School, school, school!!!

One would think I'd have more time to blog now that school has begun. I'm not sure why it doesn't work that way. Maybe because Week One, when only Liam was in school, I had to deal with two other very cranky kids trying to adjust to the new sleep schedule (yes, I had grand ideas of phasing it in slowly, but you know how that works). Then Week Two, when the other two started preschool and I had a total of 5 hours (count them - 5!! - or maybe closer to 4 after drive time...) a week of time without children I spent most of that time sitting, staring a wall and letting the world pass me by. I got seriously nothing done in my "free" time. But I know that is the way it works that first week. I think the first day Owen was at school I spent about an hour and a half of my two hours fretting, feeling lonely and emotional, wondering what he was doing, and having to stop myself from circling the building and looking for him darting out the door. He's so fast...I do worry that he'll slip from the classroom when a back is turned and be out the door before anyone realizes. That could happen at home too, I suppose, but that's why we have an alarm that makes a beep-beep everytime a door is opened. It's to keep little people in more than to keep bad people out.

So the good news is that every child loves school so far. Liam is very happy with his teacher. Perhaps a little worried that if they don't get their school work done on time this year then they must go to Study Hall instead of Recess to finish it. Thinking back to last year's "pile of unfinished work" that we saw when we visited during the Open House... Hopefully the thought of Study Hall will give him a boost of speed.

Natalie has an old friend in her class, and has made a new friend already. She also surprised me at dinner this week when she colored blue over the word "blue," red over the word "red," and pink over the word "pink" on a menu. When I asked her how she knew what the words said she told me "I whispered it to myself." So she is starting to sound words out already. How is that for a week of preschool? I knew she would start fast once she was doing that at school. At home, she has resisted sounding things out with me because it seems like I'm trying to get her to do work of all things.

And Owen. Oh, I was worried about him. But he did wonderfully. He really seemed to understand the whole process. The picking up, and the dropping off, and the playground and the snack. He did spend a year watching me drop off and pick up Natalie, and we have talked a lot about what would happen at preschool. He was SOOOO excited about going, and carrying his backpack, and playing with the cars in his class. So far, so good. He has been talking so much lately, and after school he spent quite a while trying to tell me about everything he did. Imagine that - a boy who might tell me what he does at school! Be still my heart. I have to admit, there was probably a small part of my heart that ached, wanting him to miss me a little bit more. But he was very excited to see me and hugged me so tightly when I picked him up, that I think I couldn't ask for anything more. I know he loves being a big kid just like his siblings. And I'm sure that I will start to use my 5...or 4.5...hours more wisely after the initial shock has worn off. School, school, yay for school!