A new adventure!

For those of you that work 12 months out of the year, I apologize in advance for complaining-you do this all year long!  Tomorrow marks the first day of school for us in Minnesota.  I've got everything ready for my 22 little 1st graders.  Yes!  I only have 22 kids this year.  Last year I had 28, so this will seem like a vacation ;)  Anyways, time to start setting the alarm clock to the butt crack of dawn, packing lunches, laying out clothes, getting the daycare bag ready, prying 2 sleepyheads out of bed, and bribing them to get in the car because Mama's going to be late .  Pretty normal start to a school year for the Willes.  EXCEPT......This year my 1st born will start PRESCHOOL!  On Wednesday she will begin her 19+ year adventure in education.  She keeps asking me how I am feeling about her growing up.  Each time I tell her the same thing, "Mommy feels lots of different things right now about you starting preschool, but mostly I am really excited for you."  

I am happy, I really am.  My little girl has been asking about school for as long as I can remember.  She picked out her backpack and lunch box over a year ago and has had in waiting to fill ever since.  She will love the structure, the games, the learning, the new friends,  the break from her brother.  For all of this I am happy.  But I am also so so sad!  I didn't expect for this to creep up on us so quickly.  One day it was just her and me cuddling our first summer away together.  She was my first baby.  We learned a lot together, from each other.  I have been her teacher for the last 4 1/2 years.  Now, she will look at another "teacher" as pretty much "God."  Whatever her new teacher says will be the final answer in everything.   I am starting to wrap my brain around all this, and I am happy for all her new opportunities, but boy it's hard to let go!  So, to keep me happy and smiling when really I could break at any moment in tears of my Elle's upcoming departure.....here are a few pictures of the end of summer.

Scuba Charlie getting ready for open swim at BSU.  He was the only kid to get out of the pool each time to use the bathroom.  I tried really hard to keep the water out of my mouth-EWWWWW!

CHarlie and Gracie enjoying a ride on Lake Bemidji.

THe wild ones next to our award winning cucumbers and tomatoes.

Charlie is so sure that he is going to preschool too.  He packed his "lunchbox" with 4 powerades and said he was ready to go with Elle to preschool.  Say a little prayer for Charlie's strength on Wednesday when he bids his sister farewell.

Elle all ready for preschool orientation.  The parents went in one area for an informational meeting and the kids went to different rooms for a specific activity.  Upon pick-up of Elle I find they couldn't find her.  Go figure-my kid is the only one missing out of 50 kids.  I eventually found her on the playground outside.  After scolding her she replies, "Mom, you said when I was done with school we could play on the playground.  The teacher said we were done."

1st lemonade stand.  Elle had so much fun and even made $23 which was spend the next day on make-up. Charlie drank a lot of lemonade while helping.

She was so proud of herself.  

We did a practice lunch at home one day to make sure she could open everything I pack for her for preschool.  She insisted on wearing a dress. :)

The next time I post I will have a daughter in PRESCHOOL!  Wish us all luck.  I'm not sure who will need it more, me or Tony ;)