First Day of School

I heard the most wonderful sound early this morning. No, it wasn't the sound of birds chirping or children laughing--it was the sound of a school bus welcoming the first day of school!

I was almost singing as I woke my girls and began the process of getting them all ready for the day. Don't get me wrong, I do love summer and the time I have to spend with my girls. We've had a good time, but they were ready to start and I was ready to send them.

Lauren is in the 8th grade and wasn't too happy about getting up today. She will definitely miss sleeping in! We managed to keep her busy with camps this summer, but she's missed her friends and was ready for school. She's anxious for soccer tryouts too!
Mackenzie got the 5th grade teacher that every 5th grader hopes for and was so excited today. She had her backpack ready and her clothes laid out yesterday afternoon and was up bright and early this morning! I took her in to her classroom and was excited to see a couple of kids in her class that I recognized. She is very social and makes friends easily, but she has been curious about who would be in her class. She made a new friend as soon as she walked into the school. One of the teachers knew that she would be thrilled to help a fellow 5th grader find her classroom and they chatted all the way down the hallway. She seemed happy when I left her classroom and I'm sure I will hear all about it when she gets home!

Ashtyn will start kindergarten this year, but only had testing for about a half hour today. She was sooo nervous! The teacher who talked to her was so great and Ash is now very excited to go to school too. She will go for "kindergarten camp" on Wednesday and for 2 more half-days next week before she starts full-time. Here in Tennessee, our kindergarteners go all day--from 8:30-3:30! It makes for a really long day, but I think she will just love it!

And Sierra will start pre-school on Thursday. She will go 2 days a week from 9-2. The other 3 days she will be very bored, alone at home with me. She loves Ashtyn and they have a great time together. I think the adjustment to kindergarten will be harder for her than it will be for Ashtyn.

And I am looking forward to cleaning closets and "de-junking" my house in my "free time"! Maybe I'll even get my floors mopped and bathrooms cleaned or finish my laundry the same day it's started! It's been a very long time since I've had any "alone" time. I'll miss my girls, but I'm pretty sure I can get used to that!!!