2014 Watts Year Ender

• Adam turned six in January and got glasses!
• We survived kindergarten!
• Adam’s summer activities included Robot Camp at the Adventure Science Center, Art Camp at the Y, Vacation Bible School, the Waggener family reunion, and a week with his grandparents in Texas.
• Adam is doing well in first grade at Granbery Elementary.
• We took Adam to Legoland Florida and Disney World for the first time this year along with Patrick’s parents. (We did Disneyland last year.)
• 
  Patrick is busy with his job at LifeWay. He is working on several projects, including a devotional app and online training for churches.
• Lydia is serving on the planning committee for our church’s women’s retreat scheduled for October 2015.
• Patrick is in a Christian Leadership Concepts with other men at church that meets on Friday mornings.
• Adam got to see his cousins from Idaho when they all visited Texas for Thanksgiving.

first day of kindergarten reflections

I wanted to get my thoughts down about today while they are still fresh in my mind. Adam woke up

at 5:30 this morning, and so I'm winding down fast.

- Last year at preschool, Adam was in the oldest group, and so he looked big and I felt like I had a big kid. Now, he looks tiny again.

- We have been preparing Adam for kindergarten for a long time, and I think it really paid off. He told us he wanted to ride the bus this morning, and so we let him and told him we would meet him at the school to take pictures. I really don't get very emotional about these things, but when that giant bus rounded the corner and the lights started flashing, reality hit me. I know we're not sending him out into the "real world," but that's what it feels like sometimes. Thankfully, I held it together. He got on the bus and didn't look back. I had to get him to turn around so I could take his picture. I was so proud.

- The staff at his school was amazing. I know it was stressful for them and that not everything went perfectly, but they handled it very well. Being greeted by the principal as we walked up (without Adam since he was on the bus) meant a great deal.

- I'm glad we have a long weekend to regroup before heading into a full week.

- I am immensely grateful I felt good today and was headache-free so I could be fully present for the experience.

- By far the greatest blessing of today has been all the people who have asked about Adam and told us how proud they are of him and how happy they are for him. This morning I was getting texts faster than I could respond to them. We are incredibly blessed to have so many people who care about our little family.

- Adam's education will have lots of challenges, but I'm glad we got a good start today. I'm trying not to think too far ahead into the future, and trying to enjoy the small, sweet moments while they last.

The day he was born, we began the process of letting him go. Today was just another step of that process.