First Day of School 2011

For the first time, all three of the girls are riding the bus. The yellow one, not the daycare bus. Today was also the first time in our lives that we were not responsible for taking the kids to their daily destinations nor were we responsible for picking them up.

Yes, it was extremely weird.

Plus, Riley is in 6th grade and we’re pretty confident that if the girls have to get themselves on the bus in the morning and then home after school, she can handle it. She could also probably schedule a month’s worth of after school activities and maintain said schedule without major complications. She also has a friend who is just as responsible as she is riding the same bus. So between them, I don’t think anybody will get lost or left behind.

This morning, I walked over to the bus stop with our neighbor. We were two of the three Dads at the bus stop. Only one Mom. Hmmm…

Anyway, the bus is supposed to come at 8:33 a.m. But they warned us that the buses might be a little behind for the first few days as kids and drivers get used to schedule and stops, etc. Cool, no problem. Well, except for Kinsey who was ready to go to the bus stop at 7:30. Never has a 4th grader been this excited for school. Ever. Excited about her clothes, her backpack, her bus pass, waiting at the bus stop, riding the bus, etc.

So we’re waiting at the bus stop and at exactly 8:33 a.m. a bus comes rumbling down the street and stops at the bus stop. But it was the wrong bus. Confidence is now dropping regarding this bus operation in our local school district. A few minutes later another bus, traveling in the opposite direction goes zooming right past us.

Um, who is in charge of this operation? This is like the Fredo running a casino.

Finally, another bus comes down the street in the same direction as the first bus…and it continues going down the street, past the kids and around the corner. Might have even been a slight tire squeal. Our bus stop is evidently located at a key junction point when all bus routes come together making it a key crossroads…kinda like Gettysburg, I guess.

About 8:45 a fourth bus, traveling in the same direction as the second bus comes barreling around the corner toward the stop…all the parents zeroed in on the bus number and lo and behold…its our bus!

And it goes right past us.

Not to worry says Riley’s friend, the bus just drives down there and loops around comes back. In our district, if you are a kindergartener, you get picked up at your house. Bus driver had to loop around to pick up a kindergartener before coming back to get us.

So, anyway, the transportation and logistics guy down at the school district has 4 different buses traveling by our stop in a 12 minute period. Two stopped. One left with the kids.

Didn’t matter to the girls, they were still excited.