SCHOOL!!

Today was the day. Landon's first day of 1st grade and Addie's first day of Kindergarten. Here's how the day went for each kid:

LANDON:Landon was excited to get on the bus this morning, and especially excited to get to ride the bus with Addie!They let the Kindergartners get off the bus first, so they could have more time and help finding their rooms. Landon was going to walk Addie to her classroom. So, when he found out that she would bet getting off the bus without him, he told her to wait by the front doors for him and he'd walk her to class. I followed the bus to the school to make sure the kids got to their classes okay and because I had a parent meeting in Addie's class, so I was standing in the main foyer when Addie walked through the doors. When Landon came in and saw me he came over and said 'Oh, there you are Addie! I told Addie to wait for me by the doors and when I couldn't see her there I thought I lost her!!' My mother-heart was so proud of this big first grader who wanted to take such good care of his sister. And when he realized that he couldn't stay with her, he made a plan to take care of the situation and was so worried when he couldn't find her. He is SUCH a great boy!!!Landon is in Mrs. Schetzel's First grade class. Her room is decked out like a tree house and is SUPER cool and fun. She has a very welcoming and fun feel to her room and Landon is so excited to be in her class.She had a water bottle for each kid and a cute place tag and a little coin purse type thing to keep the pennies they earn for good behavior in and a cute little flap on the back of their chairs to hold their folders and things in.Some of the things Landon was excited to tell me about when he got home: they got to pick out books and pick out a stuffed animal to read the book to, he earned some pennies for being a good listener, he got to go to PE where they played a form of freeze tag, lunch time lived up to his expectations (and he thinks he might want to buy his lunch tomorrow), recess was really great, and a boy in his class cried four times today (once because the boy lost a penny because he kept interrupting during instructions, once because he got in trouble by the principal, then when the he wouldn't go out of the room with the principal the principal had to carry him out of the room and he started crying again, and lastly because he fell down in PE). It was an eventful and fun day and he can't wait to go back tomorrow.
ADDIE:I thought Addie would be a bit nervous, but she actually handled everything just wonderfully!! The school has a meeting for the parents of kindergartners for the first hour and a half of school. So I sent Addie on the bus and told her I'd meet her at school. Landon (as I mentioned above) made sure she felt comfortable and safe riding the bus with him.When I met her at school, she was so proud of herself and said that she LOVED riding the bus!Addie is in Mrs. Chastain's kindergarten class. We love Mrs. Chastain. Landon had her last year and we're so glad Addie gets to be in her class this year. This is Mrs. Chastains 40th year of teaching. In some ways, you'd never guess that she's been teaching for so long. She's not burnt out and cranky like I think I'd be if I taught for 40 years. In other ways, it's no surprise she has so much experience. She's SO super patient, always remains calm, works really hard at making sure the kids have fun while learning. We're lucky to have her again this year!I was glad I was there to see my little Addie being so big and brave hanging up her bag and making friends. We were both excited to find out that she's sitting next to a little girl from church. I think that made both girls (and mom's) feel a little less nervous about the day.We listened to some instructions and Mrs. Chastain went over a few rules with the kids. Then some school helpers came and took the kids on a tour of the school while the parents had a meeting in the classroom. Then we left before the kid came back. I think that really helped everyone feel at ease with the separating.When I picked Addie up (she's only 1/2 day, so she doesn't ride the bus home) she told me that she REALLY loves school. We were both excited to see Landon coming out to the play ground for his recess while I was picking her up. He was anxious to see how her day was going and she was likewise anxious to hear about his day. Her highlights: playing on the play ground during the tour, recess, and riding the bus.

I was feeling a bit guilty today as I saw other mom's at school and the bus stop wiping tears from their eyes. I didn't even feel like crying. I decided that the reason is because when I was little I LOVED school!! I mean, elementary school was the highlight of my young life. So to see my kids excited about school makes me so excited for them. I'm almost giddy watching their excitement and seeing all the fun new things they get to do and experience. But, now that I've spent the past hour writing this post I'm feeling quite sad and nostalgic to have my small non-school aged Landon and Addie back. I didn't cry at the bus stop, or at the school, but I might cry myself to sleep tonight!