This summer, the summer of 2018, has to have been the fastest summer I have ever experienced. It flew by so quickly, likely because we packed it full of so much fun. The last Sunday before school was no exception. We had breakfast with my mother-in-law in the morning, then after a little fun at home we headed to my parents' house for lunch and swimming.
The kids were determined to make a slide into the pool as we've done in previous years, and my dad came through with some modifications to make it stay put.
Every year on the Sunday before school starts, I take the kids to school and practice our drop off. It helps all of us mentally prepare for the first day, and this year it had an added bonus of strategically preparing us for the first day. In our school district, fifth grade is a move up to the middle school building, so for the first time the kids will be attending different schools. Baylor had the brilliant idea to have Bryson come with us so we could simulate the drive to school without Mollie, which he probably thought was more for him but really worked out to be a great preparation for both of us. Mollie wasn't sure where her line was going to be for the morning, so after we practiced dropping her off, Baylor showed her where it would probably be. They are so good to each other!
We then practiced dropping Baylor off, with Mollie and Bryson following behind in Bryson's car, and that is when things started to sink in a bit for me. Which is why there aren't any pictures of our time at his school practicing, even though we stayed there for a bit longer to let the kids try out the playground. I just needed to hold it together, so pictures fell by the wayside. Our evening went well enough, all of us feeling a little more prepared for the next day than before, and the kids went to bed without too much worry.
Then Mother Nature hit ... a couple big thunderstorms rolled through, waking up the kids, dropping sticks and leaves all over the house, and eventually knocking out the power to a few of the schools in our district. So, at 5:50 a.m. on Monday morning, we found out the first day of school had been cancelled. The kids and I were upset; we had gotten all prepared, and they had actually gotten excited about the first day! After a morning full of meltdowns and indecision, we ended up going to my parents' house for lunch and a swim; it really helped us take our minds off the huge change in plans and got out some energy. An afternoon appointment, dinner, and showers followed, and then it was time for another night before the first day of school. Oh, and to make things even more interesting, it was our 13th wedding anniversary. Needless to say I experienced a full gamut of emotions last night.
Then all of a sudden it was the morning of the first day of school. The kids got ready so quickly, and we had plenty of time for pictures! Baylor picked his favorite t-shirt to wear on the first day. (Seriously, it's his favorite. He wore it on the last day of third grade, picture day in fourth grade, the last day of fourth grade, and a million times in between.)
Then Mother Nature hit ... a couple big thunderstorms rolled through, waking up the kids, dropping sticks and leaves all over the house, and eventually knocking out the power to a few of the schools in our district. So, at 5:50 a.m. on Monday morning, we found out the first day of school had been cancelled. The kids and I were upset; we had gotten all prepared, and they had actually gotten excited about the first day! After a morning full of meltdowns and indecision, we ended up going to my parents' house for lunch and a swim; it really helped us take our minds off the huge change in plans and got out some energy. An afternoon appointment, dinner, and showers followed, and then it was time for another night before the first day of school. Oh, and to make things even more interesting, it was our 13th wedding anniversary. Needless to say I experienced a full gamut of emotions last night.
Then all of a sudden it was the morning of the first day of school. The kids got ready so quickly, and we had plenty of time for pictures! Baylor picked his favorite t-shirt to wear on the first day. (Seriously, it's his favorite. He wore it on the last day of third grade, picture day in fourth grade, the last day of fourth grade, and a million times in between.)
Mollie picked one of her current favorite dresses and had me put a small braid on one side of her hair.
We dropped off Mollie first, and all our practicing was for naught ... she had to run straight in the front door because of all the rain. Luckily, she's amazing and took it all in stride.
Then Baylor and I made our way over to the middle school. At first he commented on how he missed Mollie, but I redirected him to the book he had been reading and we talked about The Odyssey and how it compares to Percy Jackson the rest of the way. Once we got there, we figured out that we could either park or just do a drop off, and he opted for parking and me walking him to the door. The principal greeted us and gave me a reassuring nod and smile after Baylor went inside.
Then I got in my car and started crying. It's a first day of school tradition that I apparently cannot go without. I cry partly because I miss them during the day when they aren't here and partly because I worry about how their day will go, if kids will be nice to them, if they'll get along with their teachers, etc. It's hard to let go and entrust their care to someone else, but I know it is good for all of us. And now I get to look forward to hearing all about it at the end of the day!
Have a wonderful day!
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