We made it! First Day of School 2011

We made it through the first week of school!
I've so much to catch up on here - but that will have to come soon... But I definitely wanted to get the photos of the girls up from their first day of school and their arrival home.

They both were a bundle of nerves the day before... it helped that we had a trek up to the airport to say goodbye to my parents (sniffle sniffle - I should say it was hard...but the distraction helped) and that we had a HOORAH to summer last fun activities planned for the day! Sweetpea came with me and we went to learn how to do a super neat "Twister" quilt (very cool way of doing 'pinwheels' in a table runner). And BooBooBear went with Daddy and got to go to the driving range!

Sweetpea did most of the sewing while Momma cut & helped

What a drive! 40yds...better than her momma!

I would have liked to do a "back to school dinner" and have a neat little evening discussing our "theme of the school year" an idea I loved from NieNie Dialogues blog and have been doing for a few years now. We did a really fun and good for you taco meal and discussed our theme, worries, excitement, questions, and what we did for our activity that day. It was a wonderful family evening.

We were all ready Monday! Sweetpea was excited and nervous for her first day in the "big" middle school. She came with Mr. Safety Man and me to drop off Boo. Boo was a little clingy and nervous but settled right in... after several "to do's before you leave Mommy"'s.  ("Mommy can you help me write my morning note, Mommy can you sharpen this pencil, Mommy can you help me empty my backpack) -it was hard to leave (I'd like to say on both of us... but I think more so on me) - but she's got the same teachers (2 years in this school) again this year - so she was ready and calm.

 It was good that we had to rush out and get Sweetpea over to her middle school. I think that helped me not feel sad to say goodbye to Boo. But I was nervous too. I still cannot believe my big, baby girl is in middle school. The three of us met our friends and followed them by car to the school - I think this helped Sweetpea a lot. She was really hoping to walk in with her bff and was able to! It was SO cute to see them walk in together.

Here they go

A little hand hold for comfort...

And there they go... 

I did Ok...a few little tears for me but Mr Safety Man was there and we were talking about all the details of the morning. I think the big kicker was the next day when she got out of the car and I was on my own after she got out with just a "Bye Mommy...(me:"have a good day") I WILL! (me: "I love you SWEETPEA") I love you too Mommy! BYE" and she was skipping off down the driveway. sigh. tear...tear... tear.

 

It was so neat to see them get off the bus after their first day's of school. I was really wondering how it all went... but their smiles and big hugs told me everything that I needed to know... 

Words to live by...

Just sayin'...

School Prep...

Ugh... I did it. I bit the bullet and did the school shopping and uniform shopping. I am so not happy with doing it. I wanted to stay in my SUMMER mode. DENIAL  that summer was coming to a close. But I did it. I spent a gazillion dollars on Sweetpea's new (gulp) middle school uniform. And than I spent another beaucoup bucks on supplies and a few more uniform pieces for BooBooBear... OH BOY... it hurt. A lot.  Not just because we spent so much money (although - that wasn't fun)... but I realized summer was almost over and I wouldn't have my girls all to myself anymore. It's becoming acutely obvious that I cannot avoid the fact that my first baby girl is growing up faster than I wanted her to...

I thought about sharing something she wanted to buy at the store - that just clinched it for me that she was getting so big - too fast. (But I think that one I'll just keep in the memory banks suffice it to say that she'd kill me if I wrote it out... hahaha).

I really wanted to do some more "learning" this summer with them, to keep them fresh. I know I am talking like the summer is completely over... and it's not.  I still want to have a lot more fun with my baby girls... and maybe do some reading and a little math... possibly some French in there as well! But if it doesn't get done... well I am deciding that I am still ok with it. Kiddos should be kiddos during the summer and I don't want them to lose that. We will still continue our reading and a little math etc here and there BUT...the last few weeks of summer  we're going to have fun just hanging out, playing, and doing fun things together.  We have our family vacation coming soon... that is ALWAYS the best time together as a family.

Hello August... I won't be sad of your arrival and what it means. 

I will embrace you and celebrate that it means to have the best 3 weeks before school.

I want to be with my girls for the rest of the summer and enjoy them.