first day

A new school year started today, and the weather blew in a cool, rainy fall-like day...  Aiden was up and ready to go with nearly an hour to spare.  It almost seemed too easy getting everything geared up.  Aiden and I finished up his backpack robot yesterday afternoon.  He even helped on the sewing machine for the first time!  The robot guy has eyes that blink and a mouth that opens and shuts. He's required to have a much larger backpack that will fit a large folder so it looks gigantic on him!  His face on the left might make you think he was a little nervous for school, but no not at all - That is his robot surprise face!  

I didn't shed a tear that my grown up guy is so independent that he just hopped into his classroom like he'd been there for months.  Although a Natalie Merchant song tried to get me in the car on the way to pick him up, with the These Are the Days...to remember... Oh, I know that I will remember these sweet early family days...and the big backpacks with three year old robot designs, water smudged shirts, and chinny smiles...

Aiden quotes on the ride home:

"So did we just go through a car pool?  Can our car swim?"

"I met new friends because we were all new together!  Even I was new!"

"They had the same pink tower at my old American school and here in my Florida school in Virginia."

"I ate some cheese during our fire drill which came on over the radio."

"I have my inside shoes on in the car!  Oops!"

"My backpack robot is sleeping and eating at the same time!"

Here are the lyrics from the 10,000 Maniacs song with Natalie Merchant that popped on the radio as I cruised in the minivan to the car pool lane.  Have they been playing this song on the radio since the 90s?!  

these are days you'll remember

never before and never since, I promise

will the whole world be warm as this

and as you feel it, you'll know it's true

that you are blessed and lucky

it's true, that you are touched by something

that will grow and bloom in you

these are days you'll remember

when May is rushing over you with desire

to be part of the miracles you see in every hour

you'll know it's true, that you are blessed and lucky

it's true, that you are touched by something

that will grow and bloom in you

these are the days

that you might fill with laughter

until you break

these days you might feel a shaft of light

make its way across your face

and when you do

you'll know how it was meant to be

see the signs and know their meaning

you'll know how it was meant to be

hear the signs and

know they're speaking to you

to you