September? Gone?

Yeah yeah I didn't get a single post in during September. I stink I know. But it's mid-October and we've been knee deep into things here. I can't even believe that school started and now we are only about 5 weeks from Thanksgiving. CRAZY.

So what have we been up to? Aimee started Kindergarten (sniff) and while I was a little sad that my baby is 5 and getting on the school bus, she loves it and it just makes my heart swell to see her beaming as she gets on the bus. She loves her teacher and is making a lot of new friends and it's just been so so great. Nicole is also loving preschool and her teachers tell me that she is so cuddly and loves to be held on their laps, etc. Luckily she is barely tipping the scales at about 29 pounds so she's easy to hold and carry for the short distances in the classroom. Aimee even loves to come with me to drop Nicole off and see her past teachers from both the 3 year old classroom and the 4 year old classroom. It's such a great school and I am so lucky to be able to send my kids there and to have gone there myself.

What I have found with school starting is that we have so much to do. Every day is a shuffle and it's been stressful trying to make sure we have everyone where they need to be every day. I can see how couples could have friction from this. It sure means that you and your partner have a good give and take relationship and value the other's schedule and needs. I could never ever work my current job without the support of my husband. He does the pick ups and drop offs most of the time so that I can just roll out of bed into my carpool (have I mentioned that yet? I LOVE my carpool) and onto work. I know that it means he gets only two mornings where he can just get out of the house early without responsibilities but he takes it on great.

I am mostly in charge of making sure he only has to pick up the right backpacks and lunch sacks for each child and doesn't have to think about what is in them, just trusting that I have packed adequate lunches and snacks for them. I am the one who makes sure that the library book is packed on Mondays for library day, that sneakers are laid out for Thursdays for gym day. That the correct color is put on for the theme color day of the week and that the clothes laid out for each of the girls will be warm or cool enough for the weather of the day. It isn't an easy step by step process that we go through each night preparing for the next day but it is certainly necessary so that everyone is on time and where they need to be.

And the carpool. Love the carpool. A friend of mine at work who lives a town over from me suggested that we try to coordinate rides into and out of the office on the days I am in the office all day. So on Mondays and Thursdays we share a ride in and I am loving it. I love being able to use the carpool lane and zip past the latest accident or incident on the roadways. I love being able to converse with someone so easily and share funny anecdotes and advices on being a working mother. I love that I am not shelling out as much in gas money too.

So it has been a fun fall so far. Jammed packed with dancing lessons, swimming lessons, after school camps, girl scouts, etc. etc. but everyone seems happy and well adjusted. But if you had asked me 6 weeks ago how this would all work out I would have shrugged my shoulders and given a big "I dunno" but like anything else I have learned as a parent, you just roll with it and somehow it all comes together.