First Day of School 2011

Well, today was the big day. The day that Abby started back to school... and this time, Carson too! The start of the school year has been all that they've talked about lately, and they were both thrilled to pop out of bed this morning to get ready. (Except Carson asked several times, "Why are we getting up while it's still dark?!") Aaron and I walked them both to school and when we got to their classes, they each went straight in. No tears! Not even from me. (I think that's the big miracle here. I knew they'd be fine.) They both have great teachers this year, Mrs. Miller (Abby) and Miss Chestnut (Carson), and we're so excited for this year.

Abby got to her class and walked right in. She gave her teacher a hug and a little present, and then begrudgingly stood for a picture before we gave her a hug and headed out. She is so glad to be back in school, and when we picked her up this afternoon, she said she loved her first day!

I wasn't sure what to expect when we dropped Carson off, but he went in and gave his teacher a hug and (more or less) said hi. Then into the room, hung his backpack, and went to his desk. No tears or uncertainties. He just sat down and the little boy next to him offered him a crayon and they colored together. So sweet. Then we gave him a hug and headed out. He was a total chatterbox when we picked him up. They got to read and go on a scavenger hunt and he met the principal and the librarian and the nurse and he made two friends (both girls, no boys, really) and he got to play on the playground at recess. They have RECESS! He was so excited. I'm so happy he enjoyed it so much!

After we dropped the kids off, Aaron and I walked back home alone and tried not to talk about how this was the end of an era or how quiet the house was going to be when we got home. Luckily, we had plans to meet Jason, Natalie, Jenn, and Galen for a "Boo-Hoo Breakfast" after we all dropped our kids off. It was great fun and a great distraction. After that, as Aaron and I drove around, then we had the sentimental talks about how not so very long ago, Abby and Carson were just babies, and so on and so forth. We smiled and laughed (and were tempted to cry), and spent a great day together shopping and going to a quiet lunch. It was really nice. But when 2:30 rolled around, we were just dying to pick the kids up and hear all about their day. It was so fun seeing their smiling faces when they walked outside! We talked and talked the whole walk home, then filled out the giant pile of paperwork, and had reading time, and started to get back into the swing of things for the school year.

Looking forward to a great one!