Wednesday, August 24, 2011

1st day of school!



All four of them ready to go! There was so much excitement that morning. I don't know who was the most excited. Savanna entering high school, Jack entering middle school, Luke getting to have a brand new teacher in the middle of the elementary, or Tucker starting pre-K.


Savanna-9th grade- and finally carrying a back pack! (more on that later!)


Jack -6th grade- and his many faces of Jack shirt. Love that Jack (both of them!)


Luke-3rd grade- and two of his favorites on the shirt ... Lego and Star Wars. The only thing better would be to have had that with a mix of Harry Potter and a few books thrown in.


Then there is Tucker. Pre-K and proud as can be. He carries that school issued bag with pride.


We really did have a good morning getting everyone ready to go. We all got in the car to drive to school. As we got closer we started talking with Jack and Savanna about where they wanted to be dropped off. Or did they want to park and walk in with the rest of us? Before they could answer Tucker piped up "Hey- you can just drop me off." We all laughed. But he was completely serious.

Once we got inside we could hardly keep up with him. He owns this school, don't ya know? He wasn't trying to get away from us, he just knew where he was going and was excited to get there!

We love his teacher. She student taught in Jack's class when he was in 2nd grade. We were so excited to see his name on her class list! Tucker told us that she looks just like Cinderella but without "bright hair." He told her after a few days of school, "See, you look just like Cinderella, you even have "tute" (cute) shoes!"

(this one is blurry but so sweet- Luke was so happy for Tucker to start school, and I think just a little nervous for him. He gave him the biggest hugs before we left the class room.)

Insert crying mom photo here.
I was totally fine until I walked out the pre-K door. I got a little teary eyed, but got over it quick. I was feeling so thankful that Tucker was happy to be where he was and not crying, holding onto my leg begging me to stay, or take him home!

We had dropped off the youngest and already said good-bye in the hall to Savanna and Jack so it was time to walk Luke to class. I think he was a little mix of excitement/nervousness. I could feel his anxiety as we got him settled into the room. His teacher is new to the school (but not new to teaching) and I think Luke was not sure what to expect. We left the room with him just a titch unsure. I had to go back into the room to put his inhaler in his back pack (instead of leaving it with the nurse) and I was relieved to see his easy going grin.

That was it- in less than 30 minutes I had all of my children dropped off and in class. All my children. I was kidless for a few hours. (pre-k is just a few hours.)

Jay and I planned a Starbucks date- knowing we would be kid free. We were talking around our/my emotions of reaching this milestone. I was saying that I felt fine, things were good. And really I was. As long as I didn't really think about it.

A friend called to see how our morning went. I was fine telling her I was fine. Really I was. Until she mentioned that song by Taylor Swift. The one that had made her cry that morning as she dropped her new to high school daughter off. The song "Never Grow up." If you know what song I am talking about and you have kids that you are wanting to hold on to just a little bit longer then you might have a knot in the back of your throat. If you don't know this song- google it and read the lyrics.

Oh my- I was a crying mess.
Jay and I sat in Starbucks while I cried ... I posted this on Facebook/twitter- the day before:

"All of our kids will be in school as of tomorrow. My heart is bursting and breaking at the same time."


Then this while we were in Starbucks:
"Crying at Starbucks. 1st day of school- no kids date — with Jay Spear at Starbucks."

"Oldest started highschool, middle started middle school other middle is in the middle, and youngest started pre-k today. I was fine, really. Until that dang Taylor swift song "Never Grow Up." Now I am a mess."

It really is a funny thing. We want them to grow and learn and discover and we are so proud of them, and then the next moment we don't want anything to change. Couldn't we just have endless summer for a while longer?

Our cute barista was not sure what to think- they were out of what I ordered so she was coming out to talk with us and here we were a crying mess. We had to chuckle and explain that these were the good kind of tears. We are happy to feel the way we do.

I saw this on Pinterst and it summed up my emotional state well-
Crying doesn't indicate that you're weak. Since birth it has always been a sign that you are alive.

I am living. Bring on the school year- tears and all.

2 comments:

Alex and Kimberly Rasmussen said...

what a sweet post! Glad the first day went great-Here's to an awesome school year full of memories and growth!

vgsmom said...

Totally recognize Luke's teacher--I didn't know her married name, seeing as she was in the middle school program when I taught 7th grade Sunday School, which seems like yesterday but obviously not so much.