Because I'm Full of Surprises!!!

Try to contain your excitement...but I do believe this will be my THIRD post in almost as many days!  I thought I would share the events of this morning with you, as they are monumental in SO many ways.  For one...it's the first day of school in the desert.  It's a monumental day for SO many reasons!  For one...it's HIS LAST first day of school!

 That's right!  My big boy is a SENIOR this year!!!!!!  How in the world did that happen?!!!

Don't you remember him being this little just yesterday?! I feel like I've been time robbed!!!

Not only is he a senior, he's a senior who can DRIVE!  So this year, instead of enjoying his intellectual banter each morning on the way to school,

He will be driving himself AND his brother to school.  Sniff, sniff.  I lose BOTH of their charming and witty company in the mornings.  This really is a good thing...I know it is.  But it was SO much harder than I thought it would be watching him drive off this morning.  I thought I'd be doing a happy dance, but mostly I just kicked into mommy worry overdrive.  Sigh. Here's Max's morning sidekick...

A sophomore.  Does this even seem possible?  I will miss this boy in the hours he is away at school.  He's a sweet one, this one.  He's thoughtful, polite, funny, always has a hug for his mom.  And is just generally a delight and easy to be around.  That high school is SO lucky to be getting him the greater chunk of his day. 

But alas...I wasn't left standing there all teary eyed in the driveway for too long because there was still a certain blondie who was BUSTING with excitement to leave and get started on HER monumental day...that's right...it HER first day of MIDDLE SCHOOL.  (Enter heart attack here)

She is BEYOND excited about this school year.  She's nervous and worried and over the moon happy and crazy excited all rolled up in one!  She can't wait to see who is in her classes, what the work will be like, if she will be able to find her way to all her classes on the huge campus and if she will make it to all her classes on time.  She has spent hours picking just the right outfit, making sure her nails are painted JUST RIGHT and picking out just the right shade of lip gloss (yes..it's her token "make up" this year).  She seemed SO grown up standing there this morning.  

Good grief!  She's off to school wearing make up and I'm still seeing her like this...

 Obviously, I need to get a grip this morning.  All this walking down memory lane is killing me!  My baby is NOT a baby anymore and she'd take offense to me thinking she is.  She's growing up to be quite the beautiful young lady.  I especially love this picture I snapped of her this morning...

So seriously beautiful.  And not babyish.  Sigh.  My heart hurt when I dropped her off at the middle school this morning.  A LOT.  I was ready to feel a total rush of excitement and freedom.  The urge to come home and clean and purge.  But I'm sitting here this morning missing her.  Missing all of them.  I feel like I have a rock in my stomach as I wonder how their morning is going.  Is she finding her classes.  Does she have friends in her classes?  Is she making any new friends?  Is everyone being nice to her?  Are her teachers nice?  I miss them all.  All the noise they bring.  And the mess.  And the chaos.  Did I mention they are messy?  I'm jealous of everyone who is getting to share their day with my children...talk about surprise?!  I don't think I've ever missed them as much as I miss them this morning.

 Seriously...with these sweet faces...what's not to miss?!  Life is good in the desert.  Changing.  Transitioning.  A good bit quieter today than it's been in a long time.  Happy first day of school!