10 Things I Love About My Kindergarteners

Zach and Allie with their cousin Trent

It's been nearly three months now since Zach and Allie -- my babies -- have been in kindergarten.

I'm sure a lot of us moms share the same mishmash of emotions as our youngest starts school -- alternating between between gearing up for a happy dance because we finally get a chunk of our lives back and grabbing the tissue box because we realize that our days filled with chasing butterflies, blowing bubbles, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and maneuvering the big "car" cart at the grocery store have been traded in for homework, backpacks and school lunches.

And somehow having twins makes it feel like it's sped by even faster. Between the blur of sleeplessness in the early days and the fatigue of chasing and entertaining two little balls of energy in the toddler days, this whole having-all-my-kids-in-school-now thing still seems a bit surreal. But I do have to say that I've always loved having a kindergartener -- or two! -- in the house.

With Zach and Allie, I love that they:

• Still hold my hand as I walk them to school ... and then give me a hug and kiss before they join their classmates in line. Zach gives me an extra special, unique, crossed-arm wave each day as his class heads into the classroom and the last few Moms (yes, I confess, I'm one of them) lingers around to wave good-bye.
  
• Are so excited on days they get to buy lunch. "Mommy, mommy, check what's for lunch today," Allie always asks.
• Want to do homework. "More, more, can we do one more page, Mom." No bribes, rewards or threats involved ... so refreshing (uh-hum, Blake. Cough, cough, Nick).
  
• Get so excited when they see Blake or Nick at school. When it happens, it's always the first thing they tell me. "Mom, I saw Nick in the bathroom today." or "Mom, I saw Blake going into the cafeteria." So sweet ...
  
• Sing new songs around the house. "B-L-U-E spells blue. B-L-U-E spells blue. Hi, ho, did you know, B-L-U-E spells blue."
• Look around at words and sound them out with a new mission in mind. Out at dinner one night and Zach, his eyes stuck on a restaurant sign and his eyebrows scrunched as his brain juice pumped, asked, "Mom, does that spell pizza?" Indeed it does.
• Are so excited when I come into their class to help. "Mommy ... are you coming in to help today," they ask about every other day.
• Come home eager to share what they've done. "Mommy, look, we made pumpkins," as they proudly hold up their paper cutout pumpkins covered in orange square pieces of tissue paper.
• Have huge smiles on their faces when I pick them up at the kindergarten gate at the end of the day.
• Pretend to play teacher when they're at home. Allie will grab a book and read it to her class, which usually consists of stuffed animals or imaginary students. It's so cute watching her hold up the book to show her "students."

"And it is still true, no matter how old you are, when you go out into the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together."

~ Robert Fulghum, All I Really Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten