1st day of school

You want to know what I'm not ok with?  My boys growing up!  I'm not one of those moms who can't wait until her kids grow up & move out of the house.  No siree.  Actually, I dread it.  Like, seriously, I won't be able to handle it.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE my boys.  I love summers where we spend every waking second together.  They are so much fun & I just love being around them.

 August 9th, Kirkland started 1st grade.  At a public school.  Eeeek!  His teacher, Mrs. Leggett, is SOOO nice, and I'm sure she is wonderful, but still.  He's at a public school learning who knows what from who knows who.  I was bound to get emotional!

Open House!  We got to meet his teacher and find his classroom.

Who is this big kid? How did he get so tall?

Here he goes!

This is the picture I took right before I walked out the door.  When he turned around,  I gave him the biggest smile I could fake, and told him to have a great day.  I barely made it to the door before I burst into the ugly cry.  It wasn't pretty.  I tried to make it to the car without making eye contact, but I ran into the Ruschaks, and Lisa gave me a big hug, told me he would be fine and what a great teacher Mrs. Leggett is, etc. It didn't matter.  My baby boy just walked into 1st grade. She could have handed me a gazillion dollars and I wouldn't have cracked a smile. 

Charlie & I probably sat on the driveway for an hour willing the bus to bring him home!  Never have we been so glad to see a school bus!  (Oh, and before you judge me for letting my 1st born take the bus home on the 1st day of school-he BEGGED to take it.  He said he's been waiting forever to get to ride the bus! How can you deny him that?!?)

Then, just 5 days later, My Charlie boy starts 3 year old preschool at the Montessori Christian Schoolhouse.  He was beyond excited!  He knows all the teachers and most of the kids from all the times he played on the playground last year with Kirkland.

As I was taking his picture, I thought, How can it already be time for this?  Wasn't it just yesterday when he was trying to get in Kirkland's 1st day of preschool picture? How is it already his turn?  Will somebody please slow this down?  

I can hardly handle all the cuteness!

After way too short of a drive, we are at school in the drop off line, and Ms. Lori comes & gets him out of the car.  Charlie gives me a big hug & a big kiss then he hops out of the car & doesn't even look back.  I sit there watching him walk into school & then the door closes.  I am close to being a basket case! It was all I could do to not run in & say, "WAIT!  I've changed my mind!  We're going to homeschool...through college!"

Then, I turn around & see this sweet face & I say, "It's just you & me now buddy".

And, I fully intend to invent some sort of time-slowing machine before he starts preschool.  I'll let you know how that works out!