August 24th: The Big Day for All

August 24, 2009 was a day I both dreaded and looked forward to. It was the day Jared started his new job. It was the day RJ started Kindergarten. It was the day I got the keys to the new apartment and the moving truck arrived and unloaded all our stuff. It was a crazy day! But it went much better then expected aside from the bus incident.
Jared left the hotel bright and early to start his first day at B&W. He is enjoying his new job. However he is missing the excitement his INL job held as well as the world traveling opportunities. We are happy that his new job ends at 5 o'clock and nothing comes home with him. He isn't on his Black Berry 24/7 and it has been nice.

After breakfast we checked out of the hotel with plenty of time to get to the new apartment complex where RJ's bus would pick him up. However, once in the car I couldn't get the GPS to work and had no idea where I was going. I was unable to get a hold of Jared because cell phones are not allowed in his office building and I didn't know his work number yet. I played around with the GPS searching for previous locations. Just before giving up and heading back inside the hotel to ask for directions, I found the address I was looking for. RJ was panicked that he would miss his bus. I assured him we still had some time, even though it was a lot later then I would have liked it to be. We made it to the bus stop two minutes before the bus pulled up. I was able to get a hurried couple of shots with the camera. However, the sun was in RJ's eyes and it wasn't the first day of school pictures I dreamed of taking. But the good news is, he did make his bus.

RJ with two bags full of school supplies heading to the bus stop.

Getting on the bus. It is hard to tell but he is the last person climbing on with the blue back pack. We were in such a rush I didn't get a hug good bye. I cried! Savannah cried too. She was so upset RJ got on the big yellow bus without her and he didn't even say good bye.

Once the bus left we got the keys to the apartment and met the moving truck. The moving went well. I LOVE the fact that we had people to move us in and unpack for us. They set up our beds and placed our furniture where we wanted it. It was fantastic! We have a storage unit on the site so half our stuff is in there but we are enjoying the apartment thus far.

Here are a few pictures of RJ's school.
Isn't this play ground awesome!! I was so excited when I saw it.
Probably more excited then RJ was.

So after school I went to pick RJ up from the bus stop. The bus pulled up and all the student got off, except RJ. I PANICKED! Jared was back from work at this time, thankfully. We tired to get a hold of the bus transport people, but the lines were so busy we couldn't get through. I searched in the car for the phone number to the school with no luck. I finally left the kids with Jared and drove over to the school. On my way I got a call from the Principal letting me know that RJ was at the school. Apparently he didn't know which stop to get off at. Poor kid. It was so fast in the morning I didn't have time to explain where he got off at. He thought he was going back to the hotel.
It was so hot outside that afternoon and we waited for the bus inside the air conditioned car. Once the bus pulled up I got out of the car. RJ looked for me, didn't see me and didn't really recognize the stop so he stayed on the bus. Once the bus pulled away, he saw me and started crying but the bus driving wouldn't stop, she just took him back to the school. Luckily, he didn't cry for long because our stop is the last stop and then the bus reports back to the school.

Tuesday went well. Wednesday went well. I told RJ we might be in the front office the next day because it was so hot outside.
So Thursday, the bus came and RJ wasn't on the bus at all! The bus driver even double checked the bus for me. The kids and I had walked down to the bus stop, which was a 10 minute walk. I threw Savannah on top of the stroller and rushed back to the apartment to get the car. We hurried over to the school. I am freaking out like crazy.
The school doors are locked. I ring the buzzer. A kid lets me in. There is no one in sight. No one in the office. All the teachers are gone. I find a janitor and ask if anyone is around. A teacher hears my panicked voice and says the Principal is in a meeting. She escorts me to the principals office and we interrupt the meeting to explain that my 5 year old son is lost somewhere in Lynchburg and he and I are absolutely unfamiliar with the area. She gets on the phone and starts making frantic phone calls to the bus department. In the mean time a man from the meeting tries to comfort me saying that his daughter was lost from a bus mishap once and they found her. It wasn't till 6:30 that night, but they found her. It wasn't that reassuring. Luckily RJ was only lost for a half hour. While I was at the school I got a phone call from our apartment complex saying that RJ was there.
So here is his story. He got off the bus at the stop before ours at another apartment complex. He started walking towards the office and then saw the park and realized it wasn't the same park. By this time the bus started pulling away. He started crying and started to run after the bus. Luckily a mother saw him and stopped him. Once he explained to her that he got off at the wrong stop she took him to her apartment and gave him a Popsicle and tried to calm him down. She asked for his address. He didn't know it. She asked where he lived. He had no clue. She asked for his phone number. He gave her my cell, but he didn't know the area code. Useless! Finally she had him get in the car and they drove up the street until he saw something that look familiar. He saw the apartment and they went into the office and were able to get a hold of me. Once I got there, the lady stressed that I really need to teach my son his address and phone number. I explained we just moved in and yes I will work on it. In this crazy scary world, I am thankful a nice lady picked RJ up and helped him home. It could have been so much worse.
I was so certain I wouldn't let RJ on the bus again. But the Principal assured me it wouldn't happen again and RJ really wanted to ride the bus. So I let him know that if this happens a third time, no more bus. Luckily so far it hasn't happened again. And RJ has his address and all emergency phone numbers in his backpack. We are working on getting him to memorize his info.
Other the that, he is enjoying Kindergarten. It is an all day Kindergarten. His bus picks him up at 8:30 and he gets home at 4:15. He is pretty tired at the end of the day. He has met some new friends and loves his teacher. He is learning to say "Yes, Mame. " I Love it. The only thing he doesn't like is quiet time. Crazy Kid!