The Big Day...

I have been dreading today since May 25th (my last work day). While I was anticipating all of the fun I would have with my boys over the summer, I was also very aware that come August, Kiki would be once again into retirement, and Alex was off to school! In case you need a reminder of Will's transition to school, you can go here, here, here, here, and here. In a nutshell, it wasn't pretty. I couldn't imagine my baby having to go through what Will did. Nor did I think I could go through that again. Today was the big day....the verdict....we survived!
I can't believe Will is starting his third year at "school." Look at how much he has changed in two years...                                                            August 2010

 August 2012

My sister in law has taken backpack pictures of the kids on their first day of school for as long as I can remember and I thought it was a fun tradition to do with my boys. So I snapped a few pics of my boys this mornings getting ready for their first day in their new classes!

Sweet boys ready to go!

 Alex has no clue what is going on...he was just excited about his back pack :)

 Are we actually going somewhere?? Or just parading around the driveway with our backpacks on..??!!

 Will was so precious and encouraging this morning....I think he helped me more than Alex...ha!

 I'm not so sure about this Mom...

 "It will be okay Alex. School is fun and if you are sad and cry I will come hug you and give you a kiss." -Will to Alex in the backseat on the way to school this morning...melt my heart!

 This backpack is bigger than me!!

When I dropped Alex off, he didn't cry! He did reach for me once after his teacher had taken him and looked a little teary, so I gave him one more big hug and off he went to the rug to play. I called to check in on him about 10 and they said he had just finished snack and was playing with his new friends. I picked both boys up about 2:45. I was SO happy to grab Alex and squeeze him....and to find him tear free. When I peeked in the window before opening the door, he was sitting at the table waiting for his snack. His paci was in his mouth going 90 to nothing and he had a tight grip on his lovey. His teacher said, "he sure does love his lovey. We couldn't get it away from him today!" :) Yes...he does. He probably clung to it because it was the only familiar part of his day!! He didn't nap...I expected that. I imagine it will take a few weeks for him to get used to the whole nap mat on a cot deal...he is used to being comfy cozy in his crib. Overall, I would say today was a million times better than Will's first day. I don't know if maybe because it was just I had prepared myself for the worst or if I just knew what to expect...Tomorrow will probably be rough. Alex will know when we enter his classroom that I am leaving. I am preparing myself for tears. I hope I am pleasantly surprised!! Here's to hoping each day is better than the last!