Kindergarten, Schmindergarten!

Clayton is every bit as excited as Esten about this.

Esten picked out his own clothes-gotta look sharp if you're gonna pick out a girlfriend the first day.

I really AM excited, I was just kidding!

Kindergarten. Some of the best memories of your entire school life start there. This is the one teacher it's guaranteed you'll never forget. You'll be surprised when you're older and you find out she's retiring. You'll be surprised because you think she's about as old as anyone can be already, and shocked that she could still be teaching at 103. The best ones will track you down in high school to give you back a picture you colored for her.

So this morning the tables were finally turned. Instead of me huffing and puffing to get the boys to get the lead out, Esten was under my feet griping at me...."Hurry UUUUUP MOM! We're going to be late and I'll have to go to the Principal's office!!!!" Hm, excited much? Yes.

Esten has been beside himself about going into Kindergarten. This is serious business for a boy who thrives on any fact that solidifies his superiority over his little brother. It started way back in preschool for him last year when his teacher there explained that they would be (most of them) going to Kindergarten next fall. Once in the car, Esten cockily boasted, "I get to go to KENDRICK Garden next year and you don't get to, Clayton, because you're too little." Obviously he came up with that little word of his own since Auntie Angie lives in Kendrick and teaches Kindergarten, that MUST be what it's called. Phonetics aside, Clayton burst into tears. It's been an on again-off again backstabbing battle since then. Whenever Esten wants to get a good dig in, he'll just remind Clayton about the awesome bus ride he'll go on every day, just like Napoleon Dynamite.

Yes, Napoleon Dynamite. Without the pesky interjection of school in their little lives thus far, a goodly portion of their education comes right from where God intended...the television. While early on I could get away with Little Einsteins and Dora, they have added new "favorites" to their list, and now that Esten knows how to run the remote himself, anything that comes up on channels 170-176 are on his radar. Thanks to Napoleon, he told me he's okay with the school idea now, and that if he needs some chapstick or his tummy hurts there is a nurse at the school he can go talk to. Hmmm. Thanks, I guess...I hadn't thought of that. He also pointed out to me my lacking in the cooking department since we "never have any TOTS for dinner".

Sorry Honey, mommy is trying to control her cholesterol.

So day one of Kindergarten down. Many many more to go. Hopefully discussions of insect wings and primary colors and how to be a good friend will begin to choke out discussions about why it's not okay for him to throw an action figure out the back bus window on a string and drag it all the way to school.

Lord help us - especially since we'll be doing this with Clayton all over again next year.