First Day of School

The blessed day finally arrived.

First were Liesel and Ireland- my seasoned second and fourth graders who are too cool to be nervous about something like the first day of school.

I kid you not, when the bus driver opened the door, I very nearly burst into tears. I cried out, "I'm SO happy to see you!!!" She laughed heartily. She's a mom too. She gets me.

This year Ireland was very specific about what she wanted to wear to school and how she wanted me to do her hair. She put a lot of thought into it.

Her dozens of friends were thrilled to see her again after the long summer break.

The air was thick with excitement.

The next day it was Brigitta's turn. With a mid-August birthday, I really went the rounds about whether to put her in, or wait another year. I talked to Brent, her preschool teachers, the principal at the elementary school, friends, family, a couple of my young women (one who is the youngest in her class, one who was held back and is the oldest), their mothers, and even some complete strangers. Everyone gave me completely different advice.

For Brent, it was a no-brainer. Just put her in and it will be fine. But I really agonized over this decision. One mom made everything crystal clear for me. She said there is no 100% right answer and no matter what I did, at some point I would second guess it. I realized I was too intent on looking for the 100% right answer and in the end, decided to just go with my gut.

Brigitta started kindergarten. And until she graduates from high school I will be holding my breath wondering if that was the right thing to do.

Her sisters promised to look out for her which helped calm my nerves that first day.

This video makes me laugh. "I see it! Where is it?" She was so excited!

 The bus pulled away and the decision was done.

At long last, it was Sydney's turn to start her first year in preschool.

After a couple of weeks of seeing her sisters go off to their adventures in education, she was really eager for her turn.

For the first time in my career as a stay-at-home mom, I didn't have to find a babysitter so I could go with Sydney to those first couple of classes to help her acclimate. She's got some pretty fantastic teachers, and since she's now our third child at this preschool, these are familiar faces.

I'm entering a whole new era with all the kids in some sort of formal schooling. In some ways I can't believe it, in others, I've been anticipating this day for a looong time.