5th grade, here we come

On Monday, we went to Gabe's meet n' greet at his new school. We met his 5th grade teacher and we both loved her. He came home and said he was now excited to start school. Yay! We had been talking through his fears for a couple of weeks-- fear of not knowing anyone and a new school- but I kept telling him that he's great at making friends, teachers love him because he's respectful, and that he's a quick learner so he'll adjust quick. I guess after being in the school, he was convinced of that too!

So Tuesday night he packed his own lunch, picked out his own clothes and set his alarm. For 6am. That's brutal folks. His bus comes at 6:50am at the end of our street. I just can't imagine if he was a kindergartener. Truthfully, he probably won't ride the bus many days, but we want to establish the habit for him and for the bus driver so that if we ever need him to ride, it's an option. 

This morning he was in the kitchen before we were. He was chatty cathy and I was bleary eyed trying to find the coffee pot!

He fixed his own breakfast... a cereal bar and a protein shake and he snatched up his book bag and headed off!

I reminded him that no first day is complete without a picture and he obliged :)

Chad on the other hand wasn't quite ready for the barely lit walk to the bus stop...

And so the rest of us waited until 2:30pm....

The little boys voted for late naps so they could see his bus....

And took off running when I told them it was time....

We had to stand near the mailbox so the baby's monitor would still work while we waited for the sight of that big ole' yellow cheese carrying our Gabe home...

And when they spotted it....

They took off!
Some a little faster than others....

And all was well in the Bowman nest!

He came in the door all smiles and and stories-- he was handing me forms and telling me about the day. He loves a good day of organizing, and that's mostly what today was-- learning the ropes, labeling notebooks, making cover pages and color coding... be still my heart :)

Gabe- we can't believe you're in 5th grade! We're excited about your year and watching you keep growing into the man God wants you to be! We pray that you're always brave enough to be a leader and do the right thing, even when it's hard, and that you'll live and love like Jesus! Now just know that even though you think you're too old, I will continue to hide notes in your lunchbox from time to time, and your brothers will always be awaiting your arrival back home. Have fun, learn a lot, and slow down the whole growing up thing, geez! Love you buddy- more than you know or understand!