First Day of School - 2009

This is the year for both kids to be "big kid on campus", M in 8th grade and A in 5th.  It's hard to believe that next year I will have a kid in high school.  sigh.  It all happens so fast - and I'm sure it will feel even faster this year as we will be starting the application process for the magnet high school before Thanksgiving.

The morning started out well enough.  I woke up a bit early, so I could cook eggs for A - he likes them as a breakfast taco.  He got ready in good time and we headed out for the bus early.  Bus came, right about on time, all was good.  

I got home to find M already up and D finishing up fixing his lunch.  I had breakfast with M (I had a breakfast taco, and M just had scrambled eggs).  We headed out plenty early for his bus.

and this is where things started to go haywire.

First M realizes that he didn't bring anything to write with.  He wants to know if I have any pencils - no I don't carry pencils in my shorts.  I suggest that I can try to go back to the house for pencils, but no guarantee I'll be back before the bus.  Then we think we hear the bus - or maybe it could be a garbage truck.  My mom was going to call me when the bus passed her house, just in case it didn't turn down our street.  Second problem - she calls the house phone instead of the cell phone - so by the time I call her and verify that the bus has passed, it is probably well down the street.  I race back to the house, grab M some pencils and get in the car.  I pick up M and our 2 neighbors and start chasing the bus.  We've done this before and always caught it.  Today though I don't see the bus before the first big turn - hmmm, not good.  I keep going, past the spot I can usually catch it, past the furthest we've ever caught it, past the pool - still no sign of the bus.  We hit the end of the subdivision and it is obvious we're headed all the way to the school.  

We see a bus up ahead, but the kids aren't sure it is the right bus as it is stopping in places it didn't last year.  But there are about 6-8 cars between us and the bus, so they wouldn't be able to catch it anyways.  Later as it turns, we see the route number and realize that yes, it was their bus.  We follow it all the way to the school.  And then get to wait in the carpool line as the school isn't open yet.

Then its back home to put out the laundry, grab the library books and grocery list and head towards town to pick up my mom, where she's dropped her car off for service.

This afternoon A got home sooner than the bus person had told us to expect - amazing for the first day of school.  And M said that they talked to the bus driver (new person than last year) and that he dropped them off at the end of the street.  Now lets just hope that he'll pick them up at our stop tomorrow!