Bus Routine

The morning bus stop routine has changed over the few months Annah has been in school. When she first started, I took all the kids out to watch her get on the bus. (Remember, it's just in our next door neighbors driveway.) This was great fun for a few weeks while the weather was still summery. I would put Caeden in his stroller, and he loved seeing the big bus, and it was all fun and happy.
Then, Caeden started to hate being in his stroller. We tried me holding him, but he was too antsy. I tried letting him and Sylvia stay inside and watch from the window where I could see them while I took Annah out, but I'd come back and one of them would have destroyed something in the 2 minutes I'd been outside. So, we decided Annah would go out alone and the rest of us would watch her from the window. It works the best for everyone.
Here's how it now goes...
After Annah is all bundled, backpacked and ready, we pray for her and give her hugs and kisses. As she goes down the front porch steps and sidewalk we say, "I love you!" back and forth until we can't see each other. Then she runs a little ways towards the bus stop, and stands behind where the sidewalk crosses the driveway.
When she gets there, we wave, blow kisses, and show our "I love you" sign back and forth until she sees the bus at the stop down the way. She stays in her spot behind the sidewalk until the bus is completely stops, then she scurries across the road with Levi, the other boy who waits on our side of the road. I watch for her little bright pink shoes to go up the steps of the bus, and Caeden and I watch the bus until it's out of sight. (Sylvia usually loses interest long before this point.)
It's a bit cheezy, I admit, but we love our mushy little bus stop routine.