Growing Up Johnson: First Day Recap

Lyla & Max successfully completed their first day of school and I'm feeling like we made it through some sort of right of passage. They have adjusted surprisingly well to all of the newness that's been happening. I'm proud of my little humans.

The kiddos were early to rise Wednesday morning and eager to get themselves ready. They picked out their own outfits and Lyla decided on the hairstyle she wanted for her first day. I assembled lunches and prepared book bags. We even decided to celebrate our wedding anniversary a day early, to ensure our Tuesday night focus was all about school. The Kaili brain was in full effect. The front porch sibling pictures were absolutely mandatory, and it sort of felt like we completed a marathon by the time we finally loaded up the car. I do a lot of preparing and tend to make a big production out of events like this, but despite me feeling anxious, everything fell into place and ran smoothly. We are creating a new morning groove and I'm grateful of Kirk for allowing us to disrupt his regular morning routine.

We arrived to school a little early and each of the kid's teachers greeted them in the foyer. Max gave me a hug goodbye and entered his classroom. He was cool as a cucumber. Lyla followed her teacher to her classroom as well, however, she refused to hug me or even acknowledge me for that matter. I think she was mostly excited, but still slightly nervous, and didn't want her nerves to overcome her excitement. It was easier for her to ignore me, rather than make a big production over it being her first day... at least that's what I'm telling myself. Regardless, there was no crying. I was fully expecting someone to cry, especially me. Ha!

The day concluded after four short hours and we loaded up the car to head back home. They were seemingly giddy on the way home, sharing details of their day and new classmates. The most significant part of Lyla's day was learning a boy in her class is allergic to dogs. She finds this very fascinating, considering she continues to mention it several times a day. She later mentioned this classmate also has dark skin, dark hair, and is very handsome. Is it a friendly infatuation or preschool crush --- time will tell. She made one other noteworthy friend in class stating, "I can't really understand what she is saying, but she is very nice." Ha! She cracks me up.

Max left school with a happy attitude as well. My little buddy needs a lot of positive reinforcement throughout the day and I can already tell his teacher is going to be wonderful. Max was less responsive about the details of his day, but I know he had a lot of fun because my desk is located right outside his classroom. I'm able to peek on him throughout the day and it's one of the many reasons I'm grateful for this job opportunity.

The second day was equally as successful. Max and Kirk matched outfits. We found a shirt similar to Kirk's work uniform several months ago and we all agreed it was a must have. Max insisted on saving this shirt for work, but we finally convinced him school is his version of work. As you can see in the photo, they are the most adorable matching duo. To my surprise, Max was a bit attached to me on the second day and even shed some tears. I typically lean towards the "rip off the band-aid" technique --- which consisted of a hug and passing him off to his teacher. He recovered quickly and enjoyed the rest of his day.

The only task left to conquer is getting these little people to stop creeping into our bedroom in the middle of the night. I love snuggling my babies, but they are seriously getting too big for all four of us to share one bed. It's inevitable for someone to wake up with a foot in the face and that's just not a pleasant experience. I have resorted to good old fashioned bribery to stop this madness and it is still not working. Any input is welcome...