It’s hard to believe that summer is almost over. While Bailey has one more week of summer camp (yay!) the boys finish tomorrow – which is bittersweet. You see at the end of the day tomorrow we will be saying goodbye to a place that has been like home for the last two years. With the start of school in a few weeks Spencer will officially join his sister and brother at their school (he is so excited to finally be with them!)

Let me back up a little. Two years ago we found ourselves on the hunt for a new daycare that would allow Bailey and Spencer to grow and thrive while giving them additional support in light of our unique family situation but that could also care for Gavin and treat him with respect and love. We had no idea when we transitioned to the new daycare that not only would we find all of that but that we would find an extension of our family in the teachers and directors of the early learning center.

The daycare has been accommodating and helpful when dealing with Gavin’s (at times extremely) crazy schedule with doctor’s visits and therapy appointments. We worried that when he left at the end of October last year (had to transition from Birth 2 3 to our school district) that his return in June for summer camp would be difficult. Would he remember these, essentially new teachers? While he was aware of the teachers he now has he had only ever seen them in passing when he was last there. Would he remember any of the kids? Would the kids want to play with him? How would he handle yet another new aide? But he was welcomed back with open arms. It took him a few mins to remember teachers and kids but once he did, he was alllllll smiles. He has friends that stop in to see him every morning on their way to their classroom. They tell him to have a good day and that they will see him on the playscape later. At pick up, he is all smiles (and yawns!) and Spencer tells me that they both had a great day (although Gavin isn’t crazy about the Circus that visits).

Now that’s not to say that there weren’t some hiccups along the way (both with Spencer and Gavin) but at no time did I ever get the sense that I couldn’t walk into/call the director or co-director and discuss my concerns. Both of these women truly foster an open door policy. They form close relationships with and want to hear from parents and to help the kids they are tasked with caring for to grow, learn and to be the best kid that he/she can be (that wasn’t our experience towards the end at our last daycare). The minute there were questions/concerns about Gavin’s care, they were on it – they were very active in making sure things were right. But the fact is, the hiccups we experienced here were minor compared to the last daycare. We felt that here, the team was willing to work with us and support us however they could and that is something I will always remember.

As we head into the dog days of summer and rush around prepping for some time at “camp grandma and grandpa”, moving, and a new school year, it’s hard to believe that two years have flown by so quickly. We’re ready for new adventures and challenges but as I look back at the adventures and challenges over the last two years, I extremely thankful that we were able to share them with such an amazing group of people.