A little bit of reality is starting to settle in...

When you become a mother, you do understand that eventually the babies you bring into the world do grow up and leave the nest, but it is something that you really don't think about...your babies take their first steps, begin school, start traveling with their hockey team without you...but the thought of them leaving the house to go away to school, not being there every day to talk to in person, seems strange and incomprehensible. 

Robert, my older son, will be graduating from high school in June...my first baby. Both my DH and I have been working with him as he filled out college and prep school applications back in December and January. Back then, the thought of him leaving home the Fall of 2014 still didn't seem real...the thought of him graduating high school didn't seem real. 

This month, Robert has heard back from all of the prep school and almost all of the colleges (he is still waiting to hear from Williams and Harvard...or as we jokingly say: "we are waiting for the rejections from these schools." We are not quite sure why he didn't get into some of the schools, for his GPA is 4.33 and his SATs were ok...I think that he just pick very, very competitive schools). Robert has been accepted at 2 prep school and 3 colleges he has applied too. Since his "dream" or "goal" is to play hockey for a school (versus playing club hockey where only the parents are rooting in the stands), he has decided to do a PG (stands for post graduate; kind of like doing a 2nd year high school senior year) year at Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire. It is an amazing opportunity to further his academics and his hockey skills.

Now as March turns into April, we find ourselves 2-1/2 months from graduation. Now all the senior activities will be starting up. One of the things our school does, is ask for the parents to put together a 11x17 poster of their senior. This was a project that was announced back in January and is due March 28. This Monday I figured it was time to start :)

Monday I took over 3 hours to go through 5 drawers of photos, 30 albums of pictures and 2 computers' photo storage to find the best photos of Robert's 18 years of life. 

Oh My G-d...can someone buy me some Kleenex!

Now it is starting to hit me!

My first baby is going away to school next year!

He will not be here every day to talk to!

Yikes!

So after 3 hours this is what I found...

Laid out on a countertop, hundreds of photos of Robert from birth until present, that represent his life - early childhood in Minnesota which consisted of his first pair of hockey skates, his Mite year, growing a 10-foot sunflower plant, many special Halloweens....the birth of his little brother...fishing and camping in Colorado in the summertime...moving to California where most of his growing up and maturing would take place.

When I found the 11x17 piece of paper that I would need to adhere the photos to, it was apparent that I would need to be very selective...for 11x17 isn't really big :(

But after some time, I did manage to come up with this....

Robert's Senior Poster

Phew...that project done, taken to Kinko's where they made a color copy of it and laminated it. The Senior parent representative will pick it up with all the others on Friday. These posters will be displayed at the Senior events that will be coming up over the next 2-1/2 months.

Next week, during the boys' spring break, Robert and I will be traveling to Exeter, NH to visit the school. They have a week called "Experience Exeter" where the incoming students and their parents can attend classes and take tours of the campus. Since we have never been there, this was a great opportunity to see where Robert will be next year and get an idea of what we need to do to prepare him (i.e. like buy him clothing, will he be doing his own laundry, etc). 

Anyway...enough of that (sniff, sniff, sniff)...time to head out and start my Wednesday. Hope you all are doing well. Until next time, take care and remember...

Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch Often

Lisa