All done. No more. Finito.

Today was it: Max's last day in kindergarten. The kids have actually been attending the same kindergarten, even ending up in the same class (yeah, Germany is weird like that) so today at noon we gathered all their art work and a couple of parting gifts, packed up their rubber boots and rain clothes, and said goodbye to some dear little friends.

Now, Anna gets to take 4 weeks off before she heads off to a new kindergarten down the street from us (Yaaaay! No more half-day kindergarten involving long commutes across town!). Max gets to enjoy 6 weeks of summer fun before he starts first grade at a local city school...

...which I am equally apprehensive and excited about. Here's why:

- We didn't actually have much of a choice in selecting a school. Some elementary schools were already full when we got here in March. Then, he was rejected by the local Montessori school for religious reasons. Unbelievable!! Needless to mention, I have lost my cool and quite a bit of sleep over this issue...

- Speaking of religion: I had to sign Max up for an in-school religion class. I could choose between Protestant and Catholic. Since the latter hadn't shown much affection for our religious affiliation when I tried to apply at Montessori, I went with the Lutheran crowd. What I really want to know, though, is why these churches get to teach their take on religion in schools at all. Not much of a separation of church and state.

- On the upside, he's going to get quite a social education. He'll be going to school with both inner-city immigrant children as well as suburban German kids. I have also noticed that most major announcements posted in the school's atrium were also translated into Turkish and Russian. A little street cred has never hurt anyone, right? :)

Until that big day at the end of August, though, we'll be enjoying the insane continental European heat, explore our still somewhat new home state, and spend a lot of time with Oma and Opa in Lichtentanne. Sounds like a plan to me!