day Reason #2:  It’s my first day as a parent of a third grader. Okay, and it’s your very first day as a third grader in a new school.  We went to Meet the Teacher last week and I think I was probably more nervous than you were. I walked around on the verge of tears all night, waiting for someone to say something that would finally send me over the edge. It was cool, though, how the president of the PTA schmoozed us and we already knew the librarian because she hands us our ping pong paddles at the Rec center where she works during the summer. It was great to see how excited you were about school after meeting your teacher and checking out your locker.

We are ready for this. The cool lunch containers have been purchased. The new clothes have been bought (although you chose to wear sweatpants and hiking boots instead today. Sometimes, I just don’t get you). School supplies are stored safely in your new Ninja Turtle backpack and we bought you all the food you like for breakfast because I can’t stomach fighting about food on such an important day (pun intended). I’ve already emailed your teacher twice and I’m praying that I can find the right balance between supportive parent and psycho, over-zealous mom. In my defense though, you are my first child and this is the first time I’ve ever had a teacher to annoy.

This might be the first school year where you will be at the same school for the whole year. We are praying that you gain confidence in your abilities as your life stabilizes. We are praying that you make friends and continue to be compassionate. We’re praying that you will learn to love school. We are praying that God will be your shield in the face of fears and frustration.

3rd grade? Let’s do this.

We love you so much, boo.

-Beth