Happy New Year!

I heard a dad say "Happy New Year" to another dad this morning at school and it made me laugh. It pretty much is a new year every September once you have school-aged kids. January 1st is just a break in the middle of the year as far as my schedule is concerned.

Today is the first day of school. As I sit here while Jed plays in silence and I'm not breaking up fights or telling Maddie to find something to do, I'm thrilled that school is back in session. This morning, when I woke up at 6:30 and was making lunches and telling Sam to eat faster, I wasn't so thrilled. I guess there are always pros and cons. Jed isn't seeing any cons, he's got free reign of all the toys and is able to pick which show he watches. He wouldn't even leave his toys to say goodbye to Larry this morning.

It's a big year for Maddie and Sam...they get to walk to school by themselves. It's going to be awfully nice to not have to sit in a carpool pick-up lane ever again (okay, if it rains, I might go pick them up). Larry and I walked with them this morning to familiarize them with the route. They'll be meeting up with several other kids, so I hope they don't have too much fun and forget to get to school.

Maddie also has undergone a mini makeover. I think she thinks she's been on "What Not To Wear" (one of her favorite shows), less the $5000 wardrobe. We went shopping for a few updates and she felt she needed accessories with each outfit. She also got a new haircut, complete with bangs. She can hardly wait until she gets her ears pierced on her birthday in a month. She said that when that happens, she'll be "done." Really, I don't know how we could afford another girl, it's a good thing there's only one!

Sam was blessed with another young, cute teacher. Larry remembers having a crush on his kindergarten teacher and he says she wasn't even that good looking. If that's the case, Sam should have major crushes on both of his teachers thus far. He was quite the trooper, wearing a backpack that's almost as big as he is. It does have wheels (that light up, no less), so he doesn't have to suffer any permanent back damage this year. On the way to school this morning, he asked, "Mom, is walking to school exercise?"