So much for the momentum we were trying to build with that last post. Suffice it to say that it’s been a long summer that’s gone by very quickly.

Julia starts kindergarten in a little less than two weeks. There, I said it. But I don’t have to like it. Since the end of Junior K, she’s been having a grand old time at summer camp at the Y. So much so that I’m a little worried that she’s going to be upset when school starts again; she shouldn’t start feeling that way until at least third grade, right?

She’s going to be attending Booksin Elementary in the San Jose Unified School District, which is a little bit scary: apparently, we picked the worst possible year to have a child entering the public school system, as the state of California’s budget is an all-out train wreck and, thanks to the wonders of California politics, the state’s financial woes directly impact local school systems (where by “impact” I mean “bend, fold and mutilate”). The net result is that kindergarten class sizes have increased to around 30 across the district.

We gave some thought to keeping Julia at Primary Plus for another year or moving her to another private school, but Booksin had been very well regarded—at least before the news of the budget cuts hit. We’ll just have to see how things shake out.

Meanwhile, Joe continues his merry amble through preschool. We think he’s starting to get anxious in the particular classroom he’s in, because most of his friends have already moved up to the next room. Unfortunately, the powers-that-be have determined that Joe’s potty training isn’t quite up to snuff yet, and on some days, it’s pretty hard to argue with them. That said, he’s started to approach us about using the potty just before (or sometimes just after) he needs to, so it appears that we’re finally making progress on that front. Theoretically, he should be moving up to Room C at the end of the month.