School is here!

This long-awaited day finally came. All three kids went to public school this morning. It went amazingly well. No meltdowns. No tears (except on my part!).

Last night, however, was a different story. I wanted to make their "First Day of School Eve" special, so I made a cake and decorated it to look like a pencil. Sydney and Bailey helped with the decorations and they turned out SO cute.

We had fun packing their backpacks, making lunches and getting clothes ready. But when it was time for bed, none of them could settle down. They were just so excited and anxious that they kept getting out of bed saying they heard noises, they couldn't sleep, etc. This went on for about an hour. They finally got settled around 10 pm and guess what? A storm rolled in. Ugh! Sydney and Bailey both ran to me in the living room. Sydney was sort of amused that it scared her so badly. She went right back to bed. Bailey was scared to death though. She was breathing heavy and on the verge of tears. So I went to her bed and laid down with her. After about 30 minutes, she was okay, so I went to bed. Around 11:15 pm Sydney came in to tell me that she had never gone back to sleep. She was just having such a hard time getting settled - again. So I went and slept in her bed with her. This child is used to having a full bed all to herself, so you can imagine how I was kicked and slapped all night. :)

At one point when we were putting Bailey to bed, she started crying. She said, "I don't want to go!" I thought - oh dear - this is going to be awful! So I just talked to her for awhile and reassured her that she would be fine. I prayed with her. Then she seemed to be okay.


This morning came WAY TOO EARLY. I got up at 6, got a shower, and then woke up Sydney. She got a shower and was completely dressed and fed by 6:40 am. She was so excited about going to school. She said she had butterflies in her stomach, but she didn't look upset.

We went ahead and left a little early. She was supposed to be at school at 7 am this morning. The teachers were going to be handing out all new schedules. And they wanted the students to be ready by 7:15 - which is the actual start time.

It was so dark when we left - and it was rainy, too. The traffic wasn't bad at all until we got right up to the school property. From the time it took for us to turn left into the school until she got out of the van, it took 10 minutes (the same amount of time it takes just to get there from our house.) On my way home, the traffic coming into the school was just awful! I'm so glad we left when we did. I think even the bus routes were having difficulty being on time. These first few days will be difficult for everyone trying to figure out how to get to school on time.

Anyway, while we were waiting in line in the van, a man with a camera came and asked if he could interview me. I said sure - and was so glad I had done my hair and makeup! He was from Newschannel 9 and asked me how our morning went, if we were glad to have a school in this area, what the traffic was like, and a little bit about Sydney. I can't wait to see if it gets aired on TV!

So right after that, it was time for Sydney to go. The principal had asked that parents just drop them off and not come in. Sigh. That was a tough one. I knew I needed to be brave. I felt at peace, but I also couldn't believe Sydney was walking into that sea of kids - and I wondered how she would do.

It was at this point, as she was walking away, that I started to get really emotional. It was so hard to say goodbye. But she was being brave and looked excited even. I was able to pull it together pretty quickly and then was fine.

I got home around 7:30 and realized I didn't have to get Bailey and Chase up yet. So I just sat in the living room and enjoyed the silence. I didn't even turn on the TV. I just sat there and prayed and prayed and prayed. It was nice to know that all three kids are in God's hands.

Finally, Bailey woke up and after a few minutes of cuddling on my lap, she jumped up and began getting dressed. She was actually excited! I was so relieved. Then Chase woke up and started talking NONSTOP. He couldn't wait to go. I got them dressed and fed and we were on our way.

I got to walk them into the school. We came to Chase's room first. His teacher is Miss Carmody. Oh my - she is SOOOO sweet. I feel so lucky to have her as Chase's teacher. She seems really sensitive to our situation - that we're coming from being homeschooled. She told me when I first met her, "I want you to know that this is my calling. I love all of my students and enjoy teaching so much!" I was completely at ease the first time I met her. She looks like she'll be great for Chase.

He walked into the classroom and was so excited to see that he would get to have a locker - even though he has to share. Miss Carmody said he could pick any seat and even do some of the worksheets if he wanted. She had a stack of papers and a new box of crayons at each seat. He sat down, picked up a pencil and was ready to go. I even said, "See, Chase, you get to do homework already." Which is what he was hoping for.

I snapped his picture and then Bailey and I left to go to her room. When we got there, Mrs. Grant was waiting. She hugged Bailey and was so welcoming. We walked in and found her assigned seat. It was very quiet. The students were sitting down and there was music playing. I think they were all unsure about what to do. But there were other children coming in, so I told her goodbye and snapped her picture...

After I confirmed what I needed to do for pickup, I was on my way. I really felt good about the schools. I'm eager to hear how their day was.

And now what are we doing? Well, Randy and I have spent the last hour cleaning. It's actually enjoyable when there's not lots of little people around! And I think we'll go to lunch at Applebees (someone gave us a gift certificate!). Then before I know it, it will be time to pick them up. It's been a good morning though. Lots to be thankful for. I wonder if they will miss me as much as I miss them... Hmmmm.