And so another year begins (with a total freak out moment)...

It's back to school day again, and so here is my obligatory picture of the boys before we left this morning:

I still can't believe that Nathan will be in 3rd grade this year and Bryan is now a 6th grader at the middle school next door. I think back to when Nate was in Kinder and Bryan was the 3rd grader:

It just doesn't seem so long ago.  They've grown so much since then... 
As a mother, I struggle with the whole idea that they are getting older.  This morning when I dropped off Bryan at the middle school, I wanted to walk him in and help him find his classrooms. You know - it's middle school now, 8 periods, 5 teachers...he could get lost or overwhelmed. I know I was. After a few minutes, I realized I was practically the only parent in there (I think I saw one other mother).  How did this happen? When did he get old enough to be dropped off on his first day of school and not need me to walk him in?  I knew I should leave to save him from total embarrassment, so I made sure he knew where his first class was and left.  I didn't even get to hug him because there were way too many other kids around who might see... I left, but inside I was freaking out.  The thought crossed my mind to hang around and watch to make sure he got to his first class okay, you know, all super-stealthy-ninja style. But I didn't.  It took everything I had in me to walk away, get in my car and head off to work 10 minutes before that first school bell was due to ring.  For some reason I think leaving him there this morning was harder than leaving him at daycare or preschool for the first time.  I wonder why...maybe because the school is just so much bigger, with so many more kids, and he just seemed so small to me this morning in that environment.  Well, it's now 8:41 and he should be starting his second period by now.  No phone calls from the school yet, so he must be doing okay. Time to shut off the paranoid, overprotective, micro-managing mom functions and start accepting the fact that my boy has grown up. Besides, I still have one little guy left in elementary school.  I can still walk him into school no matter what day of the year it is.  Yeah, it'll be okay.  Here's to what I hope will be a fantastic year for both boys!!!