The Bus!

The school strongly suggested riding the bus and to start by taking it home the very first day.  The parking lot at the temporary campus just can't handle the volume of cars for parent pick-up.  I was really nervous about Olivia riding the bus--she is barely five!  However, all parents of kindergarteners must present a blue card to the bus driver verifying they are authorized to pick them up everyday.

The only issue with the bus is that it is a 45 minute bus ride home to our house.  I decided to put her on the bus at our stop in the morning, but I drive over to the first stop the bus makes after leaving the school in the afternoon.  It saves her about 25 minutes on the bus.  It also happens to be the bus stop of two of her friends from her class, George and Katherine.  It has been so much fun to see our bus-stop friends every afternoon.  Both George and Katherine have younger siblings that Eliza gets to play with while waiting on the bus.  I have become so close to their moms, Katherine and Emily, and we have really become a great support system for each other.  We keep each other informed about what is going on up at school or what we need to bring to school, or volunteer opportunities, etc.  I was so used to going up to the school and the classroom at drop-off and pick-up everyday in Pre-K and so I am so thankful for our little bus stop posse :)

 I was easily 20 minutes early to pick her up and so nervous about the whole thing!  I was freaking out about where to park, where to wait, which way to look... :)

 I was so teary, again, getting her off the bus from her very first day of kinder.

 She got off THRILLED saying, "there are no seatbelts and no car seats on the bus!!!!"  She said it was her favorite thing about her first day of school.

 Uncle Matt came with me to get her off the bus

 The next morning, she couldn't get dressed fast enough to hurry to get out to take the bus again!

 I miss her so much during the day.  Eliza and I put her on the bus at 7:30 and don't see her again until 3:30.  I hate how long the day is.  I get so anxious waiting to go pick her up.  I am ready to see my big girl and so is little sister.  Eliza wakes up from her nap everyday saying, "I wanna go get Livy".  Love it!