It was a great success! Sebastian was fearless. Brett got teary-eyed but I didn't bat an eyelash. I'm proud of my son no matter what but his independent nature made it easy for him to walk through that long corridor to his classroom, put his supplies away, and rarely look back as we hugged him goodbye and walked out the door. I am 100% sure Ruby will be a different story.
We were getting ready for his first day of big kid school on Wednesday evening when what I have described as a series of unfortunate events started to play out.
I sat on the couch labeling all of Sebastian's school supplies with a black sharpie when Ruby got a hold of the second box of washable markers and ripped the cardboard top off to get them out. No big deal. I asked Sebastian to throw it away so that Sunday wouldn't eat it and he headed to the kitchen. Being the easily distracted boy that he is he bypassed the trash can and opened the fridge. I heard a funny noise and then he called out that he'd dropped an egg on the floor.
I capped my sharpie, set down my things, and briskly walked into the kitchen where I discovered not one but a dozen cracked eggs leaking all over the floor. The organic, cage-free, raised on a local Amish farm eggs that Brett had just purchased earlier that day. Yep. I said something dramatic and Brett quickly showed up to survey the damage as I gathered paper towels and cleaned up the mess.
I then realized Ruby hadn't been at my heels as I was cleaning which meant she was up to no good. I walked back to the living room to see what she was doing and saw her pulling up her shirt to draw on her belly. WITH THE SHARPIE. As I got closer I realized she'd already drawn all over the front of Sebastian's red backpack. WITH THE SHARPIE.
Brett took the backpack down to the basement to see if stain remover would work in hopes that Sebastian wouldn't be upset about his backpack being vandalized by his little sister. Somehow he saw it but told us he didn't mind that Ruby had scribbled on it. Heart swell.
He didn't complain once about his plain, red backpack with the markings all over it. The cubbies were lined with Transformer and Cars backpacks but he hardly noticed. He just unloaded his supplies, put his backpack on the hook, and sat down to color with his new friends.
I think he's going to be just fine.
In other news, I spent two and a half fantastic hours cleaning up my studio space while Ruby napped this afternoon. I think I'm going to miss him tomorrow, though.
xo,
Rachel
p.s. Margot, we almost made it to Kindergarten with the Spiderman backpack you sent us last year but there was an unfortunate accident involving Sunday and an upset tummy post-surgery. The backpack didn't make it.
love those first set of pictures!! you're one strong mama. i think i'll be bawling like mad when that time comes!
Posted by: Murr | 08/25/2011 at 07:45 PM
Aww! SO presh. Your son is brave and adorable!
A quick way to clean eggs up btw is to pour salt over them, then let it soak up for a sec, it wastes salt but it comes up much faster.
Posted by: Anne | 08/25/2011 at 07:46 PM
Your little family seems great, adorable!
If you're still interested in removing that sharpie from Sebastian's backpack, 100% acetone nail polish remover and a little elbow grease should do the job pretty well, it worked for me when my friend scribbled on my backpack last year hah. Just make sure to test it on a small spot first, and keep in mind it can damage plastic and other surfaces.
Posted by: Chloe | 08/25/2011 at 07:55 PM
My mom always used rubbing alcohol for sharpie markers. Not sure how it would work on a backpack, but you never know!
I am so emotional watching so many of my friends send their kids off to school this year. My two year old is counting and telling me his colors now... Next year it will be preschool... It's ridiculous, but I don't think I'm going to be very good about this whole big kid thing when it happens.
Posted by: Mac | 08/25/2011 at 09:17 PM
How sweet. He looks so proud!
Posted by: THE-LOUDMOUTH | 08/25/2011 at 09:29 PM
Those photos of Sebastian are adorable - especially the thumbs up one. How sweet that he didn't mind about the backpack!
Posted by: Holly | 08/25/2011 at 10:02 PM
LOVE the photos! Such a big kid! Side note aerosol hairspray gets sharpie out :)
Posted by: Christina | 08/25/2011 at 10:06 PM
These are the best 'first day of school' photos I've seen! My oldest is going to be 3 soon, and I can already tell she's going to be just fine when it comes to going to school.
Posted by: Crystalyn | 08/25/2011 at 10:44 PM
oh my goooosh, these are THE Cutest photos!!! What a little champ. so glad to hear that his first day went well despite whatever mishaps :)
xo moorea
Posted by: moorea seal | 08/25/2011 at 10:58 PM
That is such a cute photo idea, with the blackboards displayed like that. Very school-ish!
