September has arrived. On the first of September, which was also Labor Day, Sean volunteered at the Membership drive at the Japanese Gardens. The boys and I joined him to walk around the beautiful gardens and we had a wonderful time. Both Oweghn and Kelan loved following the little trails down to the water. Kelan walked around saying "Wow, Wow, Wow". Oweghn ran ahead calling for us to hurry and see what was next. We completed our day with a visit to the playground at Washington Park and then a Japanese Dinner in Northwest Portland. What a lovely day!
Later in the week, Oweghn had his Kindergarten preview. He attended school for just over an hour with about 10 other classmates as a way to get to know the school, the teachers, and a few other students. After the preview, he had an assessment with his teacher to get a feel for where he is starting out with regard to the curriculum he will follow this year. All went well and of course Oweghn added his personal touch to everything from counting to letter sounds to commenting on the wonderful classroom. I think his teacher got a good feel for what she will be in for this year.
We finished up the week with a trip to Bend for the grand opening of Anjou Spa. The boys stayed with Grandma and Grandpa and Sean and I headed off for a couple of days of fun. The Spa was wonderful and we enjoyed some serious pampering before heading back to pick up the boys.
On Monday, September 8th, Oweghn started Kindergarten at Richmond Elementary. He spends half his day in the Japanese Classroom and half of his day in the English classroom. He was so excited to start school we could hardly get him to sleep the night before. When we told him he needed to get some sleep because it was a "school night" he quickly went to his room and then asked. What's a "school night". When we told him it meant that he had school the next morning, he was disappointed because he wanted to go to school that night instead of waiting for morning.
He was so excited in the morning that it was no problem getting him up and going...which is a little unusual for him. So Sean and I took him for his first day and walked him to his classroom with the camera and video camera. When the first bell rang...he jumped up and had a huge grin on his face. He was very excited. When the teacher opened the classroom door, we walked in and he went straight to hang his bag and coat and waltzed into the room as if he'd been going there for years. He immediately went over and started playing with some other kids and hardly noticed we were still there. After hugs and kisses, he waved good-bye and told us to have a good day. What a star! At the end of the day, he said he had a great time and was excited to go back. He fell asleep in record time that night...he was exhausted.
On his second day of school, he decided he wanted to take the bus. We catch the bus at our local grade school a few miles away and he rides it across town to Richmond. Wow...mom wasn't quite ready for that, but since Oweghn was, we went for it. Thank goodness Daddy agreed to meet him at the other end of the ride. He wasn't there for Oweghn's sake, but rather for mom. It's hard to let go sometimes. It's a long bus ride and not being with him was tough. All went well and he thought the bus ride was great. He even wanted to do it again the next morning. So far everything has gone quite smoothly with this transition.
Oweghn had his first soccer game this week too. He plays on the U6 team through West Hills Soccer Association. Sean is helping out with coaching, so that makes it even more fun for Oweghn. He scored his first ever goal and was so excited. He came running back across the field yelling, "I did it, I did it! I kicked the ball into the goal for the first time ever!". Very cute. He was quite proud and so were Mom and Dad...although we had to play it cool in front of all the other parents.
That same night, Oweghn and Daddy took the red-eye out to New York City to see a couple of Major League Baseball games at Shea Stadium and Yankee Stadium. Since it is the final season for both ballparks, they were very excited about this trip. They had a wonderful time. I loved getting Oweghn's phone calls from different locations in NYC. "Mommy, I'm at the statue of Liberty...It's huge!!! It's even bigger than me AND Daddy!" He and Daddy had quite an adventure together. If you want more details on that trip, you can visit their blog here.
After the big NYC adventure, Oweghn was in for another full week of school. Although he had been riding the bus to school, that Monday was his first bus ride home. I of course arrived at the bus stop 10 minutes early...just in case. Only to be informed by the other parents there that the bus consistently arrives 20-25 minutes late. After a long wait, the bus finally pulled up. Trying to contain my excitement, I anxiously waited for my big boy to get off the school bus for the first time ever. I waited, and waited and waited. Soon all the kids were off the bus and still no Oweghn. The driver started to close the door and I hopped on the bus to find out what was going on when I heard a voice at the back of the bus say, "Wait, there's one more...he was sleeping". Poor little Oweghn stood up, looking tired and confused and made his way to the front of the bus. He was exhausted. Poor little man.
The following week we attended 'Back to School Night' which consisted of a quick PTA meeting, a picnic dinner and watching "The Cat Returns" on the school lawn. It was a fun night. Kelan loves cats so he spent a lot of time meowing very loudly during the movie. It was pretty funny to watch.
Another big one...Kelan turned 18 months this month! It is hard to believe that so much time has passed. He is such a joy and has a very funny personality. He's really becoming quite the little character. He loves music and sings little parts of songs. He loves repetition and could play the same game over and over again. He likes to hide and have Sean and I pretend we can't find him. He cracks up under the blanket as we walk around saying, "Where's Kelan?". Oh it's a fun age. His teachers at school tell us that he is such a sweet boy, always helps with clean-up time and is the only child in the class who lays down at nap time and goes to sleep on his own. What a sweetheart. We are so blessed with our wonderful children. Happy 18 month Birthday Kelan!
On September 23rd, Sean received a phone call letting him know that his Grandmother was not expected to make it through the night. He booked a flight for San Jose that evening and arrived at the hospital around 11:30pm. He was with her until 3:17am, and was holding her hand as she took her last breath at the age of 85. He was so thankful to be able to be there with her and say good-bye one last time. We all drove down for the services that weekend. It was a sad good-bye, but a nice weekend spent with family remembering the wonderful person she was and all the joy she brought into the lives of others during her time here. We will miss you Peggy.
Soccer, kindergarten and family time have kept us very busy this month. This month has been a reminder to cherish our precious loved ones. We don't know how much time we have with them. And as we experience beginnings and endings, we continue to remember to focus on today and be grateful for all we have.
