Ace started pre-school today. Here they have 3 sessions you can choose and we chose the winter/spring one.

I was/am a nervous wreck! We packed his lunch last night and got all of his supplies and clothes ready so the morning wouldn't be too chaotic. So this morning we woke up, did morning prayers, ate breakfast and got ready. I snuck two Hershey kisses into his lunch box with a little note and told him I was sending some of my kisses with him to school. He kept asking how and I told him he'd find out in school.

The whole drive he kept telling me how nervous he was and that he didn't know if he could go a whole day without me. I told him he had to be brave like the saints and that we taped an icon of the Archangels (his patron sts.) in his backpack. I also put a few wallet sized photos in 2 badge holders and clipped them on his backpack so he would feel like he wasn't that far from us. I told him he could look at them anytime he missed us and it should remind him that I'd be there to pick him up soon. I also kept reminding him of all the fun things he was going to do in school. I'm telling you if he would've started crying I would've turned my little minivan around and said forget the whole thing! :)

We sang fun songs like Bear Hunt and Catalina Matalina while we were driving and once we got close we said a prayer together. I walked him in and his teacher asked him to find his name on his cubby and his seat. So he found his cubby and put his things away and then went to find his seat. Once he did he sat right down and started talking with the other kids. I gave him a hug and a kiss (twice) and then realized that I was lingering. So I said goodbye to the teacher and left. And cried my eyes out the whole way home. Lucky kept pointing at Ace's seat and trying to figure out why we left him somewhere.

Someone please tell me this gets easier! I'm so nervous leaving him in some stranger's (however nice) care. I think of all the crazy things that happen in schools and I'm ready to have a nervous breakdown! I keep praying and reminding myself to have faith and that I am sending him to school (and not homeschooling) out of obedience and so everything will be fine. But I miss my boy!