School's Open House

Ramsey, Monday morning:  "Mom, I am really nervous for school tomorrow."
Me: "Are you nervous in a good/excited way or in a scared sort of way?"

Ramsey: "More scared, but a little excited."

I know there can be lots of emotions when going back to school.  After all, school has structure... and book-learning... and people... LOTS of people.  Oh, the varying personalities, playground drama, older kids picking on younger ones on the bus, and the desire to just "fit in".   I get it, little bud, I get it.  

We had errands to run before the open house, but we wrapped them up early and were able to get to the school well in advance.   When we arrived, Ramsey told me to stay in the car, as he wanted to go to the front door to check the list to see who his teacher was.

When he returned, he was ECSTATIC to know that his teacher would be Ms. Hoellein.  I asked him which friends would be in his class.  He was so excited with the teacher, he didn't check the class list.  So, we went back together.  Right then, the school principal also was walking to the main doors.   She was cheerful and made Ramsey feel so special with her personal greeting and welcome back!

Sidenote: Ramsey was quite pleased with his classroom friends.  There were a few he wished were switched, but overall, he was happy.

Early arrival advantages:  We found a great parking spot, snapped pictures without a ton of people in the background, and (bonus!) the ability to play on the playground for a nice chunk of time!

I even played; climbing around and swinging.  

It was quite warm, so Ramsey broke out into a sweat.  Gosh, he was having fun though.

I could tell that he was really excited in general!

With 15 minutes to spare until the doors opened, Ramsey wanted to leave the playground, grab his supplies, and prepare himself for entry into the school. 

After the doors opened, the horde of people entered the school.  Ramsey knew exactly where to go and found his classroom.   We met his teacher and he immediately went to find his desk.

Ms. Hoellein had a survey on the board for the kids.  One of the questions was "How do you feel about 3rd Grade?"   Ramsey happily put his sticker in the "Excited" area.  

We were happy to see that his buddy, Henry, would be in his class this year!  He hadn't been the previous years, so both boys (and us Mommas!) were thrilled.  

After we unpacked his supplies, we took a peek around the classroom at all of the wonderful decorations, fun reading area, meaningful quotes/reminders.  Then, we said a "see ya for now" to Ms. Hoellein.  

Ramsey, after returning home from the open house: "Mom, I want to make time to faster. How do I do that?"

Me: "Is this because you are anxious to get back to school?"

Ramsey: "YES!"

Me:  "Then, go to bed.  When you're sleeping, time flies by quickly.  Get some rest.  6AM comes quicker than we think!"

With that, for once, the kid didn't baulk at bedtime prep or try to stall in any way.  He did the usual ritual without numerous "reminders" and then stated he was ready for bed.

I read him a few stories from his favorite silly fairytale book.   After about 15 minutes, he informed me "that's enough, Mom, I'm ready to sleep now".  He didn't chat with God too long at prayer time either!  It was rather short and sweet. 

Wishing this sweetheart the best and most amazing 3rd Grade year ever!