Back to School: 2014

I will be 100% honest. I hate back to school time. I love having my sweet kids home with me and I always go through back to school blues for a few days. 

This year was hard for me, Rascal has a hard time at the beginning of each year. He gets anxiety until he gets used to things and knows that his new teacher will handle his allergy right. He also has separation anxiety from me. He always has and I assumed he would have outgrown it by now but he hasn't. Bless his sweet heart, he just wants to be with his momma because he loves me so much (that is exactly what he told me). Breaks my heart! 

Anyways he adjusts within a week or two time frame and then has a great year. 

This year Scooter went to middle school for 6th grade. 

Let me just tell you that leaving your child at middle school for the first time is harder than leaving them in kindergarten. 

Scooter had lots of different feelings about going to middle school but I think he was mostly excited. 

He had his outfit picked out days before and got ready in record timing that morning. 

Since the boys are at two different schools (which both start and end at the same time) that means we have to leave the house earlier to get everyone where they need to be on time. 

They all must be up by 6:00 and we must be out the door by 7:00 

It's an adjustment for all of us but I know it will be the new normal in no time. 

Here is a comparison picture of the kids on their first day of school. The picture above was taken this year and the one below was taken last year on the first day of school. 

Rascal didn't have much to say about starting school. We had a very rough drop off thanks to anxiety hitting him hard. Thankfully he came home that afternoon saying he had a great day. 

I will be very honest, I knew I would cry when I dropped Scooter off. It was just hard to let him go into a huge school and not walk him into his class. He was fine with it but this momma had a very hard time. Thank goodness for big sunglasses and a 15 minute ride to Rascal's school. I managed to pull myself together and not let the other two kids know I was having a hard time. 

Then I walked Rascal in to his class and he tried to be so very brave but he just couldn't hold it together. He clung to me sobbing and my already tender heart was shattered. I hated to see him so upset and I really hated to have to leave him there like that. We talked in the hall for a little bit and then I made him go into class and just put his head down. 

I couldn't get out of the school fast enough, I barely made it to the van before I just had a melt down. 

I tried to calm down and gain control but I cried for a better part of the day.  

To get my mind off the hard drop offs that morning, I decided to make the boys their favorite treat and decorate for a special back to school family dinner. 

Not only would it help keep my mind off the time away from my boys but I was also hoping it would get the kids excited about school. 

I dug through my craft tub and thank goodness I am a hoarder of all things crafty, because I had plenty to set up a fun table. 

I made the kids oreo truffles and added sprinkles in their school colors. 

I picked the boys up from school and was so happy to hear that they had great days. Scooter LOVES middle school. He talked my ear off about everything they did. Rascal had little to say about school but said his day was good so I will count that as a win. 

When I got the kids home from school the first thing that caught their eye were the truffles. They each had some as an after school treat and then they turned to see all the fun table decorations. 

We had homemade chicken tenders and veggies for dinner and we all talked about what happened that day and how we can make this the best school year ever! 

While I was cooking dinner Scooter came up to me and hugged me and told me he loved me. I hugged him back and told him I loved him and was so happy he had a great first day of school. He looked at me so matter of factly and said "of course I had a great day mom because lots of people were praying for me. How could I not have a great day?" 

I love when God sends blessings like that in the middle of your bad day. 

The next day Scooter was ready to go back to school. Rascal wasn't so much, but he seemed to be doing much better than the previous day. We dropped Scooter off at school and were headed to Rascal's school and the tears came before we even got to the school. 

Thankfully we were early so we sat and talked in the van for a little bit and I tried to help understand that everything would be ok. I walked him in (we brought oreo truffles to his teacher, it was my hope that he would be excited to bring his teacher a gift) and he went to his chair and cried. He didn't cling to me so I guess that was an improvement .

As of today, they have been in school for exactly a week and they both are adjusting well. Scooter still loves middle school and Rascal isn't crying anymore and his tummy aches have even started to get better. I knew things would get better but man those first few days are HARD! 

So here is to a great school year this year. My daily prayer is for safety, wisdom and most importantly that they would be a light for Jesus! 

And just for fun here is a "blooper" with Baby A picking her nose! Oh that girl..... her first day is coming up soon and she is so ready to go to her new school.