Big day

Yesterday was the first day of school. I stayed up until the wee hours cleaning the house, setting out everything, and doing a lot of details that probably didn't matter (especially since we missed the bus, anyway--the guy was 7 minutes early!). Oh well. Last year I loved the first-day-of-school photo so much that I blew it up to a 16x20 and hung it on my basement wall; this year's lackluster photo was taken as an afterthought as we rushed back into the house to wake up the younger kids and drive to school:

 After we got there, though, I was glad that we had come. I was happy to see Jacob confidently settle down

 and Zachary manage bravely.

Thus comforted, I dropped off Michael and Adam at a friend's house so that I could meet Max at the children's hospital (Eric had brought him earlier that morning for a scheduled MRI).

 Here he is just about to awaken:

Isn't it funny how much you miss your baby after being apart for just a few hours? Holding him as he woke up was a sweet moment.

Also good: the MRI showed that Max has healed well from his surgery, with no adhesions or cysts. He has a day-long visit to the spina bifida clinic next week, and we hope for more good reports then!

P.S. I much preferred the second-day-of-school photos:
1) brother friends,

2) bus stop buddies,

 3) last glances.

I miss my big boys when they're gone for just a few hours, too! But they're loving school, and I guess that I will, too.