August, Part 8: Not Just Another Day

Today was Peter's first day of kindergarten. It is a day that we have both been looking forward to for awhile. Peter is a curious, busy boy and he has needed the structure, learning, and friendships that come with going to school.

When I woke him up this morning, he just seemed so grown up. He spoke to me in his matter of fact voice as he was preparing for school. He was so excited that he barely ate any breakfast.

Johnny, on the other hand, has been having a really hard time with this transition and has been experiencing a lot of anxiety about Peter going to school, and about going to school himself (he starts preschool next Tuesday). He has been manifesting his anxiety by throwing tantrums when we have had to go to Peter's school, and by saying stuff like, "I hate school!," and "I want to punch all the kids at school." I know he will be fine once he actually starts preschool. It is the fear of the unknown that is causing him anxiety right now.

As we were driving down the mountain, I saw a woman, probably in her 40s, running up the mountain, and it occurred to me that to her, today was probably just another day.

For some people, a day might just be another Wednesday. For others, it is their very first day on this earth, or a wedding day, or a day to mourn the loss of a loved one, or the day you got that promotion, etc.

Today might be just any other day for many people, but for me and my family, it was the day that my oldest son started going to school. He is starting on a journey that will bring him a lot of joy and happiness, a lot of stress and struggles, new knowledge and interests, and either way, good or bad, a lot of growth.

I know that he will be home in only an hour, and that I have his sweet little brother still next to me snuggled on the couch, but the house feels emptier.

I am so excited for the new adventures that Peter will have though. I wouldn't keep Peter from any adventures, even if I could...and with my guy Pete, I know I couldn't, even if I tried.

Above: Right after Peter woke up and got dressed for school. Let the pictures begin!

Above: Peter wanted to make sure I got a picture of his cool Skylanders backpack.

Above: No fear here! Just excitement.

Above: Our first picture at school was in a pretty sunny spot.

Above: This was a little less sunny, and Johnny got in on the action for this picture.

Above: I love my sweet handsome Pete.

Above: Now it is time to play on the playground and meet new friends!

Above: Peter is pretty good at making new friends. One little boy had on a BYU shirt and Peter said, "Do you like BYU? I like BYU too." After school, Peter was describing a friend he made and he said, "We talked to each other, and boom, friends."

Above: Right before it was time to line up, the kids got to take a couple laps around the school yard for some morning exercise.

Above: Peter had a lot of fun with this, if you can't tell.

Above: After doing laps, it was time to meet on the grass for a little exercise/dance routine to the song "Happy" from Despicable Me 2.

When it was time to line up, Mrs. Correa told the kids to blow their parents a kiss. There were a ton of parents crowding in, so I had to move and call to Peter so he could see me. All the other kids were done blowing kisses at that time, but as soon as Peter saw me, he waved goodbye and blew me a kiss.

What a sweetheart. I sure love that guy.

Also, I am glad I wrote this while he was still at school and the feelings were fresh. I got a call from the school a little later from the school nurse. I was super freaked out, until I realized that she just needed some paperwork. I thought I had turned it in, but apparently, I hadn't. So, I drove down to the school a few minutes before Peter got let out so that the school nurse could make some copies of the paperwork.

Then Johnny and I went to get Peter. At that point, Johnny decided he had to go to the bathroom, and Peter was mad at me because he didn't get to ride the bus home from school.

I'm not going to lie, the boys have both been a little prickly ever since. I guess you can't blame them when they are on the downhill side of a very momentous day, but still! It is definitely true when Elder Ballard said that motherhood is in the moments. It is definitely important to seek out those good moments and cling to them to comfort you during the other kinds of moments (the ones that are not so good).

At any rate, Peter and our family have begun a journey today. There will be a lot of exciting times ahead!