Posted by: ursula-apples | 08/25/2011 at 11:12 PM
the best "first day of school" picture ever!
Posted by: karen eyink | 08/26/2011 at 12:42 AM
Im currently working on the after school program, and we just recived a bunch of new 5 years old. They are so adorable and itsfun to watch the parents as well! It was sou lovely to hear a behind the scene story, about a 1 th day! Good luck with rest of the semester!
Posted by: Tine | 08/26/2011 at 12:43 AM
these first photos are wonderful!! Lots of fun to all of you! =)
Posted by: Alexandra K | 08/26/2011 at 03:51 AM
Oh my gosh, that first photo is so precious!
Posted by: Kimbercrafts | 08/26/2011 at 04:27 AM
Oh he is just so cute! And such a little man - transitioning well! Your house sounds like fun! I'm your latest(ish) follower - can't believe I haven't stumbled accross your blog before!
Posted by: Tikkitiboo + Ahka | 08/26/2011 at 04:29 AM
Awesome pictures; what a ham! And what a good boy you are raising. Give yourself a big pat on the back.
Posted by: ruthie | 08/26/2011 at 05:03 AM
yay! best first day of school pictures ever!
he looks so happy...i know exactly what you mean by having a boy with an independent spirit. it's so much easier to let go!
Posted by: katie | 08/26/2011 at 05:20 AM
Love the pictures with the chalkboards! I also like the title, as my 4 year old was singing Matt Maher's "This is the first day of the rest of your life..." the other day while getting his clothes on for pre-school. It was a moment.
Posted by: Stacy B | 08/26/2011 at 05:45 AM
awwww, LOL well if he does want another character backpack you know who to call!!! lol, always keep me posted on what he's into!!
and um, the chalkboard pictures are the sweetest things i've ever seen!!!!!
amazing.
and big high five to mr. s!!!!
Posted by: margot | 08/26/2011 at 06:03 AM
What great pictures, he looks so proud of himself!
Posted by: Lauren Stennett | 08/26/2011 at 06:14 AM
I absolutely love the chalkboard idea! So fantastic! He's such a sweet little man!
Posted by: Meredith | 08/26/2011 at 06:32 AM
What a big day for your cute family! You definitely deserved a starbucks stop on the way home for holding back your tears! And I TOTALLY understand about the eggs--I dropped a whole dozen free range, organic (and 4.99 a dozen) eggs onto the ground while loading groceries in my car last week--I seriously almost cried. It's definitely a situation worth being dramatic about ;)
Posted by: Margaret | 08/26/2011 at 06:34 AM
Wow! He's such a star. I love your pictures - so perfect. He'll really treasure these in years to come.
Posted by: Lara | 08/26/2011 at 06:56 AM
Awwwww!! How cute!!! I adore the chalkboard signs!!
Posted by: Ms. Megan | 08/26/2011 at 07:06 AM
so cute. first day of school!
I wouldn't worry about getting the sharpie out, but try to figure out a cool drawing to make out of Ruby's scribbles. what a way to customize his backpack and be original!
Posted by: Mel | 08/26/2011 at 09:33 AM
Oh my goodness, what a cute little ham! So happy for you guys! What a special day :)
Posted by: Joy | 08/26/2011 at 09:54 AM
Aw, cutest pictures! Love the chalkboard idea. My oldest went to K this week, too
Posted by: Angela | 08/26/2011 at 09:55 AM
what sweet kids you have! sebastian sounds like one awesome guy :) he must love his little sister lots to not mind scribbles on his backpack!
Posted by: taylor | 08/26/2011 at 09:59 AM
Your posts continue to floor me. Those pics of Sebastian are so sweet. Someday, when he's grown up, he's going to look back at those and love them. That's quite a story. I've been running into those kinds of situations lately. My daughters are 15 months old, so I often find myself tending to one of their messes while the other is in the process of creating the next mess. Sounds like your whole family handled things well.
Posted by: Sandra Kohlmann | 08/26/2011 at 10:18 AM
what a cutie.
love the first set of photos. he is such a handsome boy.
i do not have kids yet but i know for a fact i would be bawling like a baby.. :P
Posted by: gee | 08/26/2011 at 10:45 AM