First day of school

Graesen went to "school" for the first time today.  I am lucky enough to be his teacher so that I got to see him experience this milestone.  One of the things I struggled with the most about getting a divorce was the fact that I would be working more, and therefore, missing out on a lot of special moments in Graesen's life.  I felt so blessed when I was offered my new job.  I am working full time, but still watching Graesen grow :)  Graesen will be coming with me full days on Thursday and Friday, and one additional afternoon per week.  Evan usually has Mondays off, so Graesen gets to spend a full day with him then, as well as, Tuesday and Wednesday mornings.  One afternoon per week Graesen will stay with one of his grandparents (my class is full that afternoon and it alternates which day each week).
I start full time next week, but since Graesen's first day was going to be just an afternoon, landing right in the middle of nap time, I decided he should have today be his first day.  I knew that he would be too excited to nap his first day, so coming in the morning today would give him a chance to check things out during non-napping hours.
Graesen was so excited for today.  Last night he said, "Mommy, I am so excited for my friends!"  This morning he was thrilled to have a full lunch box to carry and his mommy to join him for his new adventure.  I told him I wanted to take a couple of pictures before we went into school and he just plopped down on a rock, put on a big cheesy grin, and started waving at people who were walking into the church for bible study.  He was seriously radiating excitement and I am so glad that I got to be there to see it!

Graesen did a pretty good job today.  He had a couple of times when he tried to "take off" to explore the rest of the church and look for doughnuts (we have doughnuts there on Sundays).  He was also too excited to sit still during circle time.  He wanted to check everything out and didn't quite get that Mommy is a teacher.  Really, though, he did really good.  He is the youngest in my class, and could really be in the younger class (there are a few kids in that class that are actually a few months older than Graesen), but I am so grateful I get to have him in my class.  Graesen has never been to daycare or preschool before, so he just needs time to figure out what it is all about.  He did a great job walking in line as a class, using the potty, playing with friends, doing artwork, and sitting down for lunch. 
I had curriculum time today for an hour and Graesen started to freak out when I had to leave.  Luckily, it didn't last long and I came back to find him happy as can be eating lunch with his new friends (who, by the way, were very sweet and welcoming to him).  Tonight he kept asking if we could go back to school another time.  I think that means he liked it :)