First day, preschool edition

There was much joking which led up to the start of preschool for Alivia, Trace and Alysse.

Laughs that Alivia could probably teach the class she was set to begin. Jabs that we'll owe Trace and Alysse's teacher a corvette or summer home as an appropriate Christmas gift for having survived the two of them that long. And the kids' own joke that I was going to drop everyone off and head to McDonald's for a relaxing coffee and snack as they had seen a mother do in a commercial for the fast food chain.

Yeah, that one hit a nerve with Trace every time the girls would mention it. Even at breakfast Tuesday morning, he asked if I was going to McDonald's without him. It seemed inconceivable to him that IF I was going out for coffee solo, it WOULDN'T be at McDonald's.

Alivia was gung ho to get back to school. She's spent the last few weeks counting down the days until the start of a new school year. She was eager and enthusiastic to walk through the classroom door.

Alysse has been ready to start school for forever, it seems. Given the chance, she would have joined Alivia in her class last year and not looked back. She, too, had been keeping track of "how many more days" and kept her Playdoh stash under tight watch until the big day.

And Trace. Oh, Trace ... he was the big question mark. He approached the going-to-school thing with a take-it-or-leave it attitude. He hadn't expressed hesitation about going; but, aside from the Spiderman backpack purchased in preparation, he hadn't shown much excitement either. The possibility of missing a trip to McDonald's proved a larger issue for him than anything school related.

So, when their first day came, they went. All of them. Not a tear, nary a whine. All ready, willing and happy. Each one came home more excited about what they had done at school than the next. And we found ourselves back to counting down the days until Thursday when they get to return. Maybe then I'll go to McDonald's for a coffee.