And they are off!!

The boys started school a few weeks ago.  Alex is off to middle school and Connor is off to High school. It seemed a little surreal dropping them off on the first day, half way between their two schools. Alex went one way towards his school with his back pack and skate (long) board, looking pretty confident for his first day of Middle school, although I'm sure there were some nervous feelings bubbling just under the surface.

Connor walked the other direction towards the high school. Once he was a few feet from the car his demeanor changed and he fell into stride along a couple of his friends that were walking up. I was thinking, there he goes, into his own world that we really have no control over. It's his life for the next few hours, he makes the decisions and choices that will mold and shape him into the man he is on his way to becoming.

I have to say, I felt differently this year. Normally, every year when I drop them off for the first day of school I get emotional. This year I felt almost numb and over the past few weeks I've realized what I was feeling, if I'm being honest, was fear. It's scary to see them growing up so fast. I know I should be excited for them but as a mom it's hard to push away all the thoughts of what could happen. These are such important years and there are so many temptations surrounding them. It's hard not to focus on the "what ifs".

On the other hand, I know at their core they are both good people, smarter and more confident then I ever was at that age, that's for sure!

You just have to hope and pray that you've put enough good stuff in there and given them enough direction to make good decisions. Of course they are going to make mistakes, that's the way we learn. Every time they walk out that door, I just hope they come back safe and sound and that mistakes that are made are just painful enough to help them grow but not enough to damage them for life.

So on that note, here are some pictures of the first day............