It's the first day of school!

I had a bad mommy moment and left the camera at home. So I have no pictures documenting his first day of school BUT I will have pictures from the second day of school. That's almost the same thing, right? Ugh, I feel awful. I can't believe I did that.

Today Kael started school at his new school. It was chaos! A bigger campus means more people and there were people milling around like ants on an ant hill. I was worried Kael would freak out as he doesn't like crowds but he did great. Having him go to summer school really did the trick - he looked comfortable as he entered his classroom and even called out to his summer buddies. If you were to ask him what their names were though, he'd have no clue. They are simply "my new friends."

He did run into a pal from his old school and it was the sweetest moment - a Kodak moment. (I'm really kicking myself in the butt for forgetting the camera.) His "best friend" from the old school is Max and for a while we didn't know if Max was staying at Hillsborough (old school) or coming to Fairmont (new school). Mom Kathy decided at the ninth hour to move Max over but I didn't tell Kael because I didn't know until yesterday. At parent-music time before class this morning, he saw Max, pushed his way through the crowd (an amazing feat if you know Kael and his crowd anxiety) and the look of happiness on the two boys' faces as they hugged each other was priceless. I still get warm and squishy inside remembering the moment. I'm a little bummed that they aren't in the same class but hopefully they get recess together.

Kael is in the 5 half-days a week preschool program. I'm OK with the half-days part (8:30am - 12:00pm). It's the 5 days a week part that I'm still struggling with. I have fears that it's too much for him... but I also have to remember it's only 3.5 hours a day. I figure Fridays will be a free day - if he's struggling with the week then we'll play hooky and have an early weekend. People ask me what I'm going to do with all my "free time", to which I respond: "What free time??" (clearly these people don't have two kids). Malia still takes a morning nap which kills any free time I've got. By the time she wakes up, it's time to pick up Kael and I haven't done anything as far as errands. I can't wait for her to go down to one nap, although I really don't know how that's going to happen if she continues to wake up at 6:00am.

Speaking of non-existent free time... I recently joined a gym (*gasp*). It's been about 4 years since I last stepped inside one, and I have to tell you - it was pretty darn intimidating walking back through the machines and free weights, and looking at all the sweaty people. While I haven't deteriorated too badly into a flabby schlob, I'm not exactly at my toned peak, either. I read somewhere that a woman hits her prime in her 30's, and let's just say I'm still waiting to blossom and starting to panic because my 30-something year old clock is running out of time. I called Ethel and hammered out a nighttime work-out schedule with her so the husbands can watch the kids. We're starting with 3 days a week with the goal of bumping it up to 4-5 days a week after we ascertain our bodies can handle all that exercise and not rebel by keeling over while on the treadmill.

Keeping in mind that we are the pair who in the recent past have gone out for ice cream at 9:30pm and a late-night second dinner at Denny's at 10:00pm - I deep down in my heart believe we will stick to the schedule and will get our bodies of steel by Christmas.

That is... if we don't get sidetracked by the Coldstone Creamery shop just a few doors down from the gym.