My boys...

With you as my brother, the baseballs fly farther, the rocks skip forever, and the stars don't seem so far away.



I found this saying in a magazine printed on a plaque. I loved it. It was written in the past tense like you would give it to your brother after you were grown, so I tweaked it a little for my purposes. I don't know who the author is - sorry for the plagiarizing.

I remember agonizing over whether or not to send Spencer to DK. His preschool teacher told us it was never a bad thing - he would just be even more prepared when he started school. Just the stigma that went with DK stuck in my head - I don't know why DK brings to the surface feelings that your kid is inadequate. Some of the smartest people I know went to DK - and in Spencer's case, it wasn't even about academic ability. He was one of the brightest in his class, he just lacked confidence and had the little boy tendencies to squirm around and not follow directions. So long story short, he went to DK. I am SO glad that he did - the changes in him from one year to the next were monumental. He is still one of the top of his class, he has tons of friends, he is hardly shy at all anymore and his confidence has skyrocketed. DK was the best thing we ever could have done for him.

I am able to realize now another reason I am glad he is still home in the afternoons - it gives the boys time to bond and to have fun together. Evan is at the age where I feel comfortable letting him go outside with Spence to play without me having to watch their every move. That wasn't the case last year - and if Spence were in first grade this year - he would not be here to play with Evan. Yesterday they were outside together from the moment Spence stepped off the bus. They ate lunch together outside on the deck. The played pirates and Star Wars on the playset. They drove each other around in the Jeep like maniacs. They played across the street with the neighbor's dog. They had so much fun!

I don't know what the future will bring. I hope they stay close to each other. My hope is that they are always as good of friends as they are now. I truly believe that having this "extra" year together will help make that wish come true.

Photo note: How many hearts are those two gonna break? These may be the last pictures of their LONG hair - they are getting cuts today!