The 1st Day of School.....

Jason and I had high hopes of a terrific weekend spent sunning ourselves at either Frank Olsen pool or maybe even Lake Pajoha. Unfortunately our plans were thwarted by the big gloomy clouds that stalked us all day Saturday. Always the quick thinker, Mr. Kolb was able to come up with a fun way for us to spend the afternoon...mini-golfing. The girls were thrilled as Grace has golfed at Thunder Road exactly once, Ella was a tiny baby for that particular occasion and Lily was just a twinkle in our eyes. We putted our way through 18 holes of fake grass and let's just say, none of us earned a spot on the PGA tour anytime in the near future~except possibly the only one of us who nailed a hole in one, yep, you guessed it, Lily.

Following our round, the girls explored the Thunder Road grounds.....
and decided to hang out on the swing set for a spell.


Sunday brought one last morning to sleep in, a delicious lunch compliments of the Big Swede~the Grillin' Machine, Mass and a so-so supper at Texas Roadhouse. In an attempt to a. burn off some of the many calories we consumed and b. tire our children who would be going to bed about 1-2 hours earlier than they had in months, we set off on a bike ride. We followed Jason, as usual, and he led us to the park.....the park about 35 uphill blocks from our house. Obviously this meant we had 35 blocks to ride to get back to our humble abode and thankfully the return ride was mostly downhill as we had some little people with tired legs. Now, as I mentioned, one purpose for this ride was to tire Grace and Ella so that a 9PM bedtime would not be met with resistance. As most of our plans do, this one failed miserably. Neither Grace nor Ella, had surfaced by 930PM and I thought we were in the clear. Boy was I wrong. First came Ella around 950PM, somewhat upset but not out of control. Mostly just worried that because she couldn't fall asleep, she would be very tired for school. About 10 minutes later, Grace came out, sobbing and very sad, claiming, "I'm not ready for school to start tomorrow". Jason and I worked our consoling and empathetic magic and both daughters were settled back into their beds with visions of pencils, homework and recess dancing in their heads.

Before I knew it, the alarm was buzzing in my ear, announcing the day that I have been dreading all summer. I put a big, fat smile on my face though and readied myself, physically and mentally. Much to my delight, Grace and Ella jumped out of bed with no problems and were dressed, brushed and full of breakfast in no time at all. I could tell Grace was bummed out but
in her typical Stoneface fashion, she wasn't about to spill her guts. Shockingly, Ella was just as chipper as she could be. Maybe not so surprisingly though. Yesterday on the way to church she said, "Man, this summer went quick. Well, I guess we just have to go on". I think she was upset, worried, anxious, sad, etc. about the beginning of school but talked herself through it, realized that is just the way it is and decided to make the best of it. I wish she could pass me some of her willpower. It's pretty amazing~someone so emotional is also so very rational. We took a few pictures out on the front stoop and then trucked on down to John Harris. Walking up the school, I realized I was clutching Ella's hand much harder than she was clutching mine and realized I needed to chill out. Grace selected me as her flag ceremony chaperone while Jason and Lily escorted Ella.

Tradition out of the way, it was time for school to begin. I walked Grace to her classroom and left her with a sad face but an reluctant acceptance of her task at hand. I know she was fighting tears and so was I but the show must go on and it was time to wish Ella farewell. 101 was alive with music and after the music ended, Jason, Lily and I waved goodbye to Ella from across the room and were on our way. This year's parting was so much less traumatic than last's when she burst through the crowd and clung to me with every ounce of her being. A flicker of sadness crossed her face but she had much more important things to contend with, such as introducing herself to fellow classmates.

Lily and I had a full morning of Target, Old Navy and the park planned. Swinging was just what the doctor ordered for Lily to cure her loneliness... As a special treat, I swung through the McDonald's drive-thru for a Happy Meal. Well worth the trip when Lily opened the Happy Meal box and exclaimed, "Mmm, this smells so refreshing". She has a very interesting sense of smell.

I was reminded of how quickly the day flies by when the clock struck 230PM, I was not quite finished with my "to-do" list, Lily had not napped and it was already time to pick the kids up. Lily and I waited patiently, on the playground, among the throngs of other anxious parents. Finally Ella came charging out of the building, looking happy and excited. She immediately began telling stories while we searched for Grace who once was located was slightly more subdued but no less happy with her day. After a less than successful attempt at a first day of school photo with our car pool boys....

we went home where I had a scrumptious Dairy Queen cake ready and waiting as a reward for a long hard day at the office.

Overall, the day went great and way better than I could have hoped. I was reminded of many perks that go along with school. It's nice to not feel so guilty while cleaning and thinking I should be playing with the girls. It's nice to not have to pick toys up 38 times a day. It's nice to not listen to fighting and bickering about the most trivial issues ever. It's nice to have some one on one time with Lily. It's nice to see Grace and Ella excited and animated about new friends and new experiences. It's nice to see my daughters growing up while remaining my babies.

There is something about the beginning of school that brings out my inner poet so for your reading pleasure.....

The first day of school

Has come and has gone.

My three little duckies

are all safe at home.

This morning was slick.

Eggs, ham and toast.

But a little more sleep

Was what they wanted the most.

Grace was all dressed

And ready to roll.

She seemed rather sad

Not quite ready to go.

Bright eyed and bushy tailed,

Was Ella Marie.

1st Grade was calling.

She was as happy as could be.

The flag ceremony

Always brings me to tears.

The Pledge of Allegiance

Then time to say goodbye to my dears.

Reluctantly Grace and I

Trudged to her room.

The look on Grace's face

was one filled with gloom.

Ella's class started off

The day with a song

Then shook hands with each other

I knew they'd all get along. To Ella we waved

A goodbye and a kiss.

Her face turned kinda red

And I knew we'd be missed.

Lily and I,

We decided to shop.

And then to the park

For a fun, little stop.

Cleaning and blogging

My afternoon was spent

Lily~supposed to be sleeping

But off to dream land, she never went.

We happily picked

The girls up for the day.

The four of us together,

There's no better way.