Last Day of Summer :(

Well, Rory starts school tomorrow! This summer has just FLOWN by! We've done so much- here's a brief list:

1. Vaughn Family Vacation
2. Swimming lessons :)- Rory is a FISH!
3. Storytime and summer reading program at the library
4. Indians games
5. Overnight trips to Grandma's
6. Going to the festival(s) with Grandma
7. Trip to Chicago to visit Malana
8. Trip to Cincinatti to see Melissa, Chris, and Gus
9. Zoo!
10. Air show!
11. Endless Dr. and Dentist appts.
12. Signing up for soccer!
13. Getting ready for Kindergarten!

I'm really excited for him to start full-day kindergarten tomorrow- so is he! We've had a countdown going for about 3 months so he is more than ready! We went to kindergarten orientation the other night and he got to meet his teacher and the other students in his class. He was a little nervous, but fell right in with everyone. It was just surreal to see him sitting in a classroom with his name on his little desk. I just about cried, but quickly pulled myself together. It was funny to be in with all the other parents because I hadn't really given any thought to the fact that this was a group of people that up until five months ago, I hadn't 'belonged' to. Don't get me wrong... it was good, just strange and unfamiliar.

Rory starts soccer soon too... Brandon is the assistant coach for his team. We can't wait until the first real game. His language exploded this summer and he is not using very many creole words anymore. It is so amazing and exciting to watch his progress, but at the same time it is sad to see him gradually losing his native language. We still use creole words sometimes, but not because it is needed. He understands almost everything we say and he uses more complex words and sentences daily. The ELL (english language learner) teacher at his school was testing him and it was really cool to see how much he really did understand and objectively see how far he's come. She seems to think that he is doing very well and will master the language in a couple years. Not bad!

A couple days ago we were at my school getting the room ready, and Rory yelled "MAMA! My tooth felled out!" He'd finally lost a tooth that had been loose for some time. We had been working on the tooth fairy concept with books and a show on tv that talks about it. But sure enough, he asked A MILLION questions about the tooth fairy: Where does she live? What does she look like? What is her name? How big is she? Why does she want my tooth? What does she do with the teeth? How does she get in my house? Is she good or bad? Is she scary? But, the next morning he was downstairs (forgot all about it) and ran upstairs when he remembered the tooth fairy was supposed to come. She left him two dollars for his tooth and he was AMAZED! Now, he's constantly wiggling the other tooth that is loose:)