before & after: part II

First Day of Kindergarten -- September 2007

Before. Before, the First Little Nguyen...

• ...didn't know a soul in his new school



• ...held my hand as I walked him into the school building on the first day



• ...liked reading books



• ...wanted me to come help in his classroom



• ...wanted me to eat lunch with him often



• ...could not jump rope



• ...detested girls



• ...requested cheese sandwiches in his lunchbox

After. After, the First Little Nguyen...

• ...doesn't know a stranger!



• ...can't get out of the car fast enough when I drop him off in carpool



• ...still loves reading books, but prefers to write his own!



• ...admits he is nuts about science



• ...has a real sense of belonging at his school



• ...thinks I spend too much time at his school (just wait until next year!)



• ...jumped rope 101 times in a row without stopping



• ...has his first crush on a girl



• ...orders "Paula Deen's Tangy Chicken Salad" and Wheat Thins to be packed in his lunchbox

It was the last day of school today for the First Little Nguyen. My, how he has changed. I am experiencing such mixed emotions again today, just as I was a few weeks back when the Littlest Nguyen finished preschool. Look how far he has come this year, I think. See how much he has grown and matured? I wonder, Is that the same boy who I cradled in my arms just six short years ago? Sadly, and happily, it is.

The Last Day of Kindergarten -- June 10, 2008