Back to School 2013

Ahhh, the sweet sound of a cooing baby and only one whiny kid next to me. I thought this day would never come! School is back in session for the girls and these last few days have been such a roller coaster of excitement for all of us. The week began on Sunday when we decided to hit up Walmart for our school supplies. It was the most exhausting hour of my life. I had Indy in the car seat taking up the entire shopping cart and both girls carrying their own basket and about 300 other grade school kids doing the same thing. It wouldn't have been so bad if it weren't for Indy crying, Mia whining over the "heaviest basket in the history," Bella being the world's most indecisive pencil purchaser and the fact that there wasn't a pack of large Crayola crayons in sight.

Screw the nostalgia of back to school shopping that I always long for, next year I'll be ordering the supplies through school, thank you very much.

With only half of the list crossed off, we headed to Target the next day and did it all over again. But Target promised a much better backpack selection and both girls scored on some super cute light up Skechers backpacks.

On Wednesday morning, Bella (who is our resident deep sleeper) woke up, brushed her teeth, got dressed for school and came to tap on my sleeping face at 6:10 in the morning! SIX TEN PEOPLE! It was actually precious but it meant that we now had 2 hours and 20 minutes to eat breakfast and stare at the clock before the bus arrived.

This is Bella, my girl who loves to learn. A girl who'd rather be at school than anywhere else. Gosh, I envy that.

I'll never forget her 1st day of preschool and how big the backpack looked on little old her.

But today meant that she was a second grader, a title she's so proud of.

Listen, I admit it, I was SO excited. Like major nerd-mom who's just, if not more, giddy than she was. 

I think I'll feel this way on every first day back, it's just so me--I can't help it. I even spit washed her chin, you guys! At the bus stop! How embarassing for her!!!

Seriously, is she going to start asking me to drop her off places 500 feet from the entrance? I'll just die :)

Well, she's not that embarassed since she still gave me the biggest hug and kiss any mom could ask for. Atta girl! And just like that she was off to second grade.

 Mia, our other official grade schooler, had her kindergarten visitation and the three of us got to see her room, meet her classmates and chat with the other parents.

She found her cubby or as she likes to call it "cuvvy," despite anyones correction.

I love this picture!

 Mia has the same kindergarten teacher that Bella had and we couldn't be happier about that. Her first introduction to grade school will be with someone she can trust, learn from and laugh with--all the best qualities of a kindergarten teacher!

Her visitation was a success and got her even more pumped for her first day on Thursday.

Sadly, it was raining so we didn't get our traditional outdoor pics, 

but not to worry....Daddy to the rescue!

All summer I wondered if the emotions I felt the first time putting Bella on her kindergarten bus was just "first child-first school experience" feelings. I wondered if I would feel the same with Mia?

And the answer is yes! It was just as bittersweet the second time around.  In fact, we went outside to wait for the bus and the darn bus was early, and it was raining and suddenly there were THREE trucks waiting behind the bus so we had no choice but to rush her on! I didn't even get to kiss her goodbye (which broke my heart!) We had just enough time to cross over and get this picture. And it's already causing a lump in my throat as I upload it right now. 

  

My big girl. My confident girl. My independent girl. Her smile and wave was like a dagger through me,  I really wasn't prepared for what I felt (it all just happened so fast) yet she wasn't phased at all. Just look at her--she's happy and excited, as she should be. What a momentous feeling that must have been for her to board a bus driven by someone other than her parents taking her to a place 

she's been waiting so long for. This, this here was a milestone! 

Imagine the excitement she felt sitting in that seat looking back at us.

I get it.

And I'll feel this way with Chance and Indy too. 

When Mia arrived home and was greeted with my over the top inquisition, somewhere between the details of snack time and gym class she mentioned that Bella saw her in the hallway and gave her a hug and a kiss and sweet mother of molassess my heart swelled up right there. 

They're together, finally.

On Mia's second day the sun was shining and so was she.

I'm not kidding, he won't take his backpack off :)

Such sass!

What a pro!

Chance was reunited with his favorite bus driver who used to let him board the bus when she picked Bella up for Kindergarten, which you can read about HERE. 

And in 11 days, our little Chance will start daily pre-k. 

 And I get to feel this all over again. 

I can't wait.

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Mia's 1st Day of 4K!

We celebrated Mia's first day of school this morning and I tried my best to show the same amount of enthusiasm as we showed Bella 2.5 weeks ago. They keep count, these kids. I've already dealt with Bella complaining that she only got pancakes with the #1 for first grade, while Mia "got her name and an s and a t and a 4 and a k Mommmmm!!"

Oh, gag me. Sibling rivalry makes me nutty.

But back to the sweetness and happiness that is this day, the first day of Mia's 4k preschool.

She mentioned last night she was nervous and happy. But this year is different, she's got experience under her belt and sure enough, she woke up more excited than ever to go to school.

We didn't even fight about her outfit! In fact, the outfit gloriously stayed the same as the one we picked out last night! See, usually what we pick out the night before and what she actually ends up wearing is sometimes two completely different outfits. She's got a knack for throwing a curveball at the last minute or in her case, a fashion fit. Not today though.

She shimmied into her dress and shook her tooshy as she brushed her teeth. She spun around in circles once her backpack was on and I knew her enthusiasm was genuine. She wasn't sad or nervous or remotely apprehensive.

Girl was ready!

And before I even had a chance to tear up in the dropoff lane, she gave me the biggest neck hug from behind, jumped out of the car and bolted for the door. I even drove away REALLY slow so I can catch her eye contact if she turned around.

But she never looked back.

I tried convincing her to be homeschooled-it didn't work.

"How much fun are YOU having today, Mom?" screamed Bella, rather loudly from the bathroom stall next to mine. Ya know, she's old enough to go without me now, in her own stall with her own toilet seat cover, which is exactly how she sounds when she says it to me, like a teenager!! Normally, I might high-five this independent streak, but not today.

"So much fun Bella," I responded a little quieter since I knew everyone in this mall bathroom must be listening to us right now.

"Well, I'm having one hundred-thousand-percent fun today Mom!" I smiled and teared up right there in the public bathroom. She and I were on a shopping date, for new school clothes and new shoes. The entire time I walked around holding her hand I was in shock, wondering when did she get so tall? We tried on new shoes, and somehow-somewhere in the past month her foot decided to grow a size. What? Now? How dare it! I stared at the shoe attendant in disbelief. Not that I wasn't willing to go up a size but that the truth was harder for me to swallow. Yet another sign of her impending growth which made this day, the day before her 1st grade, harder than normal.

She picked out her "1st grade 1st day" dress and twirled around the dressing room with the hugest grin. All I could do is smile back at her. I couldn't help thinking that one day I'll be sitting in the same seat watching her twirl in a prom dress or even further down the line, twirl around in a wedding dress. And probably feel the same sort of emotion, on a much grander scale-yes, but the feeling will still be the same--this tugging emotion of both happiness and excitement and sadness to see this last stage pass.

This is motherhood. 


She woke this morning three hours before the bus was to arrive. And brushed her hair and teeth in record time. Excited? You betcha!

We made our celebratory 1st grade pancakes.

We packed her lunch (in her fancy bento) which she had planned out for months.

And as a family, we all helped hoist up her heavy backpack.
With the weight of every school supply imaginable, she smiled so confidently.

And just like that, she left me again...

Happy-Sad, 1st Day of 1st Grade, Bella.