First Day of School 2011

The day started at 5 AM when I woke up and couldn't fall back asleep. A million thoughts were racing through my head, mainly about Henry...

OH MY WORD. Henry is starting middle school today!
How will his bus ride go?
Will we remember everything he needs?
Will he remember his schedule?
Will he find his friends to sit with in the cafeteria?
How will his cross country practice go?

I woke Henry up at ten to 6 so that he could eat his breakfast and be ready to walk out the door to the bus stop at 6:40. It seems way too early to be sending him off to school, and I can only imagine as time goes by, especially in the winter, it will only seem earlier. Hopefully we'll adjust soon.

At the appointed time, I walked Henry out the door and snapped a few pictures...

Here he is going to meet his friend, Alex, at the bus stop.

I do believe it was yesterday when these two met in Kindergarten.

And here they are waiting for the bus to go to middle school. I took this picture all spy-like from our front porch.

See that little bit of yellow in this picture? That's the school bus taking my baby to his first day of middle school. Sigh.

A half an hour after Henry left for school, Seth and Caroline woke up. They ate a good breakfast, chose their favorite outfits to wear, and then it was time to take pictures on the front porch.

Here's my peanut, all ready for her first day of second grade

And my Seth, all ready to rock the 4th grade.

The traditional front porch shot

Evan and Caroline walking to school, hand in hand. (Evan has not started preschool yet, but insisted on packing his backpack just like his older brothers and sister!)

Caroline and some friends from her class holding up two fingers for second grade

Seth and his friends, Will and Hunter, with their teacher, Mrs. Bateman

Audrey and Claudia won't be in class with Caroline this year, although they promised to look for each other at recess. :)

One final wave good bye before walking in to second grade!

What did Evan do while all of this sending off was going on?

He played "Throw Grass Down the Sewer" and caught grasshoppers with his good friends, Connor and Michael.

Aren't these three cutie-pies?

On our walk home together, Evan seemed a little melancholy without his brothers and sister. His mood immediately brightened when my friend, Julie, found a turtle to show him.
Falling asleep at the computer after such a big day...night all!