First day.

Today we experienced Parker and Everly's first day of school. Well, Jeremy and I experienced, while they celebrated with a level of euphoria usually reserved for mega-millions lottery winners. The excitement started last night making going to sleep a struggle and then Parks jumped out of bed at 6:30am, rearing to go. Healthy conscious, even when a first day of school is right around the corner, they requested carrots and celery for breakfast. Clothes were madly put on, backpacks packed, lunches chilled and the two of them were ready and waiting on the doorstep for Jeremy and I to get our act together about 45 minutes before we actually needed to leave.

Parker is unbelievably excited about Kindergarten. He has always loved learning and upon hearing about all the things he gets to learn, do and experience at school, he's like a kid in a candy store. A lover of learning in Kindergarten. Last night when I was laying in his bed with him and we were sleepily chatting, I accidentally asked him if he was nervous. "No!" he replied, "Are you?". "No!" I said. Well, maybe just a little. This is a big step. The edge of something big where the years go faster and he gets bigger and I can't slow it down. So, yes. I'm a little nervous. But not Parker. His only question this morning was "Will you be able to walk me in? I can't remember if I can get to my classroom or not." Of course. We'd be happy to. And then when we did, he beamed with pride, smiled with excitement and barely had time to hug me before dashing off to get settled.

We have the great pleasure of having two wonderfully independent, outgoing and confident children. This has some benefits and some challenges. On the first day of kindergarten and preschool, the benefit is that our kids could hardly wait to go out and experience the world. The challenge is that while I'm left teary eyed and having a moment and wanting a hug or few, they are running away from me, making new friends and yelling "See you when I see you!". So that's my moment. Everly walking into a classroom like she's been there for years and tossing out "Hi, I'm Everly" to everyone she encounters. Watching these beautiful kids experiencing a new and profound level of freedom with enthusiasm, I have to be confident that this is what we've prepared them for.