First Day of School

Yesterday was E's first day of first grade, Mr N did not want to drop her off, so I took her by myself. Daddy said his goodbyes at the front door and away we went. On the very short drive to the school she asked me to stay a while until she wasn't scared. As soon as she walked into class she saw a classmate from Kindergarten, which immediately put her at ease. She settled into her desk with her first project for the day, after putting her backpack & hoodie away.

Upon returning home I began to get ready for field service, Mr N assured me he did not want to go with me. So I set out on my own, leaving him to play alone for the morning. When I got home he played outside for a while, digging happily in the mud by the pear tree. He is quite content to play alone, but seeing him without his sissy made me feel for him. They typically play together at any activity they choose. We went to a quick playdate with friends before picking E up from school. I planned to drop Mr N off at home while I picked up E from school, but he insisted on accompanying me. We convinced Daddy to take a 10 minute break from work to join us in retrieving E from her first day at school.

Once we were out of the building Mr N begged to play on the playground, so Daddy took the car and went home to work while I stayed with the kids so they could play for a while. E played with a new classmate of hers, while I visited with the little girl's mother. Storm clouds moving in motivated us to start walking home for snack time. Of course, E was starving as she was last year when returning home from school each day.

The kids played together the rest of the evening, interrupted only by dinner and baths before bed. E's only disappointment in first grade so far is that they haven't seen the inside of a cat. We haven't broken it to her yet that dissecting is typically a high school science project.

This morning E was much more confident about going to school. Mr N did some more digging in the mud and unearthed two rocks that are now decorating the coffee table, leaving behind scratches and dirt. He helped attach the carpet to the new front step we built, as the old one was fatally injured by the removal of the piano last week. Mr N also helped me make Daddy lunch, constantly stirring the top one inch of pot of pasta as it was cooking.

Preschool for Mr N starts September 8, I think by then he'll be happy to have his steady routine returned, since sissy isn't home to play with every day. He told me repeatedly to "stop singing" as he does not appreciate my vocal talent, it apparently is as amazing as my ability to dance. He frequently tells me not to dance, whether it be at home, in the car, or in public. I never thought my 4 year old would be embarrassed so easily by his dorky mom, by the time he's a teen hopefully he's over it, I don't foresee me being less embarrassing at any point in the future.