The Inflating of the Bubble

I mentioned a little while ago that they broke ground on a local charter school that Ben designed. It starts up this fall, so they have been really busting their buns to get 'er done. He works for a company that makes domes, and he wanted me to bring the kids over and watch them do the dome inflation.

Apparently, they blow up this huge piece of plastic. (Parenthetically, I LOVE the smell of fresh plastic. Ben called me when they were prepping the plastic for inflation and told me he was thinking of me. Awww, how sweet...) Then they spray this concrete stuff into the plastic. That's how they make the domes so smooth and perfect.

So we went over to check it out.

Beginning:

A little bit more inflated (the dome, AND Ben's ego):

Just joking, Benny.

And the final result:

The view from the inside:

And guess what? My friend, Apes, was there, with her kiddos!! She has signed her two oldest up to start attending this fall. Dylan and Goober played t-ball together a couple of years ago, so they got re-aquainted:

Apes looks soooo good. She has been working out like a maniac, and it shows. Hot mama, Apes!

My belly is getting too big for most of my shirts. It's unfortunate. And again with the no hair and makeup thing.

So here's the deal. When they broke ground for the school, Ben is all, "Let's sign Dylan and Sadie up to go there." My first instinct was, "Yes!" Because the school is based on the Montessori model of education. I've done a little research on it, and it seems like it would be sooo good for Dylan. More hands-on stuff. Moving from station to station. Not as much sitting in the desk and holding still and being quiet for eight hours a day. I asked Ben if it went all the way through to sixth grade, and he (mistakenly) told me that it only went through fourth grade.

We talked a lot about it, and my main concern was ripping Dylan out of his public school to go to this charter school for two years, then ripping him out of the charter school to finish up at his public school. Leaving his friends, making new ones. Leaving the new ones, trying to fit back in with the old ones. I felt like it would be traumatic. So we didn't apply.

But Ben kept bringing it up with the kids: "Don't you think it would be fun to go to a school your daddy designed??" He got the kids all psyched up. And then Apes told me it was going to go through to the sixth grade. So I cautiously told Ben he could sign the kids up.

We just got the letter today that they're in! I'm mainly happy. I just really hate to take Dyls away from his friends. He would become friends with kids who don't live in our neighborhood, and that might be weird. But really, the friends he rubs elbows with in his public school (and who live in our neighborhood) aren't the greatest. So maybe it's okay for him to leave. And undoubtedly, the teaching style of the school would be really good for a kid like him, who has ADHD. So I don't know... Dyl has kind of vascillated between wanting to go to the charter school and not wanting to, so we need to kind of make a decision in the next couple of weeks.

Yes, I'd have to drive my kids to and from school every day. But Ben's boss's wife, whose kids are enrolled there for next year, said she would carpool with me, and she lives a few blocks away.

I want to know your opinions, friends. Do you think putting Dyl and Sadie in this charter school is a good plan??