I’ve thought a lot about this moment. Ever since Harrison was born, we’ve just been slogging (and mostly enjoying) these rather long days of parenting really young kids. The baby era, where they’re so helpless and need you for EVERYTHING. The toddler era, where they’re so drunk for power and control and think they know everything. And man, it feels like we’ve lived in a bunker for the past five years. Batten down the hatches. Slogging away at the day in and out of parenting littles. And I’ve {{mostly}} Loved it. I love being these boys’ everything. And it’s also so utterly physically exhausting at the same time.
I’m a bit in denial today. I’ve obviously KNOWN for weeks…months…that this day was coming. But it’s surreal that it’s here. Today is the last day that Harrison and Jonathan will be at the same school together until Jonathan goes to Kindergarten. It really does feel like this is an end of an era (yes, that is a subtle nod to Ms. Swift). I can’t count the number of people that have told me that Kindergarten to high school graduation is like a blink, and then it’s over.
And it feels like in the past week, I’ve poked my head out of my bunker, and Harrison has been called up to the big leagues. Like out of nowhere, the powers that be have decided he’s ready to really start to have his life shaped by other people: friends and teachers. And I feel like I’ve been in the bunker for so long, that I was not mentally ready for that. For it to land on my lap like that this week. When it really hit me, as I cried to myself adding lunch money to his account for school.
So many of you have asked me if I’m going to cry on his first day. And I’m pretty sure now, there’s no way I’m walking out of that school without tears streaming down my face.
Let’s do a little Friday Favorites roundup.
I took this sweet boy Back to School shopping the other week. We went shopping for his new backpack and lunchbox. He picked out some new clothes, and we had lunch at a restaurant of his choosing. (He picked Panera, by the way.). When I said this reality of him starting Kindergarten came crashing down on me, I mean it. I had this realization that my days of just being able to pull him out of school for fun one-on-one time were coming to a close. So this one was extra special for me.
Jury is still out on if he chooses the Mario shirt for his first day of school or his second. 🙂
And in case one happy boy wasn’t enough, we celebrated Jonathan’s third birthday! I’m going to share all the pictures and details in a later post, but if anyone was wondering the level of joy this boy had on his big party day….
I think that pretty well sums it up!
I’ve been working with our designer on the kitchen now for only a week. If you’re the type of a person that hems and haws at every decision made in a renovation, a designer will certainly kick into high gear of making decisions. :). Here are the two potential boards for the kitchen…
Option 1:
Or option 2…
What’s your favorite?? Or would you mix and match between the two?
In all seriousness, though, I can’t decide on how to feel about the fridge. The one shown here is counter depth. I don’t want my fridge to stick out from the counters, but I’m really worried that there’s just not going to be enough room for us in a counter depth fridge. I routinely will prep a meal on a sheet pan before running out the door to pick up the boys, and will stick it in the fridge to be popped in the oven when we get home. And I feel like that’s just not going to be a possibility with counter depth.
You all are always the experts – any experience?
Also, double basin sink or single basin???
This made me laugh…because. Yeah. That’s me. Nathan came home the other day and asked me how we could be spending so much money with Amazon. And well, I had to bring up my phone and relay a month’s worth of “what in the world do we buy from Amazon?” Purchases. It’s just so gosh darn easy with that 2 day shipping…
I’m going to let you in on my go-to gift for all 2, 3, and 4 year olds…heck even 5 year olds.
Bath bombs. I have bought so many packages of bath bombs as birthday gifts by this point. And they are always a hit – for both parents and kids. Why you ask? Well, for one, kids love them. They color the bath, there’s a cheap little cute toy inside. They think they are the bomb. But parents also love them because once you use them, it’s not a gift that is contributing to your home’s toy clutter. They’re gone once you’ve used them. And that is the beauty of this gift. Bath bombs for all the kids.
I’m off to enjoy our last weekend before school starts! Have a wonderful weekend, friends!
Aw, that first day of Kindergarten is such a huge milestone and such a bittersweet one too! Both those kitchen boards are fabulous and I’d have a hard time picking one too.
It’s a big week here! Having to make big kitchen decisions. School transitions. 😅
It is a hard transition starting elementary school…more for the parents than the kids. I remember that day well. I hope he has the best year!
I’m banking on it being harder for me. He just seems soooo ready and excited. ☺️
Awe! I hope he has the best time! Hang in there.
The days go quickly, but not that quickly, you will enjoy all of the elementary and high school years too, your kids will be with you for awhile yet (and then they never really leave). I know how you feel though, we get them ready to move onto the next step and then as soon as they do it, we feel unsure about whether we’re ready for that. My son is going into Grade 7 this year, and that’s a whole new thing too.
We have a counter depth fridge and I don’t think you’ll have an issue with a sheet pan as long as the whole top is the fridge where both doors open (and it looks like it is). Our fridge is a stupid double doors the whole way down so that restricts us a bit, but you don’t seem to have that problem. It is nice that it doesn’t stick out.
I need to buy a gift for a little girl this weekend, and I may take your suggestion for a bath bomb, great idea!
Love this info about a counter depth fridge. So so helpful. But I’m definitely team French door fridge all the way. Once we switched to that from a side by side, I don’t think I can go back.
I’m right there with ya for the first day of Kindergarten in 11 days! I’m SO not ready!!!! I know time is already going by too fast and it’s only gonna go faster. And not being able to just grab our kiddos out whenever we wanna do something – I totally relate to this!!
It’s all coming just way too fast!! Wishing you all the BEST first day, though!
Aww! What a big milestone for your little one and you! I cried when my girls started school but they loved it! It sounds like he is all set with the school supplies.
Happy birthday to Jonathan. He looks so happy.
I love the ideas for your kitchen, I don’t think I could decide, I would mix and match although I would always go for a double basin, just to make life easier.
I think I’m going to end up mixing and matching. There options in both that I really like!
Your description of tears leaving Harrison at K is exactly the same as my leaving Alicia at college! Only I had to leave her on the front lawn in front of the dorm.
As far as the kitchen, YUP, the counter depth fridge is nice but the space inside is so inconvenient. We have kept our previous fridge in the garage.
Color palette for the kitchen . . . we did Maple stained Seal for the cabinets ~ love the color, but not the quality of the cabinet (Schrock). the floor is Coretec vinyl planking and LOVE everything about it. Countertop is Cambria with full height black splash in the same pattern. LOVE it. I did a U shape cup around the window and a curved feature on one end. The curve is a replica of the curve between the hard surface and carpet plus on the frosted globe of the chandelier. If you want anything in photos/details, just let me know!
This is so helpful!!
I really like your kitchen design choices! Do you have a second fridge? If so then maybe stick with the counter depth if you can but if you don’t have a second fridge then you will want to make sure to have as much fridge space as possible! Especially if you are one to cook/host at the holidays you are going to want as much fridge space as you can have! And I am always a fan of double sinks. I hand wash a lot of dishes and it’s nice to have one side I can have for washing and one side for rinsing. Also if you need to thaw or soak something you still have another side of the sink to use.
This is so helpful! We do have a second fridge – so I think you’re right, that we could get away with a counter depth in the kitchen