School News

*This first week of big school has been a BIG adjustment. Like the WHOLE family is adjusting. Lots of trial and error, lots of new routines, lots of adjusting happening. It's been a really long week but we're surviving. Yay.

*While the boys aren't fans of getting up before the sun, AT ALL, so far they haven't given us too much trouble waking up so early. Once we figure out this new gig, I'm hoping to let them all sleep just a little later.

*Garrison was all smiles and greeted me with a huge hug on Monday when I picked him up. Yay for a happy, successful first day! I was thrilled to see him and soooo happy he was happy! My sister actually picked him up from his room and he hung out with her until I got to school so I could avoid the crazy long car rider line. He told me everything he could remember about his day and decided he liked Kindergarten BUT that it was too long. Bless it. 8:00 to 3:00 is a looonnng day for a 5 year old.

*Austin and I spent Monday and Tuesday at home doing "school" together, playing, and taking care of laundry and a few chores. It went well and we had a good time together. It still broke my heart to see him playing by himself though. And I still struggled with some major guilt over him not being able to attend preschool this year. Big sigh. But we went on our first little outing Wednesday morning and getting out for a couple hours did us good.

*Garrison was way more hesitant to go into his classroom on Tuesday morning. He told me that it was too long (the day) and that the clock was too slow. Poor baby. Talk about making me feel terrible for forcing him to go to Kindergarten! Also on Tuesday I had my whole crew with me, aka: the little brothers. So that made goodbyes longer and tougher. When Garrison gave Austin and Layton bye hugs and kisses it was as if he was saying goodbye for a week. Break my heart.

*After school on Tuesday wasn't pleasant. Garrison had a great day at school but was NOT impressed with waiting on me with the car riders. Then after we got home he was just all out of sorts and pretty much not fun to be around. He was really moody, emotional, tired, short-tempered, emotional. It wasn't pretty. Hopefully he was just worn out and we won't have that to look forward to every afternoon once he's adjusted to the clock moving slow. 

*Wednesday morning wasn't fun... for mama. We were later getting to school than I wanted to be, then I had to unload my whole backseat full of boys, then I had to see some of my friends leaving the school all put together and not in a rush while I was trying to make my way out of the parking lot and into the school, then we realized we didn't have Garrison's car rider tag (oh the shame! It's only the 3rd day of school!!!), then we got back to the car after dropping Garrison off and Austin almost started crying because he said he was going to miss Garrison and I almost started crying because Austin missed Garrison and I lost Garrison's car rider tag ON THE 3RD DAY OF SCHOOL! It was a doozy.

*Thankfully Wednesday afternoon Garrison got in the car wearing the missing car rider tag. Apparently it was left at school on Tuesday afternoon even though I was positive he wore it home. I'm telling you, I have got to get it together. Being a Kindergarten mom is kicking my behind so far. SO thankful homework and soccer haven't started yet!

*This morning went so-so. We got out of the house on time because I waited to feed Layton his baby food til after dropping Garrison off. And Terrell followed us to the school so he could wait in the car with Austin and Layton (not having to unload little brothers saved lots of time), and he wanted to see if he could possibly take Garrison to school some mornings and still make it to work on time. Well. Since we got there early, students weren't allowed in their classrooms yet. They were sitting in the hall outside their rooms. Garrison did not care for that and made it clear that he does not want to do that everyday. So I'm going to avoid that if I can since I don't have anywhere to be fast.

*Garrison still doesn't know the way to his classroom, so I'm going to be walking him in every morning for a while. (Come to find out our school has several mamas who walk their kids in every morning all year.) The only thing I'm worried about is that starting next week you have to be in the school by 7:45 to walk your child to their room. Cue: Get ready to rush out of here even faster every morning.

*The afternoon car rider line has been interesting. Garrison's seat is in the middle so that's made things a little tricky and I still haven't figured out what's best. One day, eventually, we'll get a bigger car and move Garrison out of that middle seat. I've decided the day will come before he's 16. For sure by then. Gracious.

*After school at my house is just CRAZY. Boys are excited. Boys are wild. Boys are moody. Boys are exhausted. Boys are bouncing off the walls. Boys are starving. Boys are mean. Boys are happy. Boys are best friends. Boys are enemies. I am trying my best to come up with some kind of plan/routine that works for everybody... the well-rested almost 3 year old who is ready for a snack and to play hard, the worn out, free from school big kid who is starving and can't decide if he wants to rest or go wild, and the baby boy who just wants his afternoon feeding and to NOT be put in his swing the second we walk in the door from picking up his biggest brother. There has got to be a way for me to not lose my mind every afternoon waiting on Terrell to get home.

Like I said, adjustments are numerous. Even more numerous than I expected. But we are surviving. So that's good. Maybe we'll figure things out and get in a groove soon. One day I'm going to look back at all this school news and smile at how crazy this adjustment was for all of us. I just know it.