A New Season

We are two weeks into the school year and everybody is adjusting well.  I was feeling anxious about all the changes but overall I'm excited for this new season for our family! 

I blinked and this girl is now off to elementary school. Practically every day of summer she would say to me, "can you even believe I'm going to be in kindergarten already??" She is extremely sentimental like her mama. She even cried when Hadley turned 9 months old since "Mommy, what are we going to do when she's not a baby anymore??" True story, I kid you not. She has such a tender heart and I'm happy to have someone in the family who can relate to my perpetual disbelief of time passing. :) Anyway, even though she told me countless times "I'm homesick already" and "I just want to spend every single second of every single day home with you," she was so excited about the first day of school approaching. Being apart from her brother last year was tough on her and she loved hearing about all of his kindergarten adventures. She had the best time picking out her backpack and lunch box and outfit for the first day. She loves the details like her mama, too. 

my beautiful big girl

Harrison was less than excited about school starting back up. Ha! He complains all the time that school is boring. But even though he rarely admits it, he actually has a lot of fun while he's there. :)

such a handsome little man

together again!

We dropped off Harrison first. He is already starting to get to that age of being embarrassed by his parents and he was quick to tell us bye and send us on our way. Ha! He is in Mrs. Singleton's class this year and was super stoked to find out his best friend, Liam, is in the same class with him again this year.

Next, we went to drop off Harper. She had a smile a mile wide on her face the entire time she navigated us through the hallways.

I requested for her to have Mrs. Reed and am thankful they honored it. I was a little worried about how she would adjust to kindergarten since she is extremely shy and timid around new people or big groups. She got to know Mrs. Reed and her classroom last year from when Harrison was in her class and we'd go up there to visit for parties or to volunteer. Having that familiarity has helped her adjust tremendously and each day she comes out of her shell a little bit more. As soon as she gets in the car she gives me a play-by-play of her entire day and is always so proud to tell me if she was brave enough to talk to anybody or raise her hand to answer a question that day :)

I purposely scheduled Hadley's 9-month check up (a month late - oops) right after drop off because I knew I'd need a distraction and something to keep me busy and my mind off of the fact that my bigs have now abandoned me.

one-on-one time with this girl is good for the soul

She learned how to play peek-a-boo and entertained both of us.

where's Hadley?

peek-a-boo!

I thought that sending off Harper would be a breeze since I just did the whole my-baby-is-going-to-kindergarten sadness with Harrison the year before. But The Feelings found me. I don't even think it's just kindergarten feelings. It's more just missing your kids and knowing that their little years are gone forever and questioning if you spent them to their fullest. I was fine at drop off. But there were a few times I had to let some tears go throughout the day. At one point, I was running some errands and drove past their school on my way and started sobbing because they are just on the other side of that wall and life isn't fair!!! But I learned something valuable later that afternoon and I may have to start a new tradition if I'm stupid brave enough. When you are missing your kids and feeling like you just didn't get enough of them over the summer, a great way to get over that sadness is to run to the grocery store right after you pick them up from school on the first day. When they are overstimulated and completely exhausted. Yep, that will get you over The Feelings reeeeeeeal quick. HA!

3 kids + epic meltdowns + Kroger = ironic shirt choice

The following week Hadley started MDO.

I was feeling okay about dropping her off until she freaked and didn't want me to leave. She is such a happy baby 98% of the time but she is a total mama's girl. Then I made the mistake of lingering around spying on her through the window. She was so sad and upset and it was heartbreaking. I was thisclose to being the mom who can't go through with it. But she finally started to calm down when they gave her her pacifier and I forced myself to leave before I saw her start crying again.

I got to the office and found flowers on my desk. The Hubster did good. I'm not sure if they were to cheer me up since he knew I'd be a mess after dropping off my baby or if they were to celebrate my first official day back at work in 7 years. Either way, they made me smile!



My day turned around really fast. That's one of the perks of working with your spouse. We went to meet a realtor to look at some commercial property and then we stopped for some lunch at a really popular bbq place that I've always wanted to try. It was delicious and lived up to the hype. And it may not count as an official date, but it was the first childless meal that Rick and I have had alone since before Hadley was born. We finished complete sentences! We held eye contact! We only had to share food with each other! It was lovely :)

But even as great as my first day back to work was, boy was I itching to get back to my baby! She had her back to me when I walked in to the classroom. As soon as she heard my voice she spun around and crawled to me at warp speed. It was so sweet.

all is right in my world again

I had lots of stored up kisses to unleash on her

happy hearts

She will be going 3 days a week from 9-2 and based on how the first week was, I think it's going to be the perfect balance. Drop off went so much better after day 1. We still have 2 full days of one-on-one time and then of course the evenings and weekend with everyone. I'm enjoying working again part-time and am grateful that I'm able to have the best of both worlds!

On Friday, Hadley and I surprised the bigs in the cafeteria. I love sitting back and watching them with their peers before they realize I'm there. It's like a little peek into their new world. And then watching their eyes light up once they spot you...it's so special. I don't know how long they'll continue to be excited to have me as a lunch guest but I'll soak it up as long as I can.

Not only did Mom surprise them...she brought cupcakes! She is a rock star if you ask me. ;)

Mom, take a picture of my cupcake with my cupcake shirt!

Mom, take a picture of me eating my cauliflower!

They have a 10-minute overlap in the cafeteria where we all get to see each other at the same time. 

Harrison inhaled his lunch and cupcake and then wanted to play a game on my phone. Instead of talking to his mommy. Ahem. I settled for playing with the camera instead. 

Baby sister did NOT want to leave her bubba. These two have a special bond for sure. I'm a little scared, lol. 

And despite the sick germs that come with back-to-school (hello, strep), it feels good to be back into a routine again and starting new adventures.