First day of school

The first day of school is always so bittersweet.  I love that they are getting back into a routine (I love routines!) and that they will be using their brains again.  I swear their brains were going to mush between playing the Xbox, computer games and staring at the TV, Kindle and their iPods.  Ugh!!  I can't stand all that screen time.  It is a never ending battle.  And it's also sad because they keep growing up on me! 

Nicholas is off to middle school...MIDDLE school!  6th grade!  Wow.  How in the world does this happen?  It was just yesterday when he looked like this...his first day of preschool at four years old...

And look at his fire engine lunch box!!  I'm gonna cry!!!  And now look at him...my 12 year old boy!  Oh...I can't stand it.  Nicholas asked me the night before school if I was walking to the bus stop with him in the morning.  And he was serious!!  I don't think he really thought it through.  I told him that I didn't think he would really want me at the middle school bus stop.  He just laughed and I could see the look on his face that he understood.  How cute was that?  But that's my boy!  He just loves his Mama. 

And thankfully I still have two in elementary school this year.  Gianna is off to 3rd grade and Julia to 5th grade...

Gianna was so nervous to meet her new teacher.  She was afraid she wasn't going to be nice.  When I went into her room in the morning to get them up, she was already awake and hiding under her blankets.  She said, "Nobody is home!"  But she had a great first day and really likes her teacher.  I knew she would.  Julia wasn't nervous at all.  Why would she be?  She's the big wig in school now! 

And this is Julia on her very first day of preschool when she was four years old...how flippin' cute is she???  Ahhhh...I can't take it...

and little Mae on her first day of preschool...and she was just three years old...

OK...I've got to go get a box of Kleenex now.