First day(s) of school

Emma had to go to school yesterday, she doesn't today.

Braeden didn't have to go to school yesterday, he does today.

It's kind of strange.

Emma has a brand new school so they were easing the kids into it--8th graders the first day, 7th graders the second.  As for Braeden, it was freshman only the first day and since he's a sophisticated (maybe sophisticated?) sophomore he didn't have to go.

(Mark had to go both days.)

On Emma's first day, she was feeling fine:

Braeden, because he's That Sort of Brother, got up to wish Emma well. (Emma is not so much That Sort of Sister.  This morning Braeden woke her up to say good-bye.  She groaned at him.  He said, "Well...good-bye.  Have a good day."  She mumbled something.  Braeden smiled at me, like 'there's Emma for you.')

He kind of got up with her yesterday.  He kind of lay on the couch.  He was chatty with Emma though.  They speculated about everything there is to speculate about before the first day of school.

I made Mark put a shirt on before school.  He did about 2 seconds before this picture.

He could hardly contain his glee at going back to school.

Finally a smile.  Maybe because he gets to wear his pajamas to school.

Mark and I had a good first day of school.  There was a brief panic (from Mark) and drama (from Mark) when he forgot how to subtract but this isn't my first rodeo so we worked through it.  (Every summer I vow to take steps to stop the summer brain drain.  Every year I don't take those steps.)

It's OK though.

We'll fill that brain back up.  During history when we snuggled on my bed and he went and found a blanket and carefully tucked it under my chin because he doesn't want me cold and I read to him, I felt supremely content.

I was right where I wanted to be.

Emma had a lovely first day of school.  She had a sheaf of papers for the helicopter parents to carefully read.  I signed my name at the bottom but I didn't really read them because I stopped worrying about tardy policies and grading procedures when I stopped going to school.  I can't imagine a scenario where I will need that stuff.

"Mrs. Davis, your daughter was tardy."

"What?  Why wasn't I informed there was a policy?"

"You were.  You signed the paper right here. You were supposed to commit the intricacies of this policy to memory."

"Noooooooooooo."

Anyway.

Braeden went to school today.  He was happy.

(It was early enough that this picture didn't look blurry to my blurry eyes.) What I lack in photography skills, I made up for with breakfast.

I woke up early and prepared a wonderful breakfast for my boy.  (Or I bought some frozen egg McMuffin type things from Costco.)

Braeden was both opinionated and witty about the concoction.

Hopefully he'll come home as happy as when he left.

And... we're back.