on our way to freedom.

Today was the kids' preschool orientation and boy was I surprised to see so many familiar smiling faces! Even Natalie recognized some of James' old classmates returning for their second year and that only proves more about how picking this further away preschool is going to help her out. A.LOT.
She immediately ran inside to check out the classroom. They moved many of the learning and play areas around and James thought that was funny. Funny in a "haha" sort of way. Natalie thought it was funny in a "circle time should not be over there" kind of way.. but wanted to look around a lot. At one point, a little girl who I think is new to the class (I'm 99% sure) approached James and you know that stare..that stare of "please come play with me.. but I'm too scared to ask" type of stare? Well, she did that (cute kid) and James looks at her and says "why are you staring at me?"
She doesn't respond.
Then James says, "let's go play!" and off they went to go play. Natalie wanted to find James but only after playing with some other students. Rick was watching her closely waiting for that split second where she would start wailing for safety because she gets scared. It was hilarious. I'm more of a "I'm leaving her alone and walking over here" kind of parent... but then again, I've spent more time with her in the class when we would visit it. Rick isn't so used to it and felt, I think, nervous for her.
The wailing for safety never happened.
She could have cared less that we left the area she was in or that we were close by.
She didn't care.
She wanted to see more.  Play more. Run around more.
It was easy to agree between us two parents that the real issue now would be....getting her to leave without her screaming.

During our hour playtime James ran around searching for more new kids to play with. He found a few and you could tell that he has that unmistakable older kid "let me help you out since you're new" attitude about him. It's exactly how the older 4 year olds and 5 year olds treated him with his first year.

And even with a few warnings of getting ready to leave soon, Natalie did, in fact, scream when we had to go.
I think that's going to be the trend for the first few days of school. Because only my kids would be ones not screaming that I'm leaving them there for a few hours to get educated..but scream because it's over.
Yes, my kids are weird. In a good way.
And let's note, too, that the preschools that are closer to our home that we highly considered? are all closed! Our area opened (I think it's new) a brand new humongous preschool to fit 12 classes in about the same distance away going in the other direction compared to our chosen preschool. They do pick up kids on cheese buses and everything. But we already know that Natalie would have totally freaked out about that. James probably would cry too because he's scared of bus steps.
Yup, the bus steps. He does that even when we ride the regular bus.
But next year... we know, god willingly, they'll be ready for the cheese bus. And James will be in kindergarten and I will cry. Like a big old slobbery, blubbering baby. Out of happiness and sadness all rolled into one big mess.