School days, school days

The boys both started school last week, so I thought I'd share our first day pictures.  Ben is a big 4 year old now, which means he is going to pre-k/preschool five mornings a week. Abe is attending the toddler class (more like mother's day out) two mornings a week. Like most moms, I have conflicting emotions about this. Part of me is pumping my fist in the air and cheering for the ability to run errands without hassle, have rooms that stay clean for more than five minutes, and some time to finish all those projects I started before the summer! But I also miss them when they're gone, and feel so acutely how fast my little boys are growing up and how quickly my time at home with them is coming to an end. I feel especially melancholy about Ben, probably because he is attending every day.

My big boy on his first day of school. He's also starting to "style" his hair by himself. Can you tell?

This is the second day of school, which was also his day for show and tell. He brought a deer antler we found on Grandma and Granddad's land in Oklahoma.

Mr. A was in quite a mood and wouldn't stand still for a picture, so this is the best we've got.

The boys and some strange lady who's trying to hold Abe captive. Yes, I cut off my hair and stopped highlighting it for the first time in almost 15 years. I love it!

I'm proud to say that both boys have had an easy transition to the school year and are having a great time. Ben has always loved school, but I was worried because none of his friends from last year are in this class. When I asked if he felt a little sad about not having his friends with him, he just shrugged his shoulders and said "No. I'll just play with my new friends." Alright!

Abe just sauntered into his classroom on the first day and never looked back. Reports from his teachers are that he stays busy, has a fantastic time, and overall is a joy to have in class. I have to say, they have a lot of criers in Abe's class for some reason. Today when I went to get him from school the toddler class and two year old classes were waiting for parents together, and nearly EVERY SINGLE child was crying. Except Abe, who was smiling broadly and giving the teacher high fives.

It seems like our fall is shaping up to be a busy one. Joel is playing soccer on Tuesdays. Ben and I are both singing in church choir, which means practices on Wednesday nights (Ben) and Thursday nights (me). Ben is also starting a 6 week ukelele class at the end of this month, which I'm hoping will be worth the hassle:) He's been wanting to take guitar lessons for a while and I've heard that the ukelele is a good beginner "guitar" for kids. The teacher sounds like a lot of fun and the class description says they will incorporate a lot of movement plus learn a few songs. Ben is really excited and we've been watching lots of YouTube videos of kids playing the ukelele. I don't need him to master the instrument, but I would like for him to have fun. Fingers crossed!

We've got some house projects and trips planned as well. Ben is going to be the ring bearer for a good friend's wedding in Kansas at the beginning of October. The good news is that we get to make a trip to the midwest and see some good friends and family. The bad news is that we have to take Abe on a plane. I don't want to jinx it, but this is not good. At all. Trust me. If you hear reports about a flight from ATL to ICT where an extremely ill-behaved toddler ruined the trip for everyone while the parents seemed helpless and unable to control said child, please defend those parents for me, ok? If you have ever seen Abe in action then you know how challenging he can be. Sitting on my lap and reading stories, or singing songs, or playing games, or watching any video for longer than 10 minutes just isn't gonna work for us. I'm open for any suggestions on how to entertain high energy toddlers on a plane!

Oooh. wait....stream of consciousness thought...I just remembered Benadryl. Hmmm....