First Day of Kindergarten!!!

Look at this big guy, ready for school!

Still working on that smile, but check out the big smile when he got to wait for the bus with his friend Ellie (3rd grade):

 ^ Check out that line of kids!  And one was even missing this morning, I guess there will normally be 13 at our stop.

 Zach showed zero hesitation when it came to be time to climb those steps.

And I know you can't really see him in this picture, but that's him sitting down with our neighbor Tommy, who will be in his class.  We've had a few afternoons of playing with Tommy this summer, and I think it'll help both of them navigate their way to their classroom today!  I also learned yesterday, when Zach had his assessment with his teacher (he did "great"!) that Zach knows two other boys in the class, from his t-ball team this summer.  Yay - lots of friendly faces for our boy!

It's been an interesting couple of weeks, getting ready for this day.  The Minneapolis schools started last week, and many kindergarteners in the area started with the rest of the school on Tuesday (our district uses the first two days of school to individually assess the incoming kindergarteners).  So I got to see and hear about others' experiences as their five-year-olds began their school careers.  Many friends were sad and nostalgic about this big rite of passage.  Some were anxious.  All were excited.

How am I feeling?  Strange.  That's the best word I can think of!  It truly has not sunk in that every day Zach will get on that bus for school.  It helps, in a way, that he'll get off the bus a little after 11 AM - he'll be home before I know it!  I'm not sad or anxious; more amazed, that my oldest is already big and mature enough to get on a big yellow bus, find a seat, get off the bus and find his classroom (with help at first, of course!), and at the end of the morning get back on that bus to reverse the process!  And he is - he really is mature enough, very ready.  He's going to love it!  And I'm excited for him.

Now I need to turn my mind to the next first day of school... Charlie's!  Shortly we're off to his first day of "school" - one morning a week at the "Terrific Two's" program at Zach's old preschool.  It's funny and crazy they're both having their first days of school on the same day!