First Day Of School

Hey, y'all - 

The other reason Thor campaigned hard to come home at the end of August was Hagen would be starting kindergarten, and he wanted to walk y'all to school on your first day.

I took the obligatory first day picture:

Hagen wanting to be a roboticist is not a joke. He talks about it all the time, and the trip to Disney World has him particularly interested in animatronics. Hagen has the same kindergarten teacher that Laney had, and I'd gotten to know her pretty well the first go-round. A few weeks before school started, I invited her out for happy hour and bought her a few rounds of drinks as I tried to explain Hagen to her. "He only wears symmetrical clothing," I explained. "He enjoys manicures, but has a vision for what color each individual nail should be. He starts sentences with 'Well, actually...' and 'Perhaps you weren't aware,' and he goes undercover trying to learn the behavior of a wolf pack, with the help of our dog, Ella. He puts pool noodles on his scooter for extra safety." I think she thought I was telling funny stories, but now SHE KNOWS. 

(Note alternating nail color)

She has a policy at the end of the day when the kids walk out to be dismissed: before they can go, they have to give her a high-five, a handshake or a hug. "Well, actually," Hagen told her, "I believe I would prefer all three." So now they do that. 

Laney wanting to be a veterinarian lasted just long enough for the picture to be taken, I think, because she now wants to open a film production company that makes movies about girls. I'm way more excited about this than I am about the idea of her taking cake of sick cats, but it ain't up to me. 

Laney is big enough now that she could ride her bike to school by herself if she wanted, but she usually sticks with Hagen because she's really an incredible sister. 

We spent our remaining days together going to the science museum, learning to roller skate at the park, and exploring the river. Laney also got certified to belay, so if you want to climb a rock wall, she's qualified to hold the rope that could save your life.

...and then just like that, he was gone again.

It was a lot easier saying goodbye this time, because we knew we only had two months to go.

We can do this, we can do this...

Love,
Mom