The girls school plan before we had Sofie home was to keep Sofie back a year. Livi would go in to preschool at age 4 and Sofie would go to preschool at age 5. We had wanted to do this for a few reasons. We wanted the extra time for Sofie to feel safe and attach with us. Since Livi is developmentally older and the first child, we wanted to keep the natural progression of her role and have her go to school first. We also did not want Livi to feel the extra responsibility for her sister that would come with them being in the same grade. She is  already going to feel the responsibility with Sofie in the same school. Kids can be mean.

It has been suggested by numerous professionals to get Sofie in to preschool earlier than later. So, we began thinking of putting both Livi and Sofie in next September but having Sofie repeat 4 year old preschool twice. I talked with CDC about this today and discovered that their funding for an aid in preschool stops when the child is 5. If we want Sofie to continue with an aid she’ll have to go in to kindergarten at age 5.

So, Jon and I have a few options of what to do and I think we need some advice…

• Keep Sofie out of preschool completely and put her in kindergarten at age 6. Livi would go ahead with preschool and Kindergarten as planned. 
• Pro’s – Still maintain Livi and Sofie’s separation from each other.
• Con’s – Sofie would not get any CDC aid support. 

• Put both girls in preschool together at 4 and both in kindergarten at 5 but separate classes. 
• Pro’s – Easiest choice as far as getting Sofie aids.
• Con’s – Livi’s possible feelings of responsibility and resentment for having to watch out for her sister who is in the same grade. 
• Put both girls in preschool, together, and kindergarten together, separate classes, but have Sofie repeat kindergarten.
• Pro’s – Easy way to ensure Sofie gets the aids, and eventually separates the girls.
• Con’s – Still may have Livi develop some jealousy and resentment feelings in the early years and schools are apparently very reluctant to hold kids back these days. 
• We could also maybe start Livi in preschool in January then proceed with both girls in 4 year old preschool, same class, and kindergarten, separate classes.
• Pro’s – Gets Livi in school first to have the big girl feelings
• Con’s – Still has the girls together in future years and not sure how it would work with her ballet class. 
• One last option is that we put the girls in separate preschools and/or schools. This option seems a little excessive and unpractical though.

Thursday night at 11:30pm my Grandpa left this world and ran in to Heaven where I am sure he was welcomed and rejoiced by Jesus for finally coming home. I can just imagine how big Grandpa’s smile was and how straight and pain free he was finally able to walk and run!

My Grandpa was more than just a typical grandpa in my and my siblings lives. He was the only positive father figure that we had. We were a little closer to our grandparents than most grand-kids because of all the time we spent with them. They played a very active role in helping my mom raise us. Because my birth father is a bit of a clinical psychopath, my grandpa helped my mom in any way that he could. It was because of him and Grandma that we were able to have such a good childhood. They were with all of us every step of the way while my mom got us away from my father.

Grandpa modeled how a father is supposed to love his children. He showed me how a husband should love a wife. He taught me how too budget and be wise with my money. He prayed for me my entire life. He guided me… or at least tried to! He opened his home to me when I needed it. He helped me out financially and was so proud of me when I rose to his example and paid him back every penny! He walked me down the aisle 7 years ago.He supported me from the very beginning in our adoption, with no questions asked. I’m so thankful he was able to meet Sofie.

My grandpa has had an interesting life. He was the traditional Mennonite man in many ways but very nontraditional in others. I mentioned in my last post that my grandpa was injured in the war. Someone asked me what a Mennonite was doing in the war. Most were conscientious objectors. This is one of my favorite stories of his. He was a conscientious objector for a while and worked in Alberta, I think. I don’t remember what all his reasons were but he decided that he wanted to join the war efforts with out picking up a gun. He became a medic and would move the stretchers of the wounded off the battle fields and in to the hospitals. That’s how he was injured. He was proud of his work He knew doing his part against the Nazis, with out picking up a gun, was what God wanted him to do.

He was so proud of his service that he wore his uniform in to Sunday morning service when he got home to his Mennonite church. I didn’t think much of it when I was younger. It was Jon who made me realize how incredibly ballsy it was to where a soldier uniform into a church filled with pacifists! All the young Mennonite ladies apparently thought he was so handsome… all the Menno fathers where freaking out I’m sure. My grandma was one of those young ladies 🙂 Later, Grandpa bumped in to Grandma on the street and she helped him shop for a tie. They bumped in to a friend of Grandpa’s who asked if Grandma was his wife. He responded with “Not yet.” Grandma was stunned as that was really the first time they had spent any time together. I love that story 🙂

I’m so thankful to have had such a great grandfather in my life. I am very thankful he is at peace now and will miss him terribly. I hope Livi can remember him. He loved both of my kids unconditionally. He died two months, to the day, after Sofie came home. I don’t think Sofie will remember him but we have pictures to show her and stories to tell. I’m so thankful that she got to meet him.