First day of 2nd and 4th grades.

Today was the first day of school for my boys.

I was surprised at how easy it was to wake up this morning after sleeping late all summer. Ok so I didn't roll out of bed with a smile on my face and a song on my lips when the alarm went off, like my dear husband did, but I did feel rested.

The morning routine went very smoothly despite the pouring rain outside. The only hitch being that Alyssa cried because she didn't have new school clothes like the boys did. We got past that and she got to wear her favorite horsie shirt for the first time since last Spring. We ran to the car, loaded up and rushed
off to school.

First we dropped Josiah off at Second grade. We already know his teacher because she lives down the street from us and my boys play with her son and daughter a lot of times. Usually this would be when my heart would swell and I would uncontrollably start to cry over leaving my little boy in his big boy class. This year Josiah walked in, hugged his teacher, found his locker and then joined his friends on the rug. Easy Peasy.

Then we moved on to Fourth grade. As we walked down the hall looking for his classroom, I started to feel the lump in my throat and the tears rising to the surface. I swallowed hard fighting the urge to grab my first born and squeeze him tightly. We met his teacher and talked with her about some of Karston's needs (see Chameleon of Special Needs,) all the while letting Karston find his desk and join his classmates. As I spoke to his teacher, my voice was cracking and I thought it was incredibly obvious that I was about to loose it at any moment. I did get through the brief conversation and out of the room without embarrassing myself or my son.

One deep breath and the morning was behind me. When the boys got home from school, I sat down and talked with Karston about how hard it was for me to hold back. He asked me why I would have cried and I told him, "I think it's because my little boy is now one of the oldest kids in his school." Then my son gave me a crooked smile and put his arm around my neck and hugged me tightly.

All in all, I call the first day of school a success.