Hoofprints: First Day of School 2016

Well, this wasn't planned. The preschool that Alex and Abby went to ended up shutting down because the teacher moved to another state. Initially, I decided to send Evie to three-year old Pre-K just so she would be able to get some socialization with kids her age. Alex and Abby had each other growing up and we went to Mandy's house on play dates at least twice a week. Evie has just little ol' me all day long when the kids go to school. I'm great and all, but I'm not a three-year old. When I found out that Miss Cindy closed the school, I just settled myself back into having her at home for at least another year until I found a Pre-K class here at their school. One more year with my baby at home all the time. I was okay with that.

Then I got a phone call last Friday. Abby's teacher wanted to see if I would be willing to enroll Evie as a role model for the three-year old Pre-K class where Abby and Alex go to school. They really needed another girl in the class. I was thrown for a loop. But I said we'd go and meet the teacher, take a look at the classroom, and see what Evie thought. Guess what? She was all too happy to go. I enrolled her two days before school started. *sniff* I wasn't ready for that!

So Wednesday was the first day for Abby and Alex and Evie's first day was today. I woke up this morning and did something that I wasn't ready for: I packed three backpacks. Three! Nope. Not ready at all. Abby is in 3rd grade and has the same teacher as last year because she moved up a grade and wanted to have Abby in her class again. Abby was super excited about this as she did the same thing for Kindergarten and 1st grade with Mrs. Dunagan. Alex is in 4th grade and already thinks his teacher is pretty cool. That always makes me happy to hear. Evie already loves her teacher and is more than excited to go back next Monday. She will go to school three hours a day, Monday through Thursday. It feels like a long time to me, but it's only 12 hours a week. (I have to keep telling myself that this is okay. For me...not her.)

As for me? I am supposed to call this my "break" that is "well deserved". It doesn't feel that way. At least not yet. I feel lazy and like I've given up my official "Stay at home mom" title. Supposedly, I'll get my book written faster. But today I cleaned like the Pope was visiting. I thought there would be some form of nerves from Evie, but she didn't even blink. I chalk it up to her spending the last three years going to the school all the time with me as a room mom and all the reasons in between. She knows several of the teachers and I think it just makes her comfortable. I guess I'm in for some adjusting. I hope this transition goes smoother than it is in my head. Mama's struggling.