To school!

Farewell to summer... I love having my kids home with me in the summer time. This summer has been especially neat because Lily and Carter have reached a new peak in their sibling friendship. This summer they clicked and reached the point where they have so much fun playing together. They'd run off and imagine, collaborate and create, be clever and silly together, and have a great time. That's new for them. I loved seeing that this summer. And so it's with a little sadness on my part that I hugged them goodbye on their first days of school this year. Back to the rushed schedules and not as much family time...bummer.



Carter started preschool last week. We had planned to go in early so Carter could meet his teacher, see his classroom, and the preschool dog. (He's very scared of dogs, but has been working to overcome his fear.) The morning after we got back from vacation I called his teacher to set up a time to come visit. To my surprise, she said it started that day!! Fortunately we had all his supplies ready, so we got to start preschool earlier than we thought! (Yes, he brushed his teeth right before we left, so there's a big wet spot on his shirt!)

When we got to school he was so excited! I can't get over how he put his little fists up to his chin in excitement! The reason he's not looking at the camera is because this is his first glimpse of his classroom and he can't peel his eyes away from all the exciting things around him!

He hung up his backpack...Toy Story, not Princess! His teacher has a really fun set up. I wish I could be in his preschool class! I'm so excited for Carter. He is loving preschool already: the friends, the playing, the coloring, and writing, and even the dog! He actually pets Sandy, the dog! If you've ever seen Carter in the presence of a dog, you know that's significant.
I'm impressed with Carter's worksheets. We haven't done very much coloring and drawing with Carter because it hasn't interested him (hello, trucks and trains or a pencil?). So I was a little worried that Carter would have a hard time with crayon work. Well, I was pleasantly surprised to see his great coloring and line tracing skills!

I am such a goober and I forgot to get a picture of Lily before her first day of school yesterday!! I was so disappointed. So I resolved to get a picture of her after school. It seems she had a great first day of second grade...but she was tired.

I took her picture outside her classroom, and between "smiling" shots, I snapped this one of her. I think it accurately captures how she felt.

She has a lot of friends from previous years in her class, and is excited about meeting new ones. Lily is growing so much. This first day of school is still exciting, yet in some ways it seemed like "old hat" to her, as if she's been doing this for years and she's a pro. Well, I guess she is.

We're very excited about Lily's teacher. She is an excellent teacher, with high regards from Lily's first grade teacher. I think Lily's going to love her second grade year.

My kids are growing up. It is wonderful to see them become more independent and helpful, yet I know it means my apron strings are getting even longer and longer. Sometimes that's a little sad for me. In spite of my mommy heart missing them while they're away, I'm completely excited about the adventures they'll have and the growth that awaits them.