First Day of School, 2009

Adam

It's the getting up early in the morning that really surprises me. This is the kid who wouldn't get out of bed for anything, all summer long, even when threatened with the loss of breakfast. It seemed as though his appetite for sleep knew no bounds; yet here he is on the first day of school, up at the crack of dawn and ready to Go.

Or at least, Ready to Play Lego Star Wars until time to catch the bus.

James

This is the kid that refuses to get up until mere moments before it's time to head out the door. I think he sleeps in his clothes. He also gets by on a glass of chocolate milk for breakfast and no lunch. Naturally, he's starving by the time he gets home, so he empties the pantry and everything that just happens to by lying about inside the refrigerator. Leftovers tremble at his approach.

This year, he has a Companion to walk with him to the bus.

Deb

It's her first year in Middle School, and we have to pinch ourselves sometimes to make sure it's real. How could our little girl have gotten so big? But she has, and she stands with her big brother, ready to go out the door and onto the big school to tackle the big subjects and start the long and winding road to high school and onwards.

Now that leaves us with only one in Elementary.

Mary

She's not the baby anymore, gotten much too tall for that title. She's getting taller by the minute, too, and will probably soon leave her old parents in the dust. But for now, she's content to allow her mother to walk her to school on the first day back. One of these days, we'll be watching her walk at graduation, and then we'll feel really old.

But until then, we'll treasure this moment.