Lucy got a taste of Ben being gone full-time when he spent the second week in August in Utah with Andy's parents. She really misses him and asks at least ten times every day, "Where Ben?"
She now flies solo in the double stroller. It's such a dream to push that I prefer it over the single for taking walks. I'm sure people see us and wonder if I forgot my other kid at home.
Getting on the bus like an old pro. He rode the bus for kindergarten last year and has the same bus driver, so it was familiar territory. We still walk him to the bus in the morning, but he asked us to not meet him in the afternoon so he can make the 30-second walk home by himself. Independence and stretching boundaries and all that. Personally, I'm thrilled that I don't have to panic about being on the corner when the bus arrives or they won't let him off, like last year. We had many a close call, rushing home from errands.
Ben seems to like his teacher, he says lunch is his favorite party of the day, and one of his favorite friends from last year is in his new class. The teacher gave all the kids the homework of learning to tie their shoes. Ben doesn't own any tie shoes, so I can't decide if we should stick with Velcro as long as possible to avoid the hassle or to just bite the bullet and buy some tie shoes so as not to prolong the inevitable.
I still can't believe Ben's a first grader. As my sister asked me tonight, "Is he getting old or are you?" I'd like to think the former. :)
