My twins started preschool this month. I was a bit of a nervous wreck leading up to the first day. They on the other hand were ecstatic. They had a new backpack and a superhero lunch box filled with homemade goods. Prior to starting school, we had toured their classroom and met their teachers. We talked daily about what it would be like to go to school. They had their first day of school outfits picked out and new booster seats installed in the car.

After walking them in the first day and dropping them off, I got a kiss blown to me and a see you later mom. They were ready to spread their wings. They didn’t glance back, but were happily engaged and playing with other children. I on the other hand wasn’t quite prepared for the goodbye, yet still I knew if they had been in tears it would have been very hard for me to let them go. Thankfully I still have a nine-month old daughter home with me and concentrated on how much time we would get one on one. I think the shock of her two best friends being gone multiple hours a day was also an adjustment for her.

The beauty of them going to preschool, however, is that her and I get to spend uninterrupted hours alone together. Just one on one. Having twins as my first babies, I had never experienced that before. I was always used to having to cater and balance the needs of two, not just one baby. It wasn’t easy to get out of the house with twin infants, trying to carry the heavy stroller or grocery shop was easily a two-hour event unto itself. With just one at home, we can easily hop in the car for a walk at the park, or enjoy long mornings out on the porch with coffee and her favorite ball.

To help us prepare for the transition to preschool, we started waking the twins up earlier in the morning and doing practice runs. We timed ourselves to make sure we could get out of the house on time. We concentrated on making sure everyone was dressed, fed, and had shoes on by 7:30am. Slowly, day by day, I saw us learning to work together better as a family. My four-year-old daughter would remind us to pack the lunches, and my four-year-old son made sure the dog was back inside.

We practiced our routine a week prior to school starting, and I’m pretty sure that’s what made for an easy and successful transition. The baby got used to getting up a little earlier, and I had to make sure I was ready to go before getting the children up. My husband and I also started making smoothies for breakfast. These quick grab and go fruit drinks made breakfast while driving a breeze!

We figured out we needed to pack lunches for everyone the night before, and take showers at night. For pick up, my husband and I switch on and off. So sometimes he picks them up, and sometimes I pick them up. This way the little one isn’t in the carpool lane all day in her car seat. Occasionally we arrive early enough for preschool pick up that we can go inside the school and into their classroom. I make sure to have the little one with me when I do. She loves taking in all the sights and sounds of the children playing. I’m sure she will be eagerly begging to go to preschool at age three, as she sees her older twin siblings at elementary school having a blast.

After a week into school, we seemed to have our routine down. We know what day show and tell is, and when they go to the gym. The hardest part so far has been coming to pick the twins up at the half day mark, and them not wanting to leave. But truly, that is what you hope for as a parent. I listen to all their stories on the drive home, and hear about all the new friends they are making. I know they are learning, I just had no idea how much. One evening when we sat down to start reading books before bed they told me they wanted to practice using their scissors instead. So we sat and let them cut up a bunch of paper, and I knew we had made the right decision to send them to Pre-K.