Yesterday was the first day of school for my two big'uns. I attended a concert the night before (great parenting decision right there) and didn't get to bed until the wee hours of the morning. Apparently my husband tried to rouse me at 6:15 am, and I managed to sell him on the fact that I was awake, while remaining completely, one hundred percent asleep. Excellent!

At 7:00, I shot out of bed, and began rousting children, slinging breakfast, spreading peanut butter and brushing hair and teeth. I moved with lightning speed, with a focused intensity like the fire of a thousand suns. I'm serious. You can see the burn marks on my linoleum. I'm lucky I didn't spontaneously combust.

Ahem. So, somehow, I managed to finish all the needed leaping through hoops, and when my neighbor rang to let us know they were on their way, I had the family out front, ready to go. On time. For once.

While I was putting my son's shoes on, I whispered in his ear. "I'll miss you today, buddy!" He held my face between his dimpled hands and put his nose on my nose. Staring straight into my eyes from approximately one inch away, he said "I'm gonna have fun, and I'll be home before you know it."

*sob* Can't the kid let me be all sentimental without trying to talk some sense into me? Did he have to remind me that Wednesday is the short day at school? Huh? Huh?

My husband and I walked with my friend and her husband, and our gaggle of kids. My daughter, and my friend's daughter walked together for most of the walk. My son? He ran ahead, leaping and flapping his arms. He ran almost the entire way to school, bounding along with his giant backpack swaying wildly.

I yelled up the street, "Hey wait!" because I know that the neighbors love the sound of my voice echoing up the cul-de-sac at 8:00. I'm giving like that. He begrudgingly waiting until I caught up with him, let me take a photo and gave me a smile before he took off again, leaping away.

I remember doing that as a kid. I was always sure that I was two or three giant steps away from being able to fly. Even now, knowing about gravity, and the ridiculous limitations of my non-winged arms, I sometimes get a wild hair and give a little jump when no one is looking. It's curious, the impulse to give it another go, when I've failed so many times. Deep inside my heart, I still feel it's mind over matter. Happy thoughts, happy thoughts, happy thoughts and then...

What a difference a year makes. Last year, when I left my first-born in her classroom and walked home, I was a weepy mess. Yesterday, I got her settled in her first grade class and with a kiss and a wave, I was off. Happy! And then I held my son's hand as we entered his kindergarten room for the first time, and watched with pride as he put on his name badge and found his cubby. Happy!

I waited for my emotions to catch up to me. I even brought tissues. With a final kiss for him, we said goodbye and made our way home. I was surprised, but there were no tears. Sure, I was a little wistful, but the pride and confidence in my kids, and the joy that they showed as we approached the school made my heart light.

The hubs and I speculated on the kids' reactions to the first day all the way home, and when he left for work, I stood in the doorway holding my youngest, calculating the years until she will be joining her siblings in school. Three more years. Whew! I know now that it will fly by.

When my son burst out of the kindergarten class full of smiles, I know I was beaming from ear to ear. We fetched his sister and played at the playground for a while before walking home. I just couldn't stop with the smiling. Big ole cheesy grin was smeared all over my face.

I pumped them for information as we walked home. My son declared kindergarten to be "easier than he thought, and way more fun." My daughter thought first grade "wasn't fun like kindergarten." They were ready to drop by 8:00, and the last kid began snoring at 8:30.

As I pulled up blankets and smoothed down hair, I was overwhelmed (finally) by emotion. Making my way down the hall, I was so happy that I honestly think I could have levitated, if not actually flown, if only for a moment.