A is for Anarchy

Anarchy or Acting Crazy

{What it means: Doing whatever you want; chaos}

First day back at school is in the books!  And how awesome is this paper that I found in Alex's backpack after school??? Hahahaha.  My favorite thing about it -- other than the fact that the behavior system in his Kindergarten class is Leveled A, B, C, and D, with A equating to anarchy -- is the fact that chaos apparently makes Alex feel all the smiley faces.  Hahahahaha.  Oh Alex.  

But before we get to the After School debriefing, we have to cover the Before School tableau.  Highlights of the morning include everyone waking up with more than enough time to get ready to go; having plenty of time to eat breakfast, make lunches, get dressed, do Scripture Time, and take pictures before going to the bus; and having Scott home for a bit to help send them off.  

Ethan -- 8th Grade

(That's his bus -- it's still so dark when he leaves!)

(Check out that sunrise, though!)

Grace in particular had lots of extra energy this morning, and spent lots of time pacing around the house and the outside and taking pictures with my camera.  Some of them turned out pretty good!

Once it was FINALLY time to head over to the bus stop, I managed to keep everyone still for a couple of seconds while I snapped some pictures to document the day.  They were all so excited to get going that I had to make it quick!

Grace -- 6th Grade

Sophie -- 4th Grade

Jane -- 2nd Grade

Alex -- Kindergarten

Isaac -- School of Fussy Face Teething

A few weeks ago, when I took Grace in for her annual check-up, the doctor asked her if she was excited to go back to school.  Her response cracked me up.  "Yes," she said, "because it gives me a purpose."  Hahahaha.  She's heard me tell Ethan one too many times to "find a purpose," when I'm trying to keep him from unraveling and antagonizing everyone around him.  The phrase and the concept must REALLY resonate with her, though, because since she's gotten home from school this afternoon, I've heard her say at least 5 different times that she really likes school because it gives her a purpose.  Hahaha.  Those kids!

Waiting for the bus!

Our first day send-off was divided into three parts, as Ethan left at dawn, the girls left in the morning, and Alex boarded his bus at noon for afternoon Kindergarten.  As we killed time all morning long, I could tell he was excited but nervous.  While walking back from the playground before lunch, he confessed that he was feeling "a little nervous and scared," and then followed that right up by saying that Jack (his friend and our next-door neighbor) was nervous and scared, too.  So, I guess they had a conversation about that this morning while sending their big sisters off to school!  Hahaha.  How cute is that?  After walking back home, and making sure he had enough to eat, I said a little prayer with him and then we headed across the street to wait for his bus.

By the time the bus got here, he seemed more excited than nervous, and I think having his good friend riding the bus with him and being in the same class did a lot to help the butterflies in his stomach.  ;)  Once he was off to school, it was just me and Isaac for a couple of hours on our own, before Ethan got home from school.

We ran to the library really quick for me to pick up some books on hold, and then got home just in time to put him down for a nap and then clean up the kitchen and pop some cookies in the oven for a special, first-day-of-school, after school treat.  Hearing all about their day was the highlight of MY day.  :)  Everyone seemed to have had an awesome first day, and I think all of their teachers are going to be PERFECT for them.  Grace is excited that she has at least one class with every single one of her friends; Ethan is looking forward to actually doing real school stuff starting tomorrow (as opposed to sitting and listening to class rules and syllabi); Jane says her teacher is SOOO nice; Alex enjoyed shooting some hoops during recess this afternoon; and Sophie was stoked to have a homework assignment tonight of gathering 3 items, to put in a paper bag, that describe something about her.

The after school hubbub was a pleasant one, and after eating some snacks, they scattered off for screen time while I went for a quick walk and then started dinner.  The evening eventually descended into anarchy -- tired, hungry, and over-stimulated kids will do that -- but thankfully the little ones all got to bed on time without too much of a fuss.  Here's to hoping the momentum of back-to-school excitement will get us through the earlier mornings for the rest of this week!