First Day of School

Today was the day I'd been waiting for with a mix of excitement and dread...Charlotte and Jensen's first day of preschool! We began our morning with a healthy breakfast:

"Do you have any idea why she keeps taking our picture?"

After we were all dressed and ready to go I had to take some pictures of my little stinkers. Fortunately for me, Uncle Dot had dropped by on his way to the gym, so he was able to get a really good one!

All three of us looking at the camera...a rare feat!

Then, we were off to school! Drop-off went easier than I expected. I had been insisting that I was going to take them by myself, but at the last minute I wussed out and had Brian meet me there to help walk them in. Jensen, of course, walked right in like he owned the place and began playing with the toys. Charlotte clung to me until her teacher showed her some balls (her fave!) and we got out her bunny from her backpack. We took it slow but we eventually handed Charlie over to her teacher, and Brian pushed me out the door (like, literally...there was some shoving involved). Which was probably good because I had no time to cry, nor was I there to hear the crying that I'm pretty sure Charlie started as soon as we left.

I expected the hours of 9:00-2:00 to drag by at a snail's pace, but the time actually seemed to fly. I kept myself very busy with trips to Target, Kohl's and Marshall's (amazing how easy it is to get in and out of those places without a double stroller!). I sorted through all Jensen's clothes and weeded out what no longer fits. I ate lunch, picked up the house a bit, paid some bills, got Wordless Wednesday posted, and even worked on a few Pinterest-inspired crafts for Charlotte's room. Of course, my cell phone stayed glued to my side throughout the day (yep, even took it to the bathroom with me). I was so sure the kids' teacher was going to call and tell me she couldn't get Charlotte calmed down. Every time the cell phone rang, my heart skipped a beat until the caller ID popped up...and whoever was on the other line got a stern lecture about how they were not to call my cell phone again until 2:30!

I had planned to be good and not leave the house until 2:15...I only made it 'til 2:05 before I couldn't resist the urge to hop in the car and pick up my kiddos. Unfortunately, I got stuck behind the longest, slowest train EVER (I didn't look at the time when I first got stuck at the tracks, but it was over ten minutes from the time I texted Brian that I was stuck waiting for a train until traffic started moving again). I was in a panic that I was going to be late picking Charlotte and Jensen up from school on their very first day. I ended up getting to their classroom at exactly 2:30 and poor Charlie and Jensen were the last ones to be picked up. However, the good news was that Charlie was playing happily and Jensen was sitting in the teacher's lap reading! 

I got a full report from the kiddos' teacher, and they both did GREAT! Charlotte had a few crying episodes and only napped for 20 minutes on her nap mat...but despite those things, she did so much better than I had expected. I am so proud of my little Bug for being such a brave girl! Her teacher reported that she loved music time and that she is good at coloring. Jensen did great, as expected, and his teacher was very impressed with how easygoing he is (or in her words, a "piece of cake!"). He loved playing with a toy car on the playground and slept the entire time on his nap mat (which is totally shocking to me!).

Here are their reports from their teacher:

I was so happy to get my babies home and play with them. I was sure they would be cranky and tired (especially Charlotte, after only sleeping for 20 minutes). But they surprised me by remaining in great moods throughout the evening!

Ok, so maybe Mr. Dude was a bit tired...

...or a LOT tired.

However, his sis was raring to go!

Happy Bug! She had lots to "talk" about tonight...I can't wait until I can understand her!

So we have one day of preschool under our belts. I am so proud of my stinkers for being such brave little kiddos. It was so strange to be at our house without them...there was definitely a feeling that something was missing. And it was easier to shop without them, but it was also completely uneventful. I missed Charlotte and Jensen and worried about them pretty much nonstop, but I am so happy with how today went and I can't wait to see what the rest of the year has in store for us!