1st year.....down!

Typically you find Mommy's crying the 1st day of Kindergarten. Me, on the other hand, never shed a tear that day. However, today....the last day.....I sobbed like a baby walking out of that school! It had absolutely nothing to do with Caed....just me feeling like I was losing a friend.



Mrs. Smith. Where do I even begin? The Lord brought us together 3 yrs. ago...as we both had something the other one needed. I needed some extra income and she needed someone to watch her 3 month old baby girl. A friendship quickly developed and I knew right away she was special. We had only lived in Celina a few months and I didn't have many friends at the time. She was literally a God-send!! She walked through Caed's ordeal with us....supporting him the entire time. Last year, when Todd and I decided to send the kids to public school, I was scared to death for Caed. He hadn't been out of my sight (medically) for over a year. To say sending him away for 7 hrs. a day was hard, would be quite the understatement. However, when I found out he would be in Anna's class.....my heart was instantly eased. She knew Caed.....PRE-sickness! She knew everything he had been through, and I was certain she really cared for him and would "look out" for him. And she did...

I began watching her 2 kids a few days a week the last month of school. What fun to see how that tiny little baby had grown and to get to know her "new" brother (which is Caleb's age). Probably the main reason for my tears today was because Mrs. Smith is moving. We are SO excited for her family....and yet grieve our loss.

I could not have asked for a better 1st teacher for Caed. Not only was she a dear friend, but an excellent teacher. Caed was as disinterested in anything school-related as you could get, but now he has a love for learning and an excitement that he certainly did not have a yr. ago.

Thank you Anna! I know our friendship is not over.....just taking on a different feel. I look forward to hearing all the exciting things that will take place in your new home, and watch those "babies" grow up!!! Thank you for EVERYTHING!



Reagan also did a great job this year in 3rd!! Her year was little bit different. Since she had been home schooled from Kinder to 2nd....this was a BIG transition for her! Everyone else in her class had sat in desks, carried backpacks, ate lunch in a cafeteria, walked the hallways, or raised their hand in class. They knew "the system." It was like an 8 yr. old experiencing the first day of Kindergarten. She was excited, yet scared to death. It took a few months to work through all of the 'labeling' she endured, but she came through it like a pro! She thrived.....made all A's and lots of friends...LOVED her teachers....and we are so thankful for God's protection and care over her this past school year.




The whole reason for sending my kids to school this past year was 100% for me. Physically and emotionally I had reached my limit after getting off the ride of my life. I'm no psychiatrist, but I'm fairly convinced I was suffering from some Post Traumatic Stress as well. I desperately needed some time to heal....time to rest.....and time to re-bond with the baby I lost. And that's exactly what we got! This past school year was wonderful for Caleb and I, and I am so grateful to the Lord for providing it. And all the while, knowing that my other 2 'babies' were in safe hands.

Thank you Lord yet again for Your steadfast Faithfulness in the Hollingsworth Home!