First Day of School!

So Tuesday was the dreaded (ahem, exciting) day we all had been waiting for. The first day of school! Kindergarten for Brooke, and Preschool for Caleb. We got up around 6:30 am to start getting everyone ready. The kids seemed really confused as to why it was still dark outside, and they were very slow moving, to say the least! Even poor little Rachel was saying "Im tired, im tired!" So i know its going to be an adjustment. I helped them get ready in their outfits I had picked out (Brookes was new but Calebs was something he already had-- its not as fun picking out boys' outfits!) Brooke wore the shirt I had found her awhile back, with a skirt and a blue bow with a school bus on it, so cute! We had packed their bookbags up the night before, and made sure we had all the paperwork and classroom school supplies setting out, so all we had to do was grab them. I cant get over how much STUFF i hauled into their classrooms. And its just going to get worse as the years go by, im sure! We went outside with about 10 minutes to go, and took lots of "1st day" pictures. The kids kept trying to run away from me and Arnold was rolling his eyes alot, but come on now they know how i am! I have to have several pictures from every occasion to make me happy, so Ill have something to look back on! If thats my only way of freezing that moment in time, youd better be sure im doing it! And of course the text pic of them to send to their Grandparents and other family members, which they were proud of :)

We got to the school around 7:25. School starts at 7:50, but you can brin the kids in anytime 7:25 or after. Brooke and Caleb were actually the first kids in their classrooms that morning. We dropped off Brooke first. I took a pic of her with her teacher, and gave her a hug, and then her teacher was leading her off to get involved in an activity, and we were just there for a split second it seemed like. Brooke looked at me and her dad and waved and said "BYE!" You could tell it didnt bother her at all, she was ready! And it made it easier that she had gone to full-day preschool last year, so I was already used to everything, and so was she. Then we dropped off Caleb. We went in and Arnold was showing him where to put his bookbag, blanket, planner, and where the bathroom is, and everything else. The teacher assistant seemed very impressed and told him he could teach ALL the kids the ins and outs when they got there ;) Arnold was the one who dropped Brooke off last year on his way to work, so he know all the details.. I have to admit I was a little proud! ;) Caleb looked a little nervous, but his teacher got him into doing a puzzle (he LOVES puzzles!) and so when I leaned down to hug him and tell him bye, he already seemed ok with us leaving. Im glad he didnt cry or anything, because I had been expecting that.

Anyway, then we walked out and went back to the van. The whole morning I had been holding back tears.. I could feel the burning in my eyes and nose, but I didnt want to cry in front of people (like i did last year!) Because I knew Id be embarassed. But when we got back to the van and Arnold buckled Rachel into her carseat she said "NOOO! WHERE IS BOBO?! GO GET BOBO!!!" And i burst into tears then, and cried the whole way home. I didnt even think about how it would affect Rachel! Here she had had her older siblings all summer long and now her buddies and playmates had left her.. and she didnt understand!! Poor girl. She seemed to get over it pretty quickly, but Mommy stayed upset for most of the morning. What can I tell you, Im a sap! Thankfully I went out that day with a friend and I was able to stay distracted from what I was thinking about. I KNEW theyd be ok, but its just so hard starting a new stage in life with kids. Its strange not having them right there with you like they had been. And of course its hard accepting that they are growing up right before your eyes, when it seems like just yesterday they were little babies snuggled in your arms! Ah, im going to cry again... better not talk about this anymore ;)

Anyway, that afternoon I was more than ready to get to the school and pick up the kids, and hear how their day went. When I got to the place to pick them up, the teacher had placed Brooke beside Caleb and they were both together waiting on me to pull up :) The teacher said Caleb had had a wonderful first day, and I was relieved to hear that! He seemed proud of himself and told me "I didnt even cry Mommy!" And I proceeded to ask them a million questions about what they did, who they met, what they learned, etc. They both seemed to have had a great day, and Brooke talked my head off all afternoon about how it had been. So we survived the first day, and heres to many more successful school days!! :) :)