First Day of School

The date of this blog should be an indication of how much of an adjustment it has been in our house to get back into a school routine. Liesel and Caedmon started school August 14th and I am finally getting around to blogging about it. Ugghh!!!I decided this year that they were old enough now to help more around the house. I needed to get this family more organized. I spent the first month of school tweaking our routine and working on a chore schedule for the children. Our kitchen wall now has a huge calendar and a chore chart for Liesel and Caedmon. They were excited in the beginning to try something new, but now that has faded and chores have become......well.....a CHORE! LOL! If you listen closely, you might hear them complaining about helping more. That is my fault for not starting this sooner, but at least Jensen will know what to expect when he is old enough. :) Nothing is perfect around our house, needless to say, but our house runs so much more smoothly. That makes for a happy Momma! At least now if I forget something they need to do at school, I can't use the excuse I forgot because it is on the wall of our kitchen. HA! Not that I have forgotten anything lately (wink!!!!)

It still is hard for me at times to come to the realization that Caedmon is a big Kindergartner!! I still get a little emotional when he puts his backpack on in the mornings and heads out the door. Then when I see him waiting in carpool line, I take a deep breath. Where did my little buddy go? He is such a big kid now ;) On the first day of school for Liesel, Craig and I went with Caedmon in for an hour "meet the teacher" session. He seemed a little confused by this. He wondered why he wasn't going with Liesel. "Just wait till tomorrow Caedmon." Right before we left, I had to get the picture.

 We are very blessed that Caedmon has the same teacher Liesel had when she was in Kindergarten. Mrs. Scott and Mrs. Sippy are Godly woman that love children.  I taught first grade for three years before Liesel was born, so I have been around my fair share of teachers. I am not exaggerating when I say "Mrs. Scott has to be the best teacher I have ever had the privilege to be around."  I volunteered in the classroom when Liesel was in her class so I saw first hand why Liesel loved going to school. When I found out Caedmon would be in her class, I did the "happy dance" (as Mrs. Scott puts it.)
For that first day, the kids had coloring and activities to do at their desk while Mrs. Scott spoke to the parents. Caedmon likes coloring and usually doesn't complain. I knew he was nervous when I told him to sit down and get started and he said no. I helped him into his seat and he literally resisted me. He looked at me and I saw the tears filling up in his eyes. It was hard on me to watch but I knew I had to be strong so he would become comfortable. After Mrs. Scott talked and it was time to go, Caedmon told me school was boring. LOL!!! I promised him, tomorrow would be more fun :)
Doesn't this picture truly show what was going on in Caedmon's mind? "I do not want to be here. You are not leaving me are you?"

At least I was excited for Caedmon to start Kindergarten!

Liesel, on the other hand, was excited about being a Big-Time Third Grader! "Sassy" would be the best word to describe her attitude that morning. Love it!!!!!

Day Two for Liesel and Caedmon's First Official Day of School:

Craig took them to school that morning. He walked both children to their class. Craig said Caedmon didn't seem too scared. After two days, Caedmon informed Craig that he was ready to walk in by himself. He was very proud of himself. Liesel kept walking with him even though her room was now in a different building. Moments where my children look out for each other melt my heart. At home, they can fight and argue with the best of them. However, when they need each other, they know how to show love to their sibling. One morning during breakfast, of the second week of school, Caedmon announced to Liesel that he
didn't need her to walk him to class anymore. Liesel actually seemed a little hurt since she is such a mother hen. I reminded her that Caedmon needed to feel like a big kid on his own at times.
After over a month of school, Caedmon and Liesel both love school. If you were to look on our screened-in porch, you would see a make-shift classroom where Caedmon and Liesel play school. Caedmon plays the teacher (Mr. Joshua)  and he has a name for every student in his class (even including my parents and Jensen) Ha!!!

I did survive sending Caedmon off to school.  Be warned though that when my last baby leaves to go to school, I might have a meltdown! LOL!!! Jensen, please don't grow up as fast as Liesel and Caedmon have.