What doesn't kill you makes you stronger...

We've successfully completed Katie's first week of 2nd grade. SECOND GRADE. Katie loves her teacher, one of her best friends is in her class, and she has been happy and upbeat about getting up in the morning. Like, so happy she hasn't growled at me when we share bathroom space and I happen to get within 2 feet of her space bubble.

It's been great.

I took the day off so I could get her to school. Me and the boys walked her to her class and Jacob went in and gave her a big hug before we left. There were no teary eyes (mine OR hers), mostly because she just marched in and moved her name from the "out" section to the "in" section on the smart board, then sat down at her table.

As a side note? Smart boards are awesome.

I stayed and watched her for a few minutes then we headed home to get in the car and head to the day care where I had an appointment for Jack's conferences at 10:00 and there was an open house for both of the boys.

Jack's conference was good. I heard a lot of positive stuff about Jack and he's "developing as expected" which is great! The leader was saying that he's got a funny and kind of advanced sense of humor, he's talking a lot, he comforts others when they are upset, he's very loving when he plays with dolls, and he's still a little clumsy. (A little clumsy is better than a lot clumsy which is what he used to be.) Oh, and they'll start potty training as soon as they see cues that he's ready. Woo hoo!

Then we had a treat... kiwi smiles. They're just graham crackers topped with whipped mixed berry cream cheese and kiwi slices. I didn't think it sounded good but it turned out to be delicious! (So good that I had to buy the stuff to make them at home.) We also visited Jacob's room and looked around.

I needed to pick Katie up after school and Grammy came over to watch the boys so I could spend some special time with her to hear about her day. Jack ended up sleeping the whole time so she got to visit with Jacob.

I waited in front of school wondering which door she would come out of. One of the day care people who was also helping out at the school told me that 2nd graders usually come out of the door on the right. Not realizing he was telling me this specifically because my kid is a SECOND GRADER, I asked which door 1st graders come out of. Duh.

I was so relieved to hear that Katie had a great first day. We stopped and sat down in the grass on the school property and Katie enjoyed her drink and snack cake. We chatted about school and the kids in her class while we watched everyone heading home. After about 30 minutes, we headed off to relieve grammy.

The boys started day care the next day and I headed back to work. Drop off was weird. Jackson usually clings and wants to stay with me. Jacob usually marches into class. That day, Jackson marched right in and started to play with his friends. Jacob was extremely clingy. He was adorable though. I had to have hugs and kisses and he told me that he loves me even when he can't see me. Is that cute or what!

Going back to work was a welcome relief after the horribleness of last week. The kids were all home, no day care or school, and grammy and grampy watched them on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I was home with them Tuesday and Thursday. Those two days were the loooooooongggggggesstttttttt days I have ever experienced*. It was like the days stretched into a neverending rotation of kids fighting, kids playing nicely, kids fighting, kids jumping, kids screaming, kids yelling, kids playing nicely, kids pulling out all of their toys, kids hitting, kids fighting, kids playing, kids running, then finally... finally... kids sleeping.

*I wouldn't recommend last week to anyone. Jacob has a laugh he uses, I think he modeled it after the laugh at the end of the Thriller video, and I usually hear this laugh when he's doing something he should not be doing. Like sitting on his brother, pushing him over, throwing toys at Katie, jumping off of the couch, etc. I heard the laugh many many many times last week. And  at about mid-day every day, I had a strong desire to throw candy and BBQ chips at the kids just to keep them safely occupied.

It just makes me even more thankful for the support I have from my grandparents and parents. And reminds me of how lucky am I that my parents live here! Mom and I figure out what's for dinner, dad plays with the kids, I actually have time to fold laundry or clean the bathroom... and I feel less alone. (And BONUS that mom is a good cook. I love when she makes dinner!)

Well, I'm off to be productive. Nothing exciting. Just time to clean the kids' bedrooms and maybe "put away" some toys. Because they aren't here at the moment so I won't have to hear them complain when I throw away the broken toys or the happy meal toys. Not surprising, those toys won't be missed when they get home.