First Week of Kindergarten

Well, we made it through Connor's first week of Kindergarten. And boy, what a week. The hectic schedule and confusion of the drop-off/pick-up process has really worn us out. Here's a typical morning from our "new" schedule:

6:15 - I wake up, get dressed and ready
6:45 - Make Connor's breakfast and pack his lunch
7:00 - Connor is up and eats his breakfast while watching a TV show
7:15 - Connor gets dressed and ready
7:30 - I get Kaitlynn up and get her dressed
7:40 - We load into the car along with the neighbor kids (we are carpooling to/from school)
7:45 - Wait in the carpool line to drop kids off
8:10 - Back home, fix Kaitlynn's breakfast and finish getting ready for the day

I can see now that my mornings will be much more chaotic from here on out. The afternoons aren't much better. I've been waking Kaitlynn up from her afternoon nap to go pick up Connor on time at 3:00. This week we've been walking in the 100+ degree heat, but soon we'll be going through the car rider line. I'm not sure if that'll be better or worse (considering I have a restless toddler in the back). We have several neighbor kids that all go together, and we've been taking turns driving. It makes the school experience so much more exciting for Connor. Especially when they all play together after school.

Connor came home each day this week with HUGE smiles and excitedly talking about his day. So far he's only learned a few of the other kids' names, and one in particular he's talked about is a little girl, Andrea. Hmmm. He also mentioned that there is a "little kid" that has been picking on him, messing with his nametag and bothering him in Music class. Should be interesting to see how that plays out!

Connor's teacher, Mrs. Hunter, sends home a monthly chart with notes each day marking any areas for improvement for the kids. So far, she has put asterisks for Connor next to "Follow directions the first time given" and "Talk at appropriate times." No surprises there!

While Connor has been at school this week, Kaitlynn has been really out of sorts. After we dropped Connor off each morning, she would start to whine and cry, saying "Nonno!" I think she just wanted to go with him! Then throughout the day she would ask for "Nonno" multiple times. When we would get in the car to go run errands, she would get excited because she assumed we were going to pick him up already. I've had to wake her up early from her afternoon nap all week, but she was never in a bad mood about it because she was ready to go get her brother. I never realized what a twosome they had become until this week when they've been apart. Breaks my heart! But I know from now on, I'll be enjoying some quality time with my girl.

Friday we sent breakfast to the school as a "Thank You" for the staff and teachers. If I'm feeling this exhausted after the first week, I can't imagine how they are all feeling. Thank heavens for all you sweet teachers out there!! And, thank goodness for the weekends!

To sum up the week, I think Connor said it best: "Phew! Kindergarten weared me out!" That goes for the rest of us, too!