The Longest Day Ever!!

Today started out in the usual way.  Lili found her way into our bed between 4 and 5 a.m. and took up her usual position, lying horizontally between my husband and me.  I got up at about 7 o'clock when I heard a loud crash coming from upstairs.  Lili had already nearly pushed me out of bed and onto the floor anyway.  (The above photo shows what I left behind when I arose.)  When I got upstairs, both girls were dressed and in the process of brushing teeth, and no one seemed to know what the aforementioned ruckus had been, but both girls were bright eyed, bushy tailed and bubbling with excitement. 

Alas this was not an ordinary day.  It was the first day of school, and I had decided that I would bite the bullet and put my two eldest babies on the big yellow school bus this morning.  We breakfasted and chatted then headed out to the end of the driveway to wait for said school bus.  As we waited I heard Emma say, "Sophie, you better hug mom before you get on the bus or mom might cry."  It's true.  I was becoming a bit verklempt.  This is what my two little darlings looked like as they waited this morning, and as I quizzed them: "Are you sure you remember where your classroom is?  Are you sure you don't want me to drive you?"

And then, before I could even manage to burst into tears, they confidently climbed onto that enormous bus, and they were gone.  Just gone.  I stood there for a few minutes and marveled at that fact.  Then I went inside and shouted up to George, "Sophie and Emma just got on the bus, and now they are gone!!"

"Goodbye my babies!!"

So... since I was heading out to the grocery store anyway, I thought I might as well pop in to their school to make sure all went well on the bus.  I wasn't the only one.  The school was full of doting Mommies and Daddies who were seeing little Johnny off and taking pictures of him sitting at his school desk trying to "look natural."  I quickly stuck my head in both classrooms to see that each girl had arrived at school in one piece and that they had found thier classes without any major drama.  Check and check!

And so began one of the longest days ever.  Lili and I did some shopping, came home, did laundry, washed dishes, took a walk, baked a homemade apple pie, and WAITED for those girls to come home!  The house seemed so strange and quiet without them here.  And still we WAITED!  Finally, they arrived...

...And everything is right in the world again.  Both girls had a great day, and tomorrow will be even easier... for their mama.

Happy "Back to School"!

"Quite frankly, teachers are the only profession that teach our children."

--Dan Quayle