Last week, Martin started Kindergarten.  Although I'd been anticipating the milestone all summer, suddenly it was right at our door.  He'd participated in a program earlier in the summer where he was introduced to the school and some of the rules, all tucked neatly into playing so he hardly noticed.  Then, last Tuesday, he had Kindergarten Orientation where he got to meet a few of his classmates and his teacher.  To celebrate, we went to the coffee shop for a treat.  Martin placed his own order - a decaf mint mocha with whip.


At least it was decaf.


Getting the kids to bed on that last night of summer took hours.  Every two minutes, Sophie asked me if it was morningtime yet.  Martin woke me up at 6:15 and asked how many minutes it would be until the bus would arrive.  It was as if he'd decided to grow up overnight, saying that he thought for breakfast he'd just have oatmeal, coffee and the newspaper.

We made it to the bus stop in time, which felt like nothing short of a small miracle.  It's been the thing I've worried about most as the school start date approached.  At the bus stop, we met up with our neighbor who is just starting fourth grade.  The conversation at the bus stop went something like this:
Martin: Today is my first day.
Megan our neighbor: Yeah.
Sophie: I am going to preschool.  I have a dragon costume.  Rawr!
Martin: Yeah, it's kind of scary.
Me: Megan, can you keep an eye on Martin on the bus?  Don't let him drive.  He's not old enough.
Martin: Yeah, I can't see over the wheel.


Neighbors drove by and waved at our whole family as we stood there waiting for the bus.

We could see Martin's friend Jordan and his entire family waiting on the opposite end of the same the block.  The boys yelled hello to each other and waved.  We stared at each other, all of us taking pictures.  A couple walked by, out for their morning walk.  "Big day" they said, and I started to tear up, losing the ability to speak.


The bus came down the street, stopping to pick up the kids on the other end of the block.  They pulled up to our corner, Martin got on the bus, and found a seat. 


The bus driver pealed away from the corner with such speed that I thought maybe he would leave tire marks on the street.  Marty and I looked at each other, and for a moment I wondered if he would hop in his truck and chase after the bus driver to tell him to take it easy.

As we walked back to the house, the tears came easily. Sophie and I grabbed her school gear and drove to her preschool so that she could start her first day.  She hung back a little bit, then took a big breath and joined the other kids.  The tears came again, and I drove to the coffee shop to get a special treat for Marty and me.  When I pulled up to the drive-thru window I saw a sign that said they were closed for the day due to a broken pipe.  Symbolic I thought - the first day of Kindergarten must cause problems with the waterworks.

He came home that day, reporting that everything was wonderful.  He was excited to see Sophie too, I think.
Martin: Hi Sophie, did you miss me?
Sophie: No.
Martin: Sophie, did you miss me?
Sophie: You're a poopy.

And everything was back to normal, just another day.

Each day since then has gone very well.  We've made it to the bus on time, he hasn't forgotten any stuff, we placed a book order by the deadline, and he's participated in the theme of the day each day so far.  Every day when he gets off the bus, the report is the same as that first day - it was wonderful, lunch was good, and his bus driver only has one leg.  That last part, I admit, is pretty fascinating to me too.