Dear Friends,

Thank you for your emails. I’ve been so busy with work and the Manic Mommies Escape (58 days away!) that I have little time to write. I hope you will forgive the mass blog post, but I wanted to give you all the update you’ve been asking for!

Many of you have asked how the boys have transitioned to their new town and school. The summer was busy with lots of camp and on two occasions I received telephone calls from random boys wanting to play with Tommy. I took this as a good sign! He was making friends on his own (and giving out our telephone number, which meant he’d memorized it). Both boys only had interest in playing DS and exchanging Pokeman, so I’m not sure much socializing or bonding took place on either “play date.” I doubt they ever spoke to each other except to say, “Have you caught a legendary yet?”

Brendan, on the other hand, continues to simply ignore other children. Kids call out his name and wave enthusiastically to him from the lines at camp check-in and he just looks at me like they are crazy. Call it shy. Call it cool. I don’t know what it is about his magnetic little personality that attracts other kids, but he’s content to just go about life on his own terms. I worry about this a little.

Actually, I worry a lot these days. Today, especially. It’s the first day of school here and fortunately the boys are going to the same school on the same bus. On the day before school starts they have “meet the teacher day” for all grades, K-5. You go to the school, bring all your supplies in, and get to meet the teacher. I think this really helped both boys feel more comfortable. They spotted their desks, organized their supplies and then we were off for a “final day of summer” lunch at…McDonalds.

This morning Tommy woke up a little sad. He told me he had a dream that he was back in Massachusetts with all of his old friends. Then he shed a few tears. I know he’s nervous about today. I am nervous with him. I’m hopeful his teacher (who also moved here from the Boston area 25 years ago) will connect with him in a special way. Tonight he tests for a new belt at his karate school. This is a big deal. Moving here and enrolling in a new karate school meant he had to start all the way back at white belt, even though he had been studying for two years and had earned his blue belt in Massachusetts. Tough lessons for an eight-year-old.

I have only a couple more trips back to Boston to finish work on God in America. With all the controversies surrounding religion making headlines these days, our series could not come at a better time. I finish the project when it airs on PBS starting October 11.

I hope you and yours are making their own easy transition back to school. We miss you all.

Love,
Erin