First Day, Hooray!

After lots of swimming and a nice visit in LaGrange with past weekend with his Nonna, Luke’s big day has finally arrived. We’ve been reading a library book called First Day, Hooray! and now today was his first day of school! We got back to Knoxville last night and started the first of many a Sunday night rituals to come: pack your bookbag and your lunch, lay out your clothes for the morning. Luke even went right to bed without his usual protest. One, he was tired from swimming and our car ride, but mainly, I think he was just excited about what morning would bring. When we awoke today, the sun was shining but the air was cool and crisp just like you think a good first day at school should be. Luke jumped up happy and headed downstairs by himself to use the potty. Next we ate breakfast and watched Curious George just like any other morning, but this was no ordinary morning. By 8:30 we were dressed, gathered all our bags and his lunch and headed to go to school. I took his picture on our front step, proudly holding his lunchbox and ready for the world. We arrived at school early, like most of the other parents and children but we had to wait until the doors opened at 9 AM sharp. It was so sweet to see all the excited little kids, and I wondered if any of the other parents were feeling mixed emotions about the day.

Finally the doors opened. Luke was the first one to run into his classroom. He had memorized his teachers’ names over the weekend and helped me say good morning to them. He didn’t have much time for chit-chat though because they had brought in a train-track table and he made a beeline for the engines and freight cars. I put his things away, talked with the teachers, and then it was time for me to go. He and I had already talked about how he should try to hug and comfort any of the kids who were sad to leave their mommies and daddies, and as I expected, he was not one of them. He never cried or even looked sad when I said goodbye. He was perfectly content to be there and that certainly made it a lot easier on me.

When I went to pick him up, he was sound asleep on his little cot, holding his lamb. He must have played hard because his teacher said he was the first one to fall asleep. I was worried for nothing! I figured he’d be the one kid that wouldn’t sleep a wink. He presented the shape and color of the day and said he had fun playing trains and that they read ‘Five Monkeys.’ All in all, I’d say it was a great first day of school.

Ready, Set, Learn

After returning home from his vacation in Murphy, Luke came back to Knoxville to get down to business. Luke his cousin Delaney who starts kindergarten soon, he will be starting preschool next week and went to meet his teacher and some of this classmates at orientation. As many of your know, Luke told me earlier this summer he “wanted friends” and is so into playing with other kids at the park that we knew was ready for preschool whether we were or not. He likes the children on our block, but most of them are much older and I know he will enjoy having age-mates to play with and a new environment for learning and group play. We were lucky to finally get a spot at our church’s preschool and so Luke is classroom-bound and thrilled about it. He will carry his Thomas lunch box that his Aunt Holly sent several weeks ago and is constantly packing and repacking his bookbags around the house. His excitement for school is running a close second only to our upcoming trip to Spokane to see his Nonna and Bacca. He’s been packing for that trip for about a month! I can’t believe he’s not only old enough but so eager to start his school career. I know it’s just preschool and only two days a week, but it’s a big deal to me and I imagine it will be an empowering change for him. So next time you talk to him, ask him about school and I bet he’ll have a lot to say.

A Week of Birthday

This year I was very fortunate to see several of my relatives on my birthday. My sister Michele came over for a visit the night before and then on August 8, my cousin Rob and his bride-to-be, Crystal, had a nice wedding shower near Asheville, NC. Ben, Luke, and I drove over that morning from Knoxville and met up with my Aunt Beverly and Uncle Harmon and my mother and Mamaw in from Murphy. I met Crystal’s wonderful family for the first time and got to enjoy seeing Luke play with her two little nieces. The adults had a great time and the couple received many lovely gifts for their home, but I think the little ones had the most fun of all. I didn’t think Luke was going to want to leave. After the shower, Luke went home with his Nanny and Mamaw for a week of 'cation (vacation) in Murphy. Ben and I had the evening alone in Asheville and took in the sights and dining downtown. We tried two places, Sante and Bouchon, and both were delicious. I think I enjoyed all the gallery space the most, though. The old Woolworth’s department store has been reopened as an art and craft gallery which you can spend hours just browsing through; the soda fountain was still open, too, so you can go for a shake or a coffee while you ‘re there.

Luke relaxing on 'cation

On Sunday, Ben and I headed back to Knoxville while Luke visited with all the relatives back in Murphy. We missed him here, but I think he was having too much fun seeing new people and playing with his cousin that he probably didn’t miss us too much at all. He had the undivided attention of his Aunt Chele, Nanny, and Papa, not to mention the aunts, uncles, and great grands who live in the area, too. In one respect I squandered my week alone at home in the days because I don’t think I accomplished anything significant but I’m going to declare dabbling with your hobbies and relaxing is a triumph if you are a stay-at-home mother.

We had originally planned for Luke to go to my parents for a couple nights because Ben gave me concert tickets for my birthday. So the following Friday night with Luke still away, he and I went down to World’s Fair Park and took in the last night of the The Big Surprise Tour with Old Crow Medicine Show, Dave Rawling and Gilian Welch, Justine Towns Earle, and the Felice Brothers. It was a completely different crowd than we typically see in Knoxville, so it was to see some more diversity and enjoy a nice night out listening to the music. We both hoped for more stage time for Gilian Welch, but I wasn’t disappointed in the show at all. Old Crow did a great job as did all the other acts. I’d go see any of them again. So I guess overall, I celebrated my birthday for one week straight and would recommend you all think about trying that out for yourself sometime. Every so many years, one day just isn’t enough.