I Made It! (First Day of School)

Wow. It's happened. IT'S REALLY HAPPENED!

All of my four children are in school. All. Day. Long. 

I just re-read my last post from the last day of school and relived the emotional trauma that was the 2013-2014 school year, and I can already say with full assurance that this year is going to be better. 3 schools instead of 4, an alleviated schedule for Kate since she took a couple of classes online over the summer (I highly recommend this route--doing low level classes online on her own took no time at all!), "regular" school for Elizabeth instead of the homework heavy accelerated program she was in last year at a different school (I hope I don't regret this decision . . . ), no Room Mom madness, and everyone out the door within an hour of each other instead of two. (This year Kate leaves at 7:00, Will at 7:30, and the girls at 7:45 coming home first at 2:30). And that might be the most transformational part of all: I will have 6 uninterrupted hours to myself. Every weekday. What?!  

I feel like I should feel badly about this, but I've been absolutely giddy all day long. Maybe it's because I've already shed many tears over the last year anticipating Rachael going to school full time, maybe it's because Rachael is not a mama's girl and has the capable tutelage of her big sister guiding her into this new transition (Elizabeth has been absolutely adorable over the last 24 hours making Rachael's lunch, helping her pick out an outfit for the first day, getting her up and excited this morning--2 hours before she usually wakes up--and reassuring both of us that she would walk her to her class and pick her up after), maybe it's because I've had someone at home with me for the last 17 years and I'm about to turn 43 so it's JUST DARN TIME, but yeah, sending everyone off this morning was nothing but happy. Happy, happy, happy. 

And you know what else? It's not like they are going to boarding school. They will start coming home at 2:15 for crying out loud! This idea of "what will you do with all your time?" just makes me laugh (I have a list a mile long) because it's not even that much time and then there are still many hours in the day to be together as a family. 

Boy, I am totally surprising myself. I really thought I would be a big, blubbering mess today. But again, truth be told, I feel nothing but giddy. Any why not? Look how happy and cute they all were heading off to school this morning . . .

But wait.

That's the other thing. Kate got up and go herself all ready with no complaints and well before the time she needed to leave. That alone is a miracle worth celebrating since she has forbidden anyone to say the "S" word all summer long and pretty much refused to do her hair or make up most days except Sunday. I think she is really ready to have a different kind of year this year. I sense an attitude shift, and I hope I'm right. Isn't she just cute?

Will claims to not be excited about school starting, and I believe him, but I think he is playing it up a bit more than necessary. I ordered him a new backpack on Amazon since his other one was pretty worn out (and smelled like a dead animal), but it didn't arrive in time so instead of using a simple drawstring backpack or something he left for the bus stop with nothing more than his tiny sack lunch in hand (not sure what he put in there) and a pencil in his pocket. That's it. I tried to get him to take a notebook or SOMETHING, but he insisted that he'd be fine. He's got that "I could care less" coolness thing going, and I'm not totally sure, but I think he knows what he is doing.

My gosh, he's morphed over the last year:

Okay, too funny, but I just noticed after looking over my last day of school post that these girls are wearing the same outfits for their first day of school as they did their last. I guess these must be their favorite outfits . . .

 Both of them were pretty excited to share their fandoms with the world (matching lunch boxes inside):

And just like I said, off they went without a second thought. No need for Mommy to walk Rachael to her classroom even. She had her big sister, Elizabeth:

It's enough to make a mom cry. Or feel absolutely giddy.

I'll take the latter.