Back to School Again

 Like it or not, today marked the first day of another school year!

This year I dropped off TWO kids at school!

I still can't believe we have a 2nd grader AND a Kindergartner!

It doesn't seem like it was that long ago when my days were spent playing cars, superheroes, reading stories, and laughing with these 2 sweet little boys...

Jonah looked so grown up in his desk all ready to go for 2nd grade! 

He very carefully placed his school supplies in his desk rearranging them multiple times last night at the open house before I cut him off and told him we had to go. 

Not before he sharpened a few pencils so he could be ready for work today.

He was in tears last night after we left the open house last night.

I was afraid it was because he hadn't gotten the teacher he hoped for, but it was because he wished he could just start school then and not wait another whole day!

Adorable!

Elijah was VERY excited to have the same teacher as Jonah had and seemed super excited for Kindergarten. 

He, on the other hand, just threw his school supplies into his desk and when I asked him if he wanted to place them in his desk neatly he said, "nah, that's okay" and proceeded to shove more things inside and slam his desk shut. 

He seemed very excited until he tearfully came to me last night and said, "I have to be honest, I am afraid I might miss you tomorrow. How long am I at school again?"

I was secretly happy to hear this because Jonah was never worried about missing me nor did he miss me while he was at school. 

However, it did make me nervous for the first day and I knew that I would burst into tears if he did.  

I told Elijah it was okay if he missed me and that I would miss him too, but that he wouldn't even notice I wasn't there because he would have so much fun in Kindergarten. 

Then I prayed that would be true for him!

He asked again how many hours it would be and I knew the actual number would freak him out so I told him it would be after lunch and after Isaac's naptime. 

He breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Oh good! I was hoping you would pick me up before supper!"

Fortunately, the chaos of getting all of us ready to get out the door trumped any tears that may have flown from myself or Elijah. 

Both boys were so excited they had their shoes and backpacks on a good 30 minutes before we needed to leave the house! 

Grandpa stopped by to wish them good luck and Grandma Teresa and Aunt Nikki called to wish them good luck too!

Unfortunately, the lack of extra time meant I was unable to take many pictures. 

Elijah looked a bit bewildered when I left him in his class...

Isaac was having a hard time with this too!

He wanted to go to school also and had brought an empty backpack he found in the basement. 

I had planned on taking him to daycare for the morning so I could run some errands and get a few things done. 

I also thought it might help him through this transition as he LOVES our daycare!

He told me on the way there that Livie couldn't come because he was going to school at Helens!

He also wanted me to take a picture with Helen, "just like the boys" and was pretty proud of this shot...

When I picked the boys up they were so excited to tell me about their days. 

Elijah's favorite parts were reading the kissing hand book, going to the library, the prospect of gym class tomorrow, the whole hot lunch experience (he was pretty proud he had remembered his lunch code), and that he realized he knew a few kids in his class. 

Jonah said he was just "so happy to be back at school again" but bummed that they had to listen to so many rules all day long and didn't have much time for learning! 

Isaac reported that his "school" was good and he had a great day playing with his best buddy (Brooks) at Grandma Helen's. 

Everyone was a bit tired this evening and I am praying for a good night sleep for us all!

Looking forward to hearing about the second day of school tomorrow!

Jonah was so excited he had a hard time settling down once he was in bed, but moments later I found him fast asleep!

Praying for a great year of learning, exploring, and growing for all!