Last of the First of the Last

Another year, another milestone.  This year is the last year that I will have a child in their first day of the last time I will have someone in preschool.  A little dramatic on the analysis I realize but still, it's true!
Brooke is in 7th Grade, Ashley is in 5th grade, Lauren is in 1st grade and Fox even started preschool!   Before school started I saw a bunch of cute signs that people made on Pinterest for the cute First Day of School Pictures.   Then I remembered that I don't successfully pull off that kind of stuff, and we were lucky they all had shoes on and backpacks on their backs and I moved on :) 

Fox was the most excited about our back to school shopping.  The other girls didn't really need new shoes, but we were looking at shoes for Fox and he fell in love with a pair of Converse.  I thought they were still a little expensive (even at the Rack), so I checked out and didn't get the shoes.  For the next week, he kept talking about his shoes and wondering when we would go back to get them.  I couldn't resist, and when we went back, sure enough, even though, I was suggesting a few velcro strap shoes, he grabbed those Converse and would not let them go!  They do look super cute, too :0

I wish Fox was a little sadder about leaving me for a few hours every day.   Instead, he was so motivated to go to school that when I told him last week that if he wanted to go to school he would have to start wearing underwear instead of diapers he decided he wanted to wear underwear immediately and hasn't gone back.  For the record, this does make my potty training success complete - 4 kids, minimal effort = major success.   Biggest potty training tip is you just can't care.  As soon as you care more than they do, they win.  I just start asking if they want to go in the potty and eventually they decide they do. Win!  Someday I'll write a book on this complex theory :)  Also, if they want to read a magazine on the toilet, let them :)

Back to the morning of the first day of school.  after the other kids left he held his backpack in a grip of death and asked me if it was time to go yet for the next 40 minutes.  I thought for sure he would freak when we finally got there, but nope - he did freeze a little, but he talks about it constantly and wakes up first thing in the morning ready to go.  I sort of imagine the thoughts going through his mind as something like a pump up session, "I can do this. here I go.  I'm awesome."  He didn't say a word but I could just see it in his face.

Ashley had found out her teacher's name the day before school and was in tears - the horrible teacher that supposedly no student would ever want.  Guess what, though?  One day in, and she likes her new teacher!  Hilariously, there was a sign on her door saying, "Positive Attitudes Only Allowed" or something like that.  Considering Ashley's negative inclinations, I figured this could be an interesting year.

Lauren is in her class with her best buddy, Abby, so she was ecstatic.  Party time (I'm sure her teacher will love that :))  One of their new friends was playing with her blueberries and raspberries at lunch and now my picky eater, Lauren, has requested blueberries and raspberries in her lunch every day).  I'm liking this year already!