First Day of School Versus the Second Day of School

The first day of school dawned dark and rainy.  The perfect day for sleeping in.  But we were up early.  Like, 5:30 am early.

Thank you God for coffee.

The excitement of the day was high and we were ready in record time for plenty of photos.

No arguing, a little nerves, a lot of excitement.

We had enough time to get a photo of me with each of the boys.

We won't mention about how S1 is most definitely taller than me.  Or that that may have been the reason that I wore wedges to the first day of school.

And this collection of photos is my new favorite.

We ran through the rain, passing some birthday boys who arrived to school in a LIMO - pretty big stuff - and walked through the door where the amazingly sweet Mrs. Wynsma took a quick photo of us.  She is amazing, she had kids to hug and notes to take and she still took our wet bedraggled photo.

S1 allowed us all to go down to the Junior High section of school so his brothers could see his locker.  The hallway on the way there was filled with kids...bigger kids than my kids.  And I had to pretend to not be sad to send my oldest among them.  

It was sort of frightening.  All these kids I don't know after knowing so many of them for so long.

And that is me feeling that.  How about my son?

But he hugged his brothers - briskly - and we left him to his first ever morning in Junior High facing his locker that had a combination.

I'll love him forever for letting us tag along.  I'd love him forever anyway but, you know what I mean.

Every boy went off to their class.  The halls were packed.  PACKED.  Every parent, sibling, grandparent, aunt, uncle, neighbor were in those hallways, I swear. And it was some ninety percent humidity day and it wasn't long until we were all HOT.  Literally felt the sweat trickling. 

What a great mom impression I'm making, I thought to myself as I wiped a drip of sweat from my brow.  Hopefully it wasn't as bad as I was sure it felt to be.  

With all my boys seated in their classes (and THAT was a trip - S1 dropped off then S2, then S3, then S4, then back to S3's room then back to S4's room and then to the office and then out of the school), a bunch of mom's (and one dad) headed to the recently reopened Barn Restaurant for breakfast. 

My husband, in a broke down semi truck next to a closed for remodeling McDonald's had the breakfast photo sent to him.  I can be mean like that.

After breakfast, I headed into work.  My mind was scattered and I kept watching the clock.  The library was eerily quiet without them there with me.  At three I was out in the blazing sunshine to pick up my boys.

My boys I missed so much. 

Driving home with Scotty McCreery cd playing I asked the boys how the day had gone.

S1 - "I survived."

S2 - "It was pretty good."

S3 - "It was hot."

S4 - "It was okay.  But I am soooooooo hungry.  Can I eat a snack?  I have to wait till I get home? But I am starving! (Major tears) Mama! I am passing away! I am soooo hungry! I need cookies!  Cookies...Mama, I need a cookie.  Can I have something from my lunch? I have to wait until I get home? It's sooooo far away......"

He cried the whole ten minute ride home.

And then my boys devoured the entire bowl of cookies I had for them.  That's like four cookies at least a piece.  Seriously.

Then they wanted to know when dinner was.

My husband, who had bee stranded most the day, arrived home and took the two oldest off to football practice while I filled out school paperwork and got my youngest boys in bed. Bless that husband of mine.

This morning we woke up and S4 asked if he could stay home and just sleep.

The morning went basically smoothly.  I only had to tell one son to be nice once.  The boys raced up the sidewalk to beat their friends who had just pulled into the parking lot like a million mornings last school year.

We dropped S1 off at the hallway instead of going down to his school.  He headed to the left and we headed to the right.  I couldn't resist a backwards glance back at him to see how he was.  His back was tall and straight as he strode past all the kids bigger than him to get to his hallway.

My little boy who is so big now.

Looking at my three in front of me I swallowed hard.

We dropped everyone off ONCE today.  S2 at his locker.  He hugged me goodbye.  S3 we said goodbye to at his desk.  He pulled me down for a kiss on the cheek.

S4 and I walked down to his hallway and he confidently shoved his backpack into his locker.  Gave him a hug, told him to have a good day.  He walked toward his class and I walked away, smiling at the new moms with tears in their eyes.  Poor girls.

I heard his foot fall before I heard S4 wail, "Mama!!!!!!"

My poor boy.  He fell into my arms.  Sobbing.  "I want to stay with you!"

And then begins the awfulness.  When you have to send your crying child into class.  You tell him to be tough.  You tell him he will do well.  You watch his friends give him a hug and tell him it will be okay.  You give his hand to the principal whom you know will take care of him and let her lead him into class.  You stop a friend who works at school and ask her to check on him. You get in the big ol suburban and glance back to see his unfinished toast with strawberry jam.  

So you call your husband and cry.

School is tough.  For all of us.