Today is Wesley's first day of kindergarten. He has had a couple first days of school already since he attended his preschool for 4 years. But this is now the "big time". Kindergarten. Riding a bus. Staying all day. Having a backpack and homework. Plus, he is in a new school and will have to make all new friends. As a mom I am of course very proud of him, happy he is moving on to the next stage of his life but like everything you go through watching your kids grow up, it is bittersweet. He is getting more independent. Needs me less. And yet I worry about him the same-will he make friends? Will he do ok in the classroom? Will he behave at lunch? Will the kids make fun of him? Will he hate school or love it? What happens when I am not there to make everything better?

I guess I just have to trust that I have done a decent job so far rasing him and that everything else will just fall into place. I will have to let go, a little at time, a little more than I would like but in the end I know it is what he will need to grow into a fine a young man. I will take it one day at a time and try to enjoy every day as it comes, storing those memeories up for a day when I will need to remember a time when my baby still needed me. I am so proud of him, for getting on that bus by himself, taking himself off to that first day of school. It is me who will have the harder time of it wondering and waiting for him. I will clean the house, go grocery shopping, cook dinner so we can sit down as a family and discuss how his day went. I will try to keep busy so that the time flies by until he is home again.

I thought I would lose it when he got on the bus. I got all teary eyed and had to turn away. Then the rain started coming down hard and I had to get Henry and myself home quickly. Maybe that was God's way of giving me the distraction I needed today, to let me know that life goes on and it is ok, I will get through this heartbreaking ride called motherhood.

So, without further ado, here is Wesley's first day of kindergarten, in pictures:

Wesley and Henry, awake and ready to roll! Of course, they slept in today, unlike the rest of summer when they were up at 6:30/7 AM.  Yeah. What is up with kids?

Breakfast of champions...of or kids whose mom's have not made it to the grocery store. ;)

First day of school pictures. For that baby album I *swear* I am going to finish one day.

With his Star Wars backpack.

Close up of the sign he is holding. I wanted to do something better than this, but I was low on time and crafty supplies.

So handsome!

Waiting for the bus!

Bus is here, waiting in line to get on.

 

 

 

"Bye Mom!"

I can't wait to pick him up this afternoon and hear how his day went. Hopefully he will have some good stories to tell.