My Baby Is in Kindergarten

Tuesday was Ben's first day of Kindergarten. Well in advance, we took his supply list to Target and gathered up all his supplies. I was like a kid in a candy shop--I've been waiting for a legitimate reason to shop back to school supplies for years!

Though I must say I had a bit of sticker shock at spending over $60 (with coupons and sales!) for half-day Kindergarten. Say what? I can't imagine that he will use all that stuff in 10 hours a week. But no biggie.

Next, we ordered him a backpack from Pottery Barn Kids. I'd been warned by several people that the big box store backpacks don't hold up, and it is worth it to invest in a good one. Also, the PB Kids price versus the Target price really isn't that different. This Mackenzie small bag was on sale for $33 and free shipping. I had a gift card for $25 too, so that made it even better! I let Ben choose the pattern. 

I figured we'd end up with a super hero bag, but he fell in love with this snake print. The small size is PERFECT for a Kindergarten. Ben got the rolling overnight bag in Batman print from Grammy and Grampy last Christmas, and it is great for one-nighters but too big for day-to-day use.

So we were all set and waited and waited for that first day! That morning we took Liv to daycare, but Ben stayed home with me. Mike worked from home so that he could come along on Ben's first day too.

Liv wanted in on the picture taking too, with her big "cheese" smile. That smile is almost as big as her hair. Almost.

At 9 a.m. we took a few photos and then headed over to his school. We had a nice button down shirt picked out, but at the last minute he wanted to wear his Blackhawks t-shirt.

Ben is now a Homestead Huskie. He loves that his mascot is a huskie--he loves those dogs. On the first day, the parents bring the kids, and then we listen to a lot of information while the kids head to the classroom with their teacher.

I really didn't think that Ben starting Kindergarten would feel like that big of a deal to me. He's been going to full-time daycare since he was 4 months old, so being separated certainly isn't new to me. So I was as surprised as anyone when my tears started to come as he lined up and headed off to his classroom.

We weren't allowed to go back to the classroom to get photos (don't get me started on that one!), so I wasn't able to get anymore photos. But Ben and I did go to lunch together and then ran an errand at Costco, where he picked out another SWAT costume. His last one is way too small on him now, so he's thrilled to have one that fits again.

He decided to change into his button down before lunch. Okie dokie....

Then we spent the afternoon playing police, which worked out well for me. I had to lie on a bed he made me on my bedroom floor, while he brought me pretend "prison food" and I browsed the Internet on my phone. :-) He runs a tight ship.

He absolutely loves Kindergarten and can't wait to go each day. He also decided he needs more responsibilities to match his new found Kindergarten status. So cute.