The first day of school has got to be one of my favorite days of the year! As a girl I loved it, I always liked school and loved getting new supplies and clothes at the beginning of the school year. As a mother, I still love it for those same reasons, plus it feels good to know my kids are out there learning and being with other kids rather than laying around the house which they do most of the summer. I also love fall, and of course back to school means fall, cooler weather, changing colors, apple cider, baking muffins, quiet mornings at home alone with the "baby" (help! she'll be 4 next month but to all of us she is the baby and probably always will be, poor thing!).

What a crazy morning this was, I woke up at 3:30 and knew the alarm was going off for Larry at 4 so couldn't get back to sleep. Finally at 3:59 I got up and turned it off before it went off. Right as we were getting ready to leave to take him to work at 5 Lilly woke up, so got her dressed and took her along. Came home and she got back in bed and fell asleep, Britt got up at 6 so I talked to her and helped her get ready, she left to meet Hailey at the bus stop at 7am. By then it was time to wake the boys up. Barrett got right up, Tucker didn't actually get up on his feet until 7:30 but they had their clothes picked out so were ready really fast. Lilly in the meantime had gotten up a couple of times and then fallen back asleep where ever she was, for instance in the middle of the living room floor.

So then it was helping Tucker find his glasses, allergy medicine, and making cocoa wheats for their breakfast. Finally got everthing done and we were out the door right on time at 8am. Got to school and waded through throngs of kids and parents to help the boys find their rooms, meet their teachers, find their lockers, etc. They both seem to have really nice teachers this year, although of course it is hard to tell after meeting someone for 1 minute. Tucker's teacher is a young thing, I hope she will handle him ok! He has been so good this summer, other than a couple of isolated incidents he really had a great summer, behaviorally (is that word?) anyway. So maybe he won't give her the hard time he gave poor Ms. Street last year. Barrett's 2 best friends, Keaton and Samantha, are in his class so he was very happy. It is the same room they were in last year, with having to reorganize the classrooms that one was switched from a 2nd grade room last year to a 3rd this year, so it is familiar to them all.

After we dropped off the boys Lilly and I celebrated our independence by stopping at 2 of our favorite places...Target and Starbucks. Lilly got 2 miniature pairs of scissors for 50 cents, and a small box of goldfish crackers. I got a new storage container for my pens and some funky decorative file folders. At Starbucks we got our usual (kids choc. milk and a grande java chip frappuccino without whipped cream). Too bad she spilled her choc. milk getting out of the van, it splashed all over both of us and our shoes were full of choc. milk. Good thing we were both wearing our Crocs! Now I'm savoring the last of my frap and she has once again fallen asleep, this time on the recliner. It is blissfully, peacefully quiet at this moment!

Gotta love today: it's a new week, almost a new month, a new school year, a perfect time for turning over a new leaf.