I haven’t been able to spend much time on the blog lately. Between taking care of work obligations, preseason soccer practices, and Sam getting ready to go to college, you can imagine that things have been pretty hectic around here.
Today was a big day. This was the day we drove Sam to Brunswick so he could begin his academic career at Bowdoin College. All sorts of emotions were flowing freely throughout the day, with moments of excitement and anticipation of what lies ahead for him intertwined with profound moments of sadness as we realized that he will no longer be a part of our every day. We had become accustomed to him getting up “early” at 9am in the summer months and wandering downstairs looking for breakfast, and at some point during each day we could always rely on seeing all 6’4″ of him sprawled out on the living room floor playing Playmobil with Jack. We already miss hearing his bedroom door creak open late at night as he would come wandering downstairs for a snack, and who’s now going to mow the grass?
He will always will be our baby, but we have watched him grow into a strong and confident young man whom we are very proud of. He is an amazing big brother, and even though each of us already misses him terribly, we are all genuinely excited about what is the beginning of a new and wonderful adventure for him. Cliche I know, but it seems like only yesterday that we were carrying him in a backpack, pushing him in a stroller, and laughing at how he would almost immediately fall asleep when we put his oversized helmet on and strapped him in to his bike seat.
With all of his most treasured belongings deposited in the new dorm room, hugs and kisses were generously shared, and then it was time for him to join all of the other freshmen eager to begin their first year experience. As he walked away, his little brother Jack (6) sighed, turned to Lori and with wisdom beyond his years said… “They grow up so fast, don’t they?”
Stories from home 
Congrats. I can only imagine what you are feeling. Mine start school/daycare again tomorrow and I am having a hard enough time.
Thanks Tim. I can vividly remember the first time I dropped him off at kiddie care. Heartbreaking… but it does get easier/better.
We went through all the same emotions when we first took Andrew to Savannah for college. I thought I would not survive it. How could I leave my baby with strangers more than a thousand miles from home? But we all did survive it and in retrospect I realize it was just one more milestone in our parenting journey. I remember when Andrew was an infant and I was suffering from sleep deprivation, I asked a friend who had older children if it ever got easier. He said, “It never gets easier. It just gets different.”
Thanks for the reassurance Barbara. I think we will slowly make the adjustment to having him out of the house… but until then, things are awful quiet around here.
Thank you so much for sharing Sam’s day at college. I thought about all of you yesterday. There were moments when I cried, and moments when I realized how far he has come. He is so lucky to have a family that loves him and supports him.
Love, Mom, and Granny