A New School Year!

Kindergarten happened in the Mitchell house this year. I must say, when I was a teacher I never really understood WHY people got all worked up when their kids started school. I mean, HONESTLY people, this is what happens. You have kids, they grow up, they go to school, they move out. NO BIG DEAL. My young self had NO IDEA!!! When you take pregnancy hormones and add in sending your first born to real school 5 days a week for 8 long hours, you are just asking for trouble. I HATED (and still do) the thought of someone else getting to love on my little man AND the fact that they, and all those around him, get to influence him. I felt like such a loss of control as well as feeling like my best little side kick was being taken away from me. It was a good thing I really wasn't given the opportunity to say he couldn't go because there is NO WAY I would have sent him. One thing I did learn from teaching was that if I acted upset about it in front of Myles it would only influence him in a negative way and that was the last thing I wanted to do. So I smiled and bragged up how exciting and fun school would be. He totally bought it and was pumped to be the big kid going to school. One thing that DID set me at bit more at ease was the fact that the school Myles is going to is only for preschool and kindergarten.  ALL of the kids in our district go here for Kindergarten and then go to different elementary schools. When he rides the bus home it is only kindergarteners. They have a bus driver as well as a bus monitor who walks the kids off the bus, holding their hand, and literally hands him off to me. That took some anxiety away to know that they wouldn't be riding a bus with high schoolers on it and learning all their naughty ways like I did!! :-) So for this year I will "allow" him to go to school I guess.

We had such a great summer together!!!!

I'm going to pretend that they are always this nice to each other.

 

Outside of his school after orientation. 

 

The dreaded day has come!! 

I don't think he can smile any bigger. He was so pumped! I breaks my heart to think of how quickly we are already at this point and how quickly we will be putting this picture next to his graduation picture.

I was doing OK at this point.....It was SO helpful to have Nat with me keeping me sane.

Mrs. Strait was recommended to us by a friend and we are so grateful to have her be the one who is teaching and guiding Myles each day.

Getting to give one last hug before Ty becomes the big guy at home! 

I'm pretty sure at this moment I was about ready to grab my son, run out the door, and never look back. I was DYING inside. Nat literally kept looking at me mouthing "keep it together". I did just that...until I got to the car and completely broke down. Tears were flowing and by the time we got home, I was ready to focus on my two little nuggets I had at home. I have never watched the clock so closely in all my life!!!

FINALLY back where he belongs. WITH ME!! Cupcakes after our first big day are a MUST!!!

Ty's first day was not nearly as traumatic for me, but that's because he is only going for 3 hours twice a week. I was actually really looking forward to him going to "school" because we'd been noticing a lot of anxiety when Ty's around other people. In our house he's a wild man. When we have guests over or even friends of his, he withdrawals and doesn't talk AT ALL. We're hoping that some time with kids who are his own age as well as time away from mom and dad will help. I feel SO blessed to have Miss Michelle as his teacher this year. She was Myles' teacher as well as the leader of Mums the first two years I was in it. She is A M A Z I N G at what she does!!!!

All smiles as we get ready fort he first day!!

Luckily, our sweet friend Elaine is in the same class as Ty so that made things MUCH easier.

He survived the first day!! He didn't say a WORD to the teachers while he was there but he did nod his head and respond when he was asked questions....just without words... Hoping it gets better, but at least he wasn't the naughty kid or kicking and screaming at drop off. I can handle the quiet kid. (And let's be honest, how did I get a quiet kid?? Clearly takes after Daddy on that one!)