First Day of School!!!!

Despite the mornings of practice runs and Mom actually getting up and out of bed before H (um...I think....at least I was awake before she got out of bed....), we barely made it to the bus! We had headed out five minutes earlier than the bus driver had told us (although, I had wanted to be there fifteen minutes early), with her last minute, cheese-stick breakfast and a chair for relaxing in hand, and before we even reached the intersection, here zooms the bus! We live in a deep cul-de-sac off a 45mph country road, so that bus will easily come and go without us having a clue. I tossed the (of course, unwrapped!) cheese stick in a back pocket of her backpack, H climbed aboard, and before the door even closed the bus was off!

There was no time for pictures, not that the batteries were working anyway, despite my vain efforts to charge them that morning. But, ah well, I figured I'd get a good one when she came home. We could always fix her hair again if she needed it, right?

Hahhaha, riiiiiight......

Jumping to this afternoon:

So, Mama's watching the clock practically the whole hour before H's supposed to come home. If I'm not there to pick up Miss Kindergartener, she'll have to ride along the whole bus route and be taken back to the school. I double-checked the time school gets out to see when the soonest is that H could arrive (she's one of the first stops). That would be 2:15p.m. At 2:10, H's teacher calls to verify that H is supposed to ride the bus as she was insisting. (She accidentally checked "car rider" during the Open House). I confirm that H's correct, give her the bus number, hang up the phone, and am feeling on the ball. At 2:20, I look in the mirror. Ooo, scary! Lil'S is still asleep. I have 10 minutes to wash my hair. Perfect. Once again, I'm feeling on the ball.

I finish washing my hair, I hear Lil'S calling, and it's 2:30p.m. Time for the buses to leave the school and ten minutes before the bus driver said to expect her. Of course, I'm expecting her sooner, so I grab Lil'S, pull on his shoes, hurry out the door, get the stroller from the car trunk, strap Lil'S in, and head down the street.

Low and behold, I'm not even halfway down the cul-de-sac when I am able to view the stopping bus. Run, Mama, run!!! If the driver doesn't see me, H'll be on her way back to school, and if she does see me, my baby's going to be crossing the highway without me!

Might I add, that my long hair was still a tangled, soaking wet mass at this point. I had started brushing it out once I got the stroller off our (NEW!!!) gravel driveway and onto the road, about three strokes before I saw the stopping bus.

Well, of course, Miss H made it across the highway safe and sound (with a long line-up of cars to watch this sloppy, running mama picking up her little girl...but I was thankful my prego belly was NOT gigantic yet!) We hugged and headed to the house. She was so exhausted when she got home that she couldn't even smile. There was NO posing outside for the camera for this little girl! So, I just had to grab some snapshots of her getting settled inside.

putting down her backpack

Here's the best I could get from her as she took off her shoes--a half smile!

Starving Girl!