There’s just a few short days left of summer, and Wednesday we’ll be entering a new season: all 3 kids will be in school 5 days a week! Our family’s biggest milestone is Charlotte starting Kindergarten, and although she doesn’t say much about it, I can tell she’s both excited and anxious. Her teacher called a few days ago, and of course I immediately stalked her on Facebook. I showed her profile picture to Charlotte, and she spent a good 30 seconds studying it, a tiny hint of a smile on her face. Today, she made her teacher a card, carefully printing each letter of her name over a drawing of a flower surrounded by tiny hearts.

Yesterday, Charlotte got her hair cut, losing about 3 inches of length. She now sports a cute, happy little bob that frames her face and hopefully won’t look stringy and ratty by the end of the day like had become the norm with her long hair. She insists that she wants to wear only dresses to school, so today I braved the tax free weekend crowds and bought her 5 dresses at the Gymboree outlet. I didn’t take her, because I value my sanity, so I hope the dresses I chose will be acceptable when I show them to her.

Daycare this summer has been a really good experience for Charlotte. She thrives on structure, yet loves the freedom to be creative, and the little country daycare she and Nolan attended, just a block from where I work, was the perfect combination of scheduled days with lots of free, open ended play. I hope that her first year in highly structured public school will be a good experience and she’ll continue to love school as she always has.

Grayson will be a second grader this year, and will meet his third new Life Skills teachers in as many years tomorrow night. I also spoke to her on the phone last week, and she seems kind, calm and mentioned several times how adorable G is in the pictures she’s seen of him. She has 25 years experience teaching special needs kids, and let me know she has a special needs son of her own, so I’m not worried. We have yet to have a bad experience in the 6 years G has been going to school, so I have lots of optimism about this year.

I took Grayson to get his hair cut this afternoon, a job that I am forever assigning to Ryan from now on. I never remember which number blade we ask to buzz his hair with, and today ended up way too short. But, it’s hair, so I just shrugged and moved on. I never understand when people get so worked up about a haircut, especially at work and it’s dogs getting haircut. Hair grows back, people. Relax.

Nolan’s teacher called today; I already knew he’s getting the same teacher Charlotte had in the 3s, but it was still great to officially hear from her. She asked me if there was anything she needed to know about Nolan. Ummm….no? He’s a pretty easy kid, and teachers adore him. I guess I should have remembered to tell her he screams his head off, kicking and thrashing every. single. day. when I drop him off at daycare, but it’s all a scam. I tell him every morning, “Nolan, you’re not going to cry today when we go to class.” He sheepishly grins at me and says, “Yes. Yes, I AM going to cry.” And, he does. #fixitjesus.

But Nolan is potty trained, so I can’t complain about much. My biggest anxiety going into the summer was that he wouldn’t be trained in time for school to start after Labor Day. There was no need to worry, because by the end of the first week of daycare, he had it. The kid has the bladder of a camel- he can easily go 8-9 hours without having to pee, and I have to force him to sit on the potty and go. He still insists on wearing Pull-Ups to bed, although every morning they are bone dry. I’m going to make him start paying for his own if he wants to continue to wear them.

I’m anxious about a lot in my life, but am exceptionally grateful that my children going to school isn’t one of these things. This is my favorite time of year- new beginnings, new teachers, new friendships, new starts. Here’s to a great new school year for everyone!