Earthquake + Hurricane Irene + First day of Kindergarten = Craziness.

2 natural disasters and sending your first born off to kindergarten is a lot in one week, don't you think?  We are kind of due for a good hurricane - we've (and by we, I mean the mid-atlantic) have been so lucky the past few years.  But an earthquake??  I was convinced that I would never feel one in my lifetime.  Cross that one of the bucket list.

The earthquake this past Tuesday was unreal.  I had just put the boys down for a nap, but I knew they hadn't had a chance to fall asleep.  I was turning on a movie for Sienna and just started watching the first few minutes of Stuart Little with her while lying on our bed.  Initially the sound and vibration sounded very similar to a plane flying too close and then a lot like a plane might crash.  Never, ever, did I think "oh, this must be an earthquake."  My initial thought was, "oh a plane is going to crash into by house."  See, I'm weird about planes.  After I scoped out the sky for what seemed like forever, I ran outside...where I greeted all my neighbors standing on their stoops, telling me it was earthquake!  We had no damage, except for a few things that knocked over in Sienna's room and I was way more spooked than the kids.  I really hope that's the last of those for 100 years. 

Hurricane Irene arrived in our area Saturday and stayed until Sunday morning.  Lucky for me, I was working the overnight shift at Reston.  I say lucky because I was actually happy to get out of the house and not be lying in bed wondering what was going on outside while I slept.  Scott held down the fort at home and I had a pretty uneventful night at the hospital.  The drive in and home was a little wet and windy, but nothing crazy.  We had no damage in our neighborhood and never lost power - woohooo!

Annnnd, Sienna started kindergarten on Monday!  I was a nervous wreck and definitely had to fight back the tears - starting on Sunday night.  (Ironic and slight overly-dramatic side note:  Kenny Chesney's "There goes my life" was the first song I woke up to when my alarm went off Monday morning.  Sniff.)  I knew she was in great hands at school and going to love every second of it, but I wasn't ready to let her go.  Honestly though, the part that terrified me the most is the school bus.  What is it with me and means of transportation?  I was never a bus rider, so the whole idea is kind of foreign to me.  I know we did the right thing by starting her off riding on the first day, but I so badly wanted to drive her in for the first week.  She wouldn't have it.  She was excited about school and even more pumped about the bus "with no seatbelts!!!"  So her first day was a success!  She's in the morning class and the boys and I had just enough time to run to Wegmans and the Library before she was home again with us.  We even picked up some sugar cookies at Wegmans for a "happy first day of school surprise!"  Today was a lot easier and now I'm trying to figure out a good routine to get 3 kids out of the house and to the bus stop on-time, 5 days a week.  Hmmm.  :)  Here are some pictures of the princess on her first day. 

As a kid, my parents made us take pictures walking out of the front door on the first day of school...every.single.year.  So, the tradition begins again.

 They will always be my babies and you can't tell me differently.

 Waiting at the bus stop.

 Noah lending his big Sis a hand.

 So tiny.  :(

There goes my life.