I Have a Kindergartner

I can't believe it. I have officially entered the world of the school system and have lots to learn. I can see where it can keep you very busy. I also can't believe my oldest is a kindergartner. Sometimes I have to laugh because this November Jeff and I will have been married 11 years. If we started having kids right away I could have potentially had a 10 year old! Now that seems old. I like my life where it is now thank goodness.

Gunnar was so excited and so ready to go. He was pretty sure that he would ride the bus to and from school the first day. I asked him about every 4 hours leading up to the big day to make sure. I don't blame him for being ready though. We had met his teacher 3 times before that, toured the school the week before. He was ready. They have to wear a very specific uniform at this new charter school in our area. He can wear khaki pants or shorts (but only until fall break and then not again until after spring break), red or blue polo shirt with an embroidered logo and simple white shoes with minimal color on them. In the colder months he can wear long sleeved embroidered polos in red or blue or crew neck sweatshirts in those colors. I actually really like the uniform in the ease of getting dressed in the morning it has provided. We never have to debate clothing and it totally takes the guess work out of what to wear or things being clean. We just wash his clothes at the end of the school week. I love it and he easily dresses himself because of it. Thank you grandma Robin (my mom) and grandma Miller (Jeff's mom) for providing the school clothes he needed. It was a tremendous help to us and Gunnar loves knowing that his grandma's got his clothes.

I really didn't want to spend money on a backpack. For one they are way spendy and for another they are just too darn HUGE for a smaller kindergartner. Totally not necessary. I also did not want to spend my money on one of those cheaper character ones. They totally drive me nuts and the quality is aweful. This summer I was at a yard sale (haha) and spotted this awesome little Quicksilver backpack with a great Hawaiian print in even better condition. I don't even know what I spent on it because I had a pile of baby clothes for my sister in law in the mix. I paid $3 for a huge pile of clothes and this backpack. I washed it up and it looks brand new. It looks so good and I love it. It fits Gunnar perfectly. The other mom at the bus stop even asked me where I found a smaller backpack like that.

(Ugh...when is the bus going to come!)

Gunnar had a great first day. He loves his teacher and tells me that pretty soon he will be able to completely shut off his voice and get a new voice...it is Spanish! I really wish you could hear the way he says the word Spanish because it is too funny. He is getting the numbers down in Spanish pretty quickly but learning other things obviously. He plays with his friend John from our ward as well as another little boy named Henry who I don't know. After his first day I made him a candy crayon made from Rolos and a Hershey kiss. It was so cute.

(waiting and waiting for the bus)

Gunnar had a slight meltdown about the 4th day of school. It was not good and his problem was that he didn't take sleep seriously. I don't blame him when it is still light outside. Don't you remember laying there at night with bright light coming through the windows wondering why your parent's put you to bed.Thankfully it is getting darker earlier for his sake. Anyway, we were supposed to see our friends that day to go to the church orchard so I tried to bribe him with that. I then tried to bribe him with swimming at our friends house the next day. Nothing worked. All I heard to the school bus was, "I hate school. I hate kindergarten. I hate Paige (his little friend). I hate Carol (our friend's house that we were going to swim at)." Over and over again. But he got on the bus.

This last Monday he had a MAJOR meltdown! He would NOT get on the bus. He clung to me like a monkey. I was holding up the bus and decided to drive him in instead. Now I did not do it happily. This was the first week that Jeff was going in to work at 8am so he was able to stay home with Brecken so he could continue sleeping. I had been waking up Brecken early to take Gunnar to the bus stop which resulted in a super tired baby that went back to bed at about 8:15am. His schedule was so out of whack so I was happy Jeff could be home. Anyway, we marched back to the house, Gunnar was ordered to get in the car, Jeff left for work and I had to wake up a baby. I was TICKED! On the way there, Gunnar told me he was so upset because he was tired. I sternly told him that was NOT my problem and he did not have a choice about school like preschool. He has to go and I was NOT going to be driving him to school again. Since then he has been waking up happy knowing fully that it would all result in a mad mom. Our school bus is currently around the corner about a block. Not a huge deal if all 8 kids showed up. No, instead it is Gunnar and another little girl who lives across the street from us. We've put in our request to move the stop by us so I can just walk out my door to the stop, leaving babies to sleep. See I watch Cami twice a week and the bus pickup is smack in the middle of their naps. I have to entertain two babies for about an hour and half before the bus comes. Then they completely crash when we get back. Doesn't make for a very good nap. I will be so happy when the route is changed just one street over.

Overall Gunnar is doing great in all day kindergarten. About once a week he comes home exhausted but overall happy with lots of energy left. I was not a super sad mom to see him go. Instead I was super excited for this next chapter in his life. He was so excited for school. How could I not catch some of that excitement. And yes, Brecken is a whole new baby with Gunnar not around. He cracks me up.