First Day of School!!!

As usual, I can't believe the summer is already over. We've had a crazy, busy, fun summer and we're sad to see it end. Even so, there was an electric buzz of excitement at our house this morning. The kids headed off to their first day of school.

Actually, Neal went to school yesterday for a few hours. As a seventh grader heading into his first year of middle school (gasp) he got to go yesterday and have a some time to check out the new school before the eighth graders arrive to intimidate. I was the mother that sent him off to the bus stop on the other side of the neighborhood and assumed that he would actually get to school. Imagine my shock to come home from a meeting hours later and discover that the bus never showed up. Another mother (who was waiting with her son at the bus stop like a good, doting mother **cue the guilt**) drove the kids to school after it was apparent that the promised bus wouldn't arrive.

So, hopefully as we repeated the adventure this morning for the first official day, the bus actually came and picked Neal up. Because I'm still the mother that sent him off to walk to the bus stop by himself like a big kid.

By the way, Neal headed off to middle school this morning with the very same backpack he has used since preschool. That's got to be some kind of backpack survival record. 

Amberly was so excited for the first day of fourth grade. She was practically bouncing this morning as she hopped out of bed, hurried to get ready for school and rushed out the door a little too early.

She went to school with a new backpack. Somehow her backpacks never last through an entire school year. 

Last night during his "interview" with Utah Dad and me, Thomas insisted on telling us a story.

"Once upon a time, there was a little boy who was about to start first grade. And he was really scared. So, in the morning he went and hid from his parents . . . His parents found him and took him to first grade and when we got there everything was OK. It was fine."

Thomas started first grade this morning. I walked with him to school and he chattered all the way. Once we got to school and he found his friends he kept reassuring them all that it was going to be a great year. Probably trying to reassure himself. He's such a great kid and I'm excited for him. He is going to have a great year.