School days, school days...

Monday was the first day of school for Avery and Noel. I was completely in denial about the school year starting and, more importantly, summer being over (sniff, sniff), but Avery and Noel were ready to go!

Avery is in a 4-year-old class, and she goes to school on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays of each week. Because she only went to school two days a week last year, she views the addition of an extra school-week day this year as a monumental step toward becoming a "big girl." She has Ms. Marilyn and Ms. Lori, again, which she is VERY happy about...because she "loves and missed them." Two of her buddies (Ally and Noelle) from last year's class are in her class this year, but the rest of the kids are new friends. Avery was very excited about the start of the school year and very brave and confident upon entering her classroom which was filled with many unfamiliar faces. As is par for our little girl, she adjusted to her new situation wonderfully...

Noel's first day of school was very hard on me. My BABY is going to SCHOOL! NO!!! I'm not ready for him to go!!!

Noel is in a Mom's Morning Out class...just on Mondays. Jeff and I went back and forth all summer long about whether or not we would send him to school this year or hold off until next fall. I really didn't want him (my baby!) to go, but he's ready. Every day we took Avery to school last year, Noel begged to stay and play. I had to carry him out of her classroom whining and kicking each morning.

He was very excited about starting school...AND about his new (self-selected!) dragon and knight backpack! I was a little concerned about how he'd do, mostly because of the fact that a week or two before the first day, I realized that Noel thought that "going to school with Avery" meant he would be in Avery's class...(duh, Momma). After correcting this misunderstanding, Noel declared that he was "not going!" But, when the time came, he was fine. So fine, in fact that he couldn't stop playing with all the new toys long enough to say good-bye to his mother (or his father...but, more importantly, HIS MOTHER!)...

Jeff arranged to go into work a little late so that he and I could both take Avery and Noel to school on their first day. We arrived early enough to take a few photos in front of the school sign (as seen above and below)...

...have a short, sibling-to-sibling pep talk...

...and then they were off! They were so anxious to get inside and "START PLAYING ALREADY!" that they took off running to the school's entrance. When they were greeted at the door by a few of the school's teachers, Avery, the old hand, politely introduced our little newbie..."This is my brother, Noel, and this is his very first day of school." What a good big sister...

When I went into Noel's classroom to pick him up, his teachers both looked a bit frazzled. One of the teachers said, "we had a bit of crying today." My stomach sunk as I asked, "Noel?" "Oh no...," the teacher said, "not Noel. He was great! He had a terrific first day!" They told me that Avery and Noel got to see each other when their classes were both playing in the "blue room," and that they played a few rounds of ("faster, Noel, faster!") "Ring Around the Rosie" together. I'm guessing he didn't get much one-on-one attention from his teachers, seeing as they were busy attempting to appease his classmates--many of whom were not-so-excited to be giving their mothers a morning out--but I'm sure he didn't even notice considering he was, as he told me when I asked for a good-bye hug earlier, "too busy...playing!"

Avery said she had a GREAT first day and made lots of new friends (though she couldn't remember any of their names). She came skipping out of school--art project in hand and red, juice mustache on her face--and flashed me a big, happy-girl smile. She chattered NON-STOP during our walk to the car and our drive to the "pretzel place" to get a celebratory treat. From what I could decipher from all of the fast talking, grand hand gestures and excited giggling, the school year's off to a good start...