First Days of School

Wow!  Summer is gone...  I was not really ready for school to start up... we loved our lazy mornings and lack of schedule.  But here it is and the girls' excitement is contagious!  Aubrey has been looking forward to school since the last day of school last year!  She let me know it's not preschool - it's 4 year old class... just so we are clear.

We did our meet and greet with the teachers last week.  Taylor's teacher is Mrs Price and she is everything a first grade teacher should be!  Sweet, patient, kind and prepared.  I love it.  Taylor is very excited that her desk is front and center, right next to the teacher's desk. 

Aubrey has Ms Mary Anne and Ms Cindy.  Taylor had them too, so I already know Aubrey will have a wonderful year!  We LOVE our preschool and I am so thankful I found this school 3 years ago.  They are a true blessing to our family!

The first day for Taylor was Monday and our morning was great!  Aubrey was a little sad she wasn't going to school too, but we were all excited for Taylor's big day.  Big first grader things include being able to be dismissed on your own - so you line up in the appropriate line and if you are a biker (like we are) you go first and get your bike and walk to the crosswalk.  Since she is a big first grader we decided mom would just wait at the crosswalk for her.  Well, first day snafu had Taylor in the walker line - being dismissed second - then having to rush to get her bike and not being with the bikers or the walkers and causing me about 2 minutes of panic before I crossed the street and found her her trying to make her way to the crosswalk.  Red faced, tears in her eyes... they put her in the wrong line!  Poor girl - I told her I would talk to Mrs Price and make sure we knew what line to be in.  It was all going to be okay!  Or was it?

Second day for Taylor, Tuesday, our morning, again, was great!  This is important because I have a Tuesday and Thursday sub job that I have to get to these first 7 or so weeks.  Another amazing day of First Grade - finding out we get 2 library books this year, and we have specials at the end of the day!  These are very amazing things that only big first graders get!  Well, second day snafu... a little bigger than first day snafu... as it decides to rain at exactly 2:40 - causing the first rainy day dismissal of the year.  Which is complete chaos even if things go right!  Well, we'd decided to do bus on rainy days this year as there is no longer a place where you can drive to, park and walk up and retreive your child.  Taylor and I briefly discussed the details of riding the bus - most importantly, DO NOT get off unless you see mommy at the stop.  I confirmed with her teacher at Meet and Greet that rainy day was bus and I had selected her bus in an on-line form I filled out and submitted... BUT the teacher and I had never spoken or confirmed which bus she was to take - big mistake!  The bus she is supposed to be on gets to me (and I am extremely nervous this whole time as it is her first bus ride) and NO TAYLOR!  Well, now I'm freaking out BIG TIME.  The bus driver is checking the school, the bus driver is checking other buses.  I am on my cell calling the school because she wasn't getting answers fast enough.  I get her teacher and she knows exactly where Taylor is and its not the right bus --- BUT she knows where she is!  Whew!  So I head to school as they assured me ALL buses bring ALL students back to the school after their route.  I told Taylor to stay on the bus so now I hope to God she is doing just that.  I wait and wait for that bus -- finally we check on it... the bus driver has decided to take Taylor to the house... except no one is home as I'm waiting for the bus at school.  I speed back home - there it is -- big, yellow and beautiful in front of my house with my baby on it.  Whew!  I briefly go off on the bus driver as he was supposed to be coming back to school... then I have to knock on his door and apologize as I was sorry I was rude but I was stressed and I thanked him for making sure she got home safely.  All Taylor has to say at this point is, "Why weren't you here to meet my bus???"... Oh, sweetie, if you only knew what your mommy had been doing for the last 40 minutes!!!  Well, I thought this may scar her for life, but I think she is already excited for the next rainy day!  And you know what???  This time Taylor KNOWS her own bus number!!!  We are drilling it into her head!  Taylor knew exactly where she was that whole time too - she saw her neighborhood get passed, went on the whole route dropping everyone off - she told me what neighborhoods she went through and everything.  Smart kid... I shouldn't have even been worried about her!

Aubrey's first day was free from any snafu's so that was nice!  Her mommy dropped her off and her mommy picked her up.  She did talk an awful lot about some boy named Luke last night with her dad.  "Luke is hilarious..."  "When I was chasing Luke...."  Rah Roh!  Daddy told Aubrey that Luke better pack his bags and move to China - Aubrey just laughed.  Silly daddy!

Taylor's First Day of First Grade

Aubrey's first day of 4 Year Old Class

Taylor's second day of First Grade