Backpacks and Black eyes

So our first day of school was a success. The kids made the bus on time and then successful managed to get home too. I decided that I would go meet them as they were getting off the bus. It was a way to get Jacob and Katherine out of the house, we needed to go get the mail (which is on the way to the bus stop) and I thought it would be fun for them to meet the older kids. So we met the bus and I was shocked to see that Mariah was sporting a black eye. I wasn't sure what had happened and didn't get the full story until this morning. So the story is (which doesn't surprise me) that she was sitting in the seat of the bus, closest to the window. Just before their bus stop is a horrible stretch of road that they tore up last winter and did a very poor job fixing when they were done, so really bumpy. She was either sitting on her knees looking out the window when they went over the bumps OR she was almost asleep with her head leaning on the window. Needless to say she has a real keeper of a black eye.

As for the backpack mentioned in the title. Amanda was fortunate enough to get a new backpack for free from a program here called Gear-up. (they help kids get the skills needed to get into college and all that comes with that.) So when she got off the bus yesterday she had to backpacks. The one that she had taken to school to begin with and her new one. Katherine must have been having backpack envy, because she really wanted Amanda's old pack. So Amanda gave her the old one and Katherine walked all the way home with it on her back (about 4 blocks). She was so cute with it. The cup she has is her water cup, she must have been really thirsty after our walk, she walked the whole way herself. I am just amazed because the backpack is just about as tall as she is and she just walked the whole way home without complaint (other than when it would slide a little).