1st Day of Kindergarten

No tears were shed by Thing 1 or The Mr.  I, however, did have tears in my eyes.  It's not for the reasons you may think.  Thing 2 was very upset to see Thing 1 leave the car to go into school.  He cried as soon as Thing 1 got out of the car and began calling his name.  The tears in my eyes were due to watching my youngest as he was upset to see his big brother and best friend go off for his first day of Kindergarten.

Thing 1 had a great first day and is excited to go back tomorrow.

Yet Another First

Tomorrow marks another first in the life of Thing 1.  He will start his first day of Kindergarten.  I have been stressed and worried about this day for weeks.  However, after the parent-teacher conference on Tuesday this past week, I have calmed down a lot.  Before my concerns were about my little 5 year old being in a school with big 5th graders, getting on a bus with a bunch of kids he doesn't know and a bus driver he doesn't know, and just all of the things I know can go on in a school.  On Tuesday evening, we decided that Thing 1 would not ride the bus.  We had multiple reasons for our decision but the biggest one for me was the time that the bus would drop him off in the afternoon.  He would be the last child dropped off and based on our work schedules that time could be a problem.  We drive by the school everyday to get pretty much anywhere we want to go so it is not an inconvenience to take him and pick him up.  Plus, Thing 1 said that he wanted Daddy to drive him to and from school so that just sealed the decision for me. 

Thing 1 is getting more and more excited about this new adventure in his life.  He keeps saying that he wants to sit by other 5 year olds and not next to a 2 year old anymore (poor Thing 2!).  He has been to his school twice in the past two weeks where he saw his classroom, met his teacher, turned in school supplies, and found his locker.  (Yes, my kindergartner has a locker!  Who knew?!)  Friday, we took him to dinner as that was the last time The Mr. would be around for a meal with us due to his work schedule and we took him to the bookstore to buy a new book since that is what he wanted to do.  Yesterday, I took him to buy a new outfit for his first day, take him for lunch and got him ice cream for dessert.  Today, our plan is to play games, read books, and bake cookies before dinner.  This evening we will start into our routine that we will have for the school year - bath, make lunch, and double check that all supplies are in his bookbag.  I have become very calm about him starting school.  He seems really happy and anxious to make friends and be around other kids his age.

Thing 2, on the other hand, is who I have become concerned about.  He has been around his big brother since the day he was born.  Thing 1 is the first one Thing 2 looks for in the morning when waking up and after taking a nap.  He follows his big brother around and idolizes him so much.  I'm just not sure what type of a day The Mr. will have tomorrow after taking Thing 1 to school.  I'm sure Thing 2 will be looking for his big brother throughout the day and may even feel a little lost.  I am just glad I will be at work and not have to see my baby sad while he is without his best friend for the day.

Mini Golf

We took the boys miniature golfing yesterday as The Mr. had the day off and I am winding down on my vacation.  Thing 1 was starting to get the concept down as we played mini golf while we were visiting my family last week.  Thing 2,  however, would hit the ball around for awhile and then just got bored with the whole thing!  Anyway, here are some pictures from our outing.

Look at that technique!

It was quite bright and sunny and by this point we were about halfway through.  They were getting tired!

Of course, we had to get a snowcone before we went home.  Thing 1 was sharing with Thing 2.  Such a great big brother!

Vacation

Last week the boys and I traveled to visit family for about 5 days.  The Mr. had to work so I took the boys on an airplane by myself.  When I booked the trip, I was trying to determine if I was brave or stupid for traveling by plane with a 2 year old and a 5 year old by myself!  I decided to wait until I returned home to make that decision.  Well, lucky for me the boys did very well on the plane rides both to their grandparents and back home.  They even slept the entire plane ride home!  Anyway, here are some pictures of our trip.

First stop - the zoo!

Next - the park.

Of course we had to ride the tractor with Grandpa!

I couldn't leave the post without adding a picture of my parents' papillion - Dew.  Isn't he cute?

We really had a great time.  I also took the boys to play miniature golf with friends and I had an afternoon child-free to spend with a great friend of mine just catching up.  The vacation was relaxing and I don't have to go back to work until Monday!  How wonderful!  Once Monday comes, it will be back to directing two programs, starting back-to-school clothes shopping for my kindergartner, and the first day of school!  I will enjoy these last few days of relaxation, that's for sure!