Hi. I moved.

It's been a little while since I have written last. And ay yi yi  have we been busy. The short version goes like this: painted the house, scrubbed everything down, kids said goodbye to their school and classmates, took mini trip to Orlando to visit Legoland and Seaworld before we bid the Sunshine State adieu, movers came, loaded our things, said goodbye to our amazing friends, loaded up 2 cars with 4 kids, 2 adults, 2 fish, 1 dog, 1 cat, and 1 frog and made our way to our new home. I feel like I could fill a thousand pages with the stories from the past couple weeks. But because I have reaction paper that needs to be done, I am just going to talk about today.

This morning was to be my kid's first time as "bus riders" to school. They have ridden buses to school field trips, but never rode it to get to school. To say I was hesitant to let them ride would be the understatement of the century. I honestly kept trying to talk them out of it. "Isn't it fun rock out to music on the way to school?" "You don't ever have to worry about who to sit with in my car......." "I'll give you a lollipop if you ride with me!!!" 

Nothing worked. 

Apparently riding the bus is a Very Big Deal, y'all. Jeremiah and I talked about it and agreed to let them try it out. If anything even remotely not-good happens, sayonara bus! The reality is, it really is convenient- the bus stops on our street of only ten houses. It takes us ten seconds to get to the bus stop from my front porch. I won't have to wake the littles up and bundle them tight in the mornings. But mostly, the kids were crazy giddy to ride the bus. 

The bus arrives on our street at 8:50. School starts at 9:30 (crazy late!!!) but the kids are all provided a free breakfast, if they'd like, that they take back to the class to have. They arrive at school at about 5 after 9, I am told. So at 8:48, I peeked out and saw the bus heading our way. The kids and I walked down and said hi to all the neighbor kids. 

{I know I have not mentioned much about it, but we are living on the base- in the only actual on-base housing. Our street is totally removed from the hustle and bustle of the base- the ten homes really are the only thing back here. I like that. There is a park right next to us, too, and lots of trees which make for a shady, quiet street. And because all 10 homes are all 4 bedrooms, you have to have at least 2 or 3 kids to even live here. So between the ten homes, there are about 25 kids. About half of them are all attending the same school my kids do- and the school is small. They have less than 240 students. From what we came from, that is super duper small! So some of the little kids that live on our street are in the same classes as my kids.}

Back to the bus stop. I asked them for the 962nd time if they were sure they wanted to ride the bus, and Kaiti shot me daggers and said with such exasperation- "MOMMMM, I am a BUS RIDER." Can't blame a mom for trying, right? 

I watched them climb up and I waved until my arm went started tingling. I was chatting with one of my neighbors, but was mostly watching to make sure the driver's hands never slipped from the ten-and-two-o'clock positions. And then I watched him drive away with half of my offspring and fought the urge to try and jump on his bumper. I hurried up my porch steps and told Jeremiah I was going to  get in the car and follow them to make sure they made it to school okay. He intervened. And got me a paper bag to breathe into.

I promise I am not really this crazy mom. If anything, I'm probably too lax. But we are in a new city, the kids are going to a new school, and I don't know the bus driver from Adam. His make might even be Adam, for all I know. I freak out when even our parent's drive our kids around- which has happened maybe three or four times. So. There it is. Go ahead and judge it if you must, but I admit, I have some control issues. 

School ends at 3:55 and the bus is supposed to drop off at our stop at 4:05. I was at the bus stop at 3:35. Just standing there, about fifteen feet from my front door, peering down the street, waiting to hear the sounds of the wheels on the bus chugging down my quiet little {new} street.


Jeremiah came out and took the littles to the park, which is conveniently right next to the bus stop, as I stood. My feet would not move me from my spot. 

I announced when it was 3:55. And then 4:00. And then at 4:04 I yelled out "One minute!!!" to Jeremiah. I am pretty sure he rolled his eyes at me, but I couldn't tell because I did not want to avert my gaze for fear of missing the bus. 4:05 came. No bus. Then 4:06, 4:07, panic, 4:08, why did I let them ride the freakin bus???, 4:09, serious heart palpitations and some sweat developing on forehead and under arms, 4:10 about to flipping SCREA--- WAIT! I see it!!!! I see the bus.



Oh thank you God, for giving my kids back to me. 

I had a little speech I planned on giving the bus driver about what tardiness does to an anxious mother, but I forgot all about it the second I say my girl bounding down the steps, followed closely by her brother!

Huge hugs, and then I asked them a million questions about their first day. And you know the first thing they said???

"The bus was so much fun!!!! I can't wait to ride it again!!!!"

Well, crap. I have to do this all over again tomorrow. I'm going to need some  chill pills and some heavy-duty deodorant to keep the bus routine going folks.



Happy Bus Riding Monday friends! Hope your day was less sweaty than mine!