Kindergarten!!!

And it begins!  Tanner started school last week!  He's a big Kindergarten student!  I can't believe some days that this is where we are in our life!  It seemed like school was so far off when Tanner was a baby.  Now, all of a sudden, he's starting school.  There were times that school could not get here soon enough, but then when it finally got here, I couldn't help but wish it were still a little ways off.

The first day of school Tanner was excited!  He got to ride the bus, play on the playground, and eat lunch in the cafeteria!  I made him a special "1st day of school" breakfast.  Nick and I both waited with him for the school bus to come, then Nick helped him find a seat on the bus.  I cried as the bus drove away with my baby!  That was harder than I was expecting it to be.  I drove over to the school to meet him as he got off the bus and make sure that he found his way to the classroom.

I stayed with him for a few minutes before school started, but when I told him I needed to go home, he turned to me with tears in his eyes and said, "Please don't leave me, Mommy!"  It was all I could do to hold it together for him.  I couldn't let him see my tears because I didn't want him to be scared.  I made it out of the school holding back the tears, and I was doing great until I saw the principal.  She asked me how Tanner was, then asked how I was, and then she said to me, "We'll take good care of him."  That's what did it.  As I walked away, her comment hit me hard.  I started crying terribly as I got into the van.  It was hard to relinquish the reigns to someone else to help teach my child.  But I know I'm doing the right thing for him by sending him to school.  He's going to do so well and learn so many things!

He was such a big boy as he got off the bus after school.  His smile nearly split his face.  He was so excited to tell me what he had for lunch and what he did at recess.  But when I asked him what he did in class, he shrugged his shoulders and said, "I don't know."  And when I asked if he excited to go to school tomorrow, he said no.

The second day of school was harder for him.  He literally went kicking and screaming to the bus.  He was crying so hard and telling me that he just wanted to stay home with me.  It was all I could do to stay strong and not break down crying.  I had to shove him onto the bus and jump off real quick so the bus driver could shut the door and drive off.  As she drove off, I felt like the worst mom ever!  I just shoved my scared child on a school bus and walked away without looking back.  Broke my heart into a million pieces to watch my child cry and tell me he just wanted to stay home with me.  Worst parent ever!  But I knew that I had to do that in order for him to learn that it was okay.  When the bus driver dropped him off after school she said that he did fine as soon as they drove away.

Now that we're really into the thick of it, Tanner has done really well.  He gets on the bus with no problems.  He still tells me "I don't know" when I ask him what he learned in school today.  But he can remember what he ate for lunch and what he did at recess.  He's doing well for the teacher so far.  He's going to do great!

My little boy is growing up!  But like a lot of people say, he'll always be my little boy, no matter how old he gets!!!!  And so begins this new chapter in our lives.  It's an exciting time full of unknowns, but it'll be fun to learn together with him as we embark on this new journey together!