Endings and Beginnings

Summer ends.

School begins.

Today was the day it all changed.

It's been a good summer.  After promising myself that we would have fun this summer, I went right out and did just that.  We had playdates, we went to the pool, we visited the zoo, we spent time at the beach, we visited family, we spent time at playgrounds and parks.  We filled our days with laughter and fun.  The summer flew past in what seemed like the blink of an eye.

The last two weeks before school started seemed to take forever, though.  Liam was clearly bored with our summer routine and even going out and having fun seemed like a chore.  His listening ears seemed to have been shoved in the back of a drawer somewhere to gather dust.  I spent a lot of time breaking up fights between the kids because they just couldn't leave each other alone.

Clearly, it was time for school.

Today was the joyous day Liam finally became an official first grade student.

Ready for school!

First grade is a big deal.  He goes to school all day, he gets to ride the bus both ways, he gets to eat his lunch at school and have recess with his friends.  He was a bit nervous about it all over the last couple of days but this morning he strapped on his backpack and hopped on the bus like a pro.

I got lucky and the first day of the school year fell on a day that Jamie was also out of the house at daycare.  So, I spent the morning cleaning the house like some kind of maid on meth and then cleaned myself up and headed over to my neighbor's annual "Boohoo/Yahoo Party."  This is the party she has on the first day of the school year for all the neighborhood Moms.  Lots of yummy food and conversation later it was time to get Liam off the bus.

It seems as though his first day was a smashing success.  He seemed excited about his teacher and his desk and meeting the other kids.  Now it's time to get into a groove with the new routine.