That’s a Wrap

It’s wild to think the 2022-2023 school year began while I was still receiving treatment for my first go at chemotherapy. The kids entered Spanish immersion young fives and Spanish immersion second grade. I still had two rounds of treatment for my first chapter of chemo. 

Wow! Our school year consisted of three chapters of chemo, celebrating chemo was over, and grieving more biopsies and disappointing news. Plus, we ventured into a stem cell transplant and isolation from the kids for eighteen days. We even had grandma move in for seven weeks. 

What a year. We made it. While we may have been sucking air, the girls flourished!

Our school year started with a huge blessing. My second grader would have the teacher of our dreams. She essentially runs the school, knows every kid by name for the crazy pickup line, and just has all her ducks in a row. We weren’t sure we would have her, but last year’s two first grade classes combined to one amazing second grade class. 

It was common to have a new driver pickup the girls from school each day. This sounds chaotic, but our favorite second grade teacher always greeted our mystery driver with grace and patience. She pushed Elsie to do her best every single day; regardless of what was going on at home. She was our ace in the hole; the ace I knew we needed. I just didn’t realize the extent to how badly we would need her awesomeness in our kiddo’s life. 

Then, there is the Maestra herself, Annie’s teacher. She was a repeat teacher for us. Elsie had her years ago as a young fives teacher. We knew from the get go, we were in luck. She would be the reason our daughter would love school. Annie even refuses to go to kindergarten because she doesn’t want to leave her teacher. 

Annie’s teacher holds such a special place in our heart.

When I wanted the scoop at school, I went to her (even if the girls weren’t in her class). She showed up for us when Elsie gained a brother while attending her class. And how can one not cherish the teacher who was excited and presented learning goals over Zoom during a Covid outbreak. She has seen our family in all of our splendor, and she was always an excellent communicator and teacher for both of the girls. She ran a tight ship, worked above and beyond, and still made time to play tic-tac-toe with Annie whenever Annie was having a rough day. 

Highlights from this year: watching the girl’s perform at their Spring Showcase, walking the Tulip Time Parade with their classes, joining as mystery reader from isolation via Zoom, throwing up in the pickup line, and watching the kids build strong friendships.

Most of all, our girls rocked it. Tim attended a donut social with the girls before school one day. I was still in the hospital. Tim got an opportunity to check-in with the girls’ teachers. They both said the girls were doing so well it was as if there were no added stressors at home. While home life was wild during the transplant process, the girls thrived as best as they could. 

We couldn’t have made this school year a huge success without our friends that mentored our girls weekly, the cutest furry friend carpool, grandma running all over town, amazing teachers, parents of the kids’ friends that met us in our mess and provided solutions, an outgoing local library that provided endless activities to keep our little learners curious, and the man, the myth, the legend himself…Tim. 

Dad worked it out to take the girls to school every day for quite some time. He showed up for all of us: reinventing his schedule, and pulling off the entire morning routine himself. He definitely sacrificed sleep, his own time to workout, and making his schedule the way he wanted it. He saved our school year. And for those wondering, Tim totally rocks the morning hustle. Let’s just say the kids’ teachers can definitely tell when mom drops them off versus dad. It may or may not have something to do with their arrival time. 

God provided all the things and more this school year. 

I know every year will look different, and have its pros and cons. This year has been unforgettable. It’s so hard to even put to words, we won’t be returning next Fall. 

Parents of school aged kids understand the whole registering for school in advance, and for us this took place January through March. It was right in the heat of all things to prepare for transplant, transplant, and house arrest. In Michigan, we have school choice, so depending on availability, we can attend any public school. 

Our school is about twenty minutes from our house, which makes for lots of driving. My health and the distance to school were not friends this year. We knew we needed to be closer to home. God confirmed this months ago, and it’s still hard to get behind. For years we’ve tried to get into a local school, three minutes from the house. Of course, Annie’s name got picked in the lottery while I was lying in a hospital bed. 

You can continue to pray for our kids; specifically, as they transition to the local Spanish school. They continue to prove their resilience, and we are confident they will grow this upcoming year too.

God, please help me see the fruit quickly! Help me see you are doing GOOD things for us, even if it involves change. (Fun Fact: I hate change!) Captivate the girls with your moving in their lives.

Here’s to one more sleep until Summer Break! Rather, one more alarm until I get to sleep in for a few months!