Hello, Kindergarten

Our little girl is five. She's so bright and has been dying to start kindergarten. We had fun picking out her backpack. New clothes. Mile-long list of supplies.  But when it was time to wake her up that first morning, I actually asked her backpack out loud, "Do I have to let her go?"

(It didn't answer.)

So it seems that we have three big kids in school now. Nicole is in morning kindergarten, so she rides the bus to school with her brothers and then we pick her up a few hours later. Jonathan is in 4th grade this year and Zach is in 2nd grade. They go to the same elementary school where I attended growing up. Some of the same teachers are still there.

I sure love this girl. Our kindergartner.

On the first day of school we waited forever for the bus to come. It came ten minutes later than last year. It turns out that it will always come at the later time - so we get to sleep ten minutes longer than the other years. Woo-hoo! The kids seemed a little nervous while we waited.

And then that big, mean bus came along and swallowed my daughter.

But of course when she came home a few hours later, she was as happy as can be and had a million things to tell me. She's been teaching me new songs and we have fun with her homework. So I guess it's not the end of the world after all. (Some might even say it's just the beginning.)

Here they are before the second day of school.  (Who takes pictures on the second day of school?)

And now we are on the RUN.  I'm pretty sure that we signed the kids up for too much stuff this year. Jonathan has piano and scouts. Zach has piano this year too. Nicole is in dance and gymnastics. And all of them are in soccer, including Greg. But we're loving it and still making time for chores and family.  It has taken me three weeks, but I finally feel like I figured out the routine. I think.

Summer's over and school's begun! I guess it's official now that I blogged about it.