My Two Kindergartners

Yesterday was the day that marked the end of an era. Nate and Ben started Kindergarten! They are officially in "big" school now. They were very excited about this - and I was, too! And I have to admit, a bit nervous as well. Thankfully their first day went well and was a good experience for them. On the drive to school in the morning, they couldn't stop talking about all of the new things they might do at school. They were somewhat apprehensive (particularly Nate) when I left them in their classroom, but it was a relatively smooth transition for which I was very grateful. After school when I picked them up, the excitedness was still there. (Whew!) They had lots to share. Here are some of their highlights....

* Probably the most exciting thing about their day? They got to pick strawberry milk with their lunch and afternoon snack!! How cute is that?!

* Ben learned he should not run in the hall or bathroom. I guess he was running into the bathroom and slipped and fell and hit his head. So he got to go visit the nurse (on the first day of school!!) and get an ice pack. When I asked if he'd cried, he said a little. But seemed rather nonchalant about it all.

* They were asked to bring their favorite stuffed animal to school this week, so Green Bear and Mikey tagged along.

* Recess was definitely top on their list.

So, how did mom fare through this first big day of change? I did pretty good. I didn't cry ( like I thought I would), and enjoyed having some one-on-one time with Karis. Although it'll take some time to get used to the quietness in the house. One child doesn't make nearly as much noise as three!

Now today marked Day Two... and the morning transition at school left much to be desired. I almost cried, but this time out of frustration because of the clingy, crying child attached to my arm. *sigh* I suppose we'll just take one day at a time.

And now as I type a few days later, I'm looking back on this first week of school. Despite a couple of mornings when the boys had some hesitation with me leaving, overall they have enjoyed their time in kindergarten immensely. Every morning they eagerly let me know it's time to get out of bed when their clock turns to 7:00, and then after school they have been SO excited to share about the things they did that day.

In this final picture, the boys are taking their first ride on the school bus! They could NOT wait to ride the bus and asked every day this past week when they would be able to. So on their last day of school for the week, we decided they were ready for the big event. They were very brave and didn't hesitate at all when it was time to get on the bus. As the bus drove off, Nate and Ben looked at me through the window just grinning from ear to ear. They looked so small sitting there -- heading off into the big world. And yes, I shed my first tears. But I can't wait to hear about their days adventures when the bus drops them off this afternoon!!