For the first time in six years, we are not paying preschool tuition! It's kind of like throwing away the last diaper...something you're glad to wave goodbye to!
This morning went perfectly. I got up at 6:30 to shower and dress, and Aidan was already up, even though he didn't need to be. He had a bad headache last night, so he went to bed early; thus he was raring and ready to go early today. By the time I was fixing breakfast, Esme was up, too. They both "did the list" - a short list of the things they have to do to get ready in the morning that I have markered on their bathroom mirrors - and were ready way before it was time for the bus!
Aidan boarded the bus this morning, a full-fledged third grader. I'm looking forward to hearing how his day went - but likely he won't say much at first. Jim and I went to school with Esme for an hour this morning, so we could meet her teacher and she could get acquainted, find her cubby and mailbox, etc. Tomorrow she will ride the bus with her brother in the morning, and come home midday. It is clear to us that Esme is going to have a hard time with keeping her mouth shut to give other children in her class a chance to answer questions. She felt very smart - she knew the answer to every question, and also felt the need to answer them all loudly.
We also met our new across-the-street neighbors this morning - they have three sons, one who is in middle school, and Kyle (1st grade) and Cody (4th grade) who boarded the bus with Aidan. It is nice to finally have real people living in that house, instead of coping with the builder and agents all the time!