And They're Off... (Now with Pictures!)

School started today. With equal parts relief and excitement (and a bit of sadness) I sent them off on the bus. This was Ethan's very first day- he started kindergarten, so we were all a bit anxious for him. On Sunday at church, when Cory talked about the kids going back to school Ethan said, "I'm NOT going to school!!" And yesterday afternoon when I said something about getting a good night's sleep because it was a school night, Ethan asked, "Do I have to go to school tomorrow?" When I said yes, he buried his head in my shoulder and sighed. I was pretty nervous that he would have a tantrum or start crying when the bus came... but no! He gave us the thumbs up and marched right up the steps- sandwiched between his brother and sister. Ah relief!

But to really appreciate and understand why I was a bit more anxious than I had hoped I would be you'll have to know the full story.... OK- so it's night before the first day of school. Lets get a good dinner into the kids, give the boys a nice bath, read Ethan a story, lay out their clothes, etc. etc. Well, that all went to hell! We discovered at about 6:30, right when I was putting the kettle on to make myself some tea and get dinner started, that we had run out of propane! Oh great.... so pack up the kids, some PJ's, something for dinner and go to Mom's and Dad's to use their luxurious hot water and stove top. But wait! The dryer didn't dry the clothes (no propane to heat it) so let me hang the load, with Ethan's shorts he will be wearing to school, on the line. OK good... kids cleaned and fed, got to snuggle Grandma a little, we're back home, teeth are brushed, no time for a story but that's OK. Kisses goodnight. "Alex don't stay up too late." Justin needs to get up early and I am fighting a nagging cold, which has robbed me of my voice, so we go to bed early too. 9:15 Alex comes downstairs.... Mom, the toilet is overflowing. Oh Christ!! The last time this happened (last Friday) the water leaked through the ceiling on all over my bed. We are still dealing with stinky wet plaster smell from that episode. So I run upstairs, turn off the water that feeds the toilet (I learned this from the last go-around) and try to plunge... nothing. I go downstairs, get a bucket and a plastic cup, go back upstairs and fish out (gag) the floating Alex poops (gag) take that downstairs and dump it (gag) in to the other toilet. Go back upstairs to plunge some more... still nothing. Decide to tackle it in the morning. Go to bed. Wake up. Make breakfast for the kids. Get Ethan's shorts off the line... still damp. I spend 10 minutes drying them with a hair dryer. The propane man comes! He re-lights everything after he fills the tank. He is a godsend. The kids are clean, fed, lunches packed, pictures taken, Hudson has crud on his brand new shirt.... how did that happen? The bus arrives, and they are off to school.

I go to breakfast with Mom and Dad. Decide to walk home.... and get caught in a rainstorm. Good for the cold I have, I'm sure. And all the clothes on the line are soaked..... aarrgh!

Now the silver lining of this story.... yesterday Ethan had a practice bus run and got to see his class room and meet his teacher. She read to them The Kissing Hand, about a little raccoon that is apprehensive about leaving his mom and going to school. She gives him a kiss on the hand, and whenever he feels a needs a little love from his mom he should press his hand against his cheek and think, "Mom loves you." So Mrs. Wilson, Ethan's teacher, sent home a red heart sticker for me to place on Ethan's hand so that he could look at it during the day and remember that Mom loves him. I placed the sticker on his hand this morning. He went about his business, getting his sneakers and back pack on, running outside to check to see if that car in the driveway was Dad (it was- Justin came home from work to watch the kids get on the bus). The sticker came loose. Ethan came to me holding the sticker and said, "Mom, I don't need this.... why don't you wear it today?"

Thanks Ethan... I will.