First Day of School

A year ago, in August of 2010, I was at the bus stop with my three boys sending only two of them off to "big school." My friend and neighbor was there as well with her three boys sending only two of her's off to "big school."  We made the comment to each other a year ago that "this time next year" our baby boys would be getting on that same bus.  Guess what...it's "this time next year."


My youngest son started Kindergarten this week.  Not only did he start Kindergarten but he rode the bus on the first day, that has never been done in the history of first days of school in our house.  Sister and I have been left to pick up the pieces of our broken hearts and listen to a kind of quiet that we just don't like.  He was excited though and b/c of that he helped me hold it together until that bus drove off with all my boy babies in it.

Jacob-3rd grade, Grey-Kindergarten, and Cooper-5th grade.

The night before school started Grey came out of his room after we had put everyone to bed.  He crawled up in my lap and said that he was so excited about "big school" and riding the bus that he wished it were already morning so that he wouldn't have to go to sleep, dude was ready for some Kindergarten!

The brothers weren't completely opposed to the idea of school starting back either, so it was good all around.

Waiting on the bus...

Still waiting on the bus, but at least we were waiting with friends.

Best friends...

The picture above was taken by my friend Misty and I think it totally captures these two...maybe they're discussing what the first day of Kindergarten is going to be like, so cute!

Cooper, ever the big brother, taking care of his little brother.  He even walked over to his classroom (of his own accord) after school let out in the afternoon to find Grey and take him to their bus.  Love these glimpses into his heart, maybe there is hope that he will not be completely consumed by the selfishness of this world.


When Cooper and Jacob were younger I remember one of them asking me if I just sat at home all day waiting for them to come home.  I thought that was so cute.  "Why yes honey, that's all I do, just wait all day for y'all to come home," I said with a laugh meanwhile thinking to myself, if they only knew.  Well, I have to admit that on Tuesday of this week that was true.  I couldn't wait for that bus pull up and did little else that day besides have a meltdown after the bus drove off that morning.  


I got the scoop on everyone's day and to my surprise got quite a bit of information out of these boys whose usual response is "Ummm...I don't know or I forgot."  Grey told me his favorite thing was computer class, because the teacher told him that one day if they are good they will get to play games on the computer.  Now, they didn't get to play games on the computer that day, but just the thought of one day possibly getting to play computer games put it at the top of the list.  I thought PE or recess would make the top spot but no, to my surprise Grey deemed that he didn't even like PE.  I couldn't believe what I was hearing, did someone get on to him or hurt his feelings, I had no clue what was going on.  He said he didn't like PE because all they did was go over the rules and they didn't get to do anything.  Ah, mystery solved I get it now, hang in there G-man it will get better I promise.  I see PE jumping back up to the top real soon, but that made me laugh.


I know y'all are probably thinking that I have left someone out of "first day of school" pictures.  Sophie Kate doesn't go every day of the week to preschool so she started the day after the boys.

Ready for her first day...

Well, she was kind of ready for her first day.  It was early and SK hasn't been getting up and getting ready like that since May.  It will be so worth it sister, remember what a good time you have at school?


My favorite thing from Grey's first day of Kindergarten was when he told me, "Mrs. S let me have pony."  Pony, in case you may not know, his Grey's well loved, well worn and most of the time extremely gross smelling stuffed animal that he takes everywhere he goes.  Pony went to Kindergarten with Grey because I was adopting the philosophy of "ask for forgiveness instead of asking for permission."  He stayed in Grey's backpack until rest time, when Grey asked his teacher if he could get him out and she said yes, love her!


I even received two email updates, one in the morning and one in the afternoon of how their day was going, complete with "first day of school" pictures, love her even more!! After all three boys came home with basically no homework save for a small reading assignment for Cooper, I deemed the first day of school a success.  The only problem I feared was that Grey was going to think, ok that was fun now I'm done, and really wasn't going to appreciate having to go to school everyday.


The second morning of school, Grey got up and with pony tucked under his arm, sleep still in his eyes and the warmth of his bed still lingering on him he climbed up in my lap and said to me, "Mama, I really liked preschool.''  Uh, oh here we go, so I asked the question that was being begged to be asked even though I knew better, "You did, why?"  He answered, "Because I got to stay with you."  So it ended up that I cried the first and second days of school...me too buddy, me too.


Thanks for checking in on us.