Back to School!

I dread it, I welcome it, I panic as it gets closer and I anxiously count down til it's here. Who would be excited to have their kids gone all day five days a week? Who wouldn't? Count me in both groups. This year was even a little more difficult since I had already spent a week in teacher training (more on that later) and missed being with my kids horribly, but was so anxious to have a consistent place for them to go while I would be at work.

I took Eve to get her registered a week before school stated. We walked around the new to her building with all it's lockers and classrooms and different teachers and schedules. By the time we were done, she felt a lot better and I was completely freaked out. She looked so small as she got on the bus the first day...much smaller than even her first day of kindergarten, and I cried as I walked home from the bus stop alone.

 A month later, I think I'm getting used to the idea of my daughter being in middle school, and it has it's perks. I get to wake up early with her every school day and we get one on one time that I love. She still wants me to walk her to the bus (I guess she missed my cry baby display on the first day), and then she rides home with me in the afternoon. After I drop her off at the bus I have just enough time to go for a run before it's time to wake up the rest of the kids. And best of all, she got a cell phone (remember...freaked out mom) and she sends me funny texts all the time. I guess I can deal.

I missed dropping Soni and Austin off this year, but on the flip side, Phil got to. I missed there excitement as they got dressed and met up with old friends again.

Don't they look so excited? I have to believe their gloomy faces are because I wasn't there...also the reason Bingham is bare foot...sigh....

They all survived without me and now a month later they seem to have adjusted to the school schedule again. Austin is just pulling through his usual "back to school" rebellion and is finally making the connection (again) of self regulation and a happy teacher. Soni must not be getting enough homework because she has enough time after school to organize and create homework for Bingham and leaves us in the morning with strict instructions to make sure Bingham does his homework while she's gone.

Bingham goes to preschool in the afternoon and has met a new friend named Shark Boy and wants to be called Shark Boy too. I told him that we used to call him Laser Boy and maybe we could call him that again, but he wasn't impressed. For the Apple Day parade he was supposed to dress up as what he wanted to be when he grew up. He picked Spider Man. Honestly, I believe him.