First Day of School

We can hardly believe that school started again today.  It's come around too soon.  Well, maybe not too soon, but sooner than we thought.  The new school is finished (well, enough to begin school), and we've been over a couple of times to help set up and have a tour.  Because I helped push the bond, I got a special invitation to go have a tour, so Brandt, Blythe, and I got to see all the behind the scenes stuff, including the roof access space!, before school opened.  We missed back to school night because I got distracted by other things, but we had met both Mrs. Miller (Blythe's teacher) and Ms. Cooper (Brandt's teacher), and we checked in with them again yesterday just to make sure we had all the information we really needed.

But today was the big day!  I went early to help with the book fair, and Brandt wanted to come with me.  We didn't really have anyone to help, but Brandt liked being in the library (so beautiful now!) and feeling somewhat "in charge," and Blythe came along with Kent who walked them both to their classrooms.  They have been excited to go to school, and we have desperately needed to get back into a routine.  We've had far too much TV watching, not enough reading, and way way way way too much whining.  I ran out of entertaining energy, and even when neighbors have come over to play, the kids still somehow end up in front of the TV.  Like this.

I've gotten sidetracked.  The big first day.  Both Brandt and Blythe were happy that school has started, they are looking forward to the new year, and I think it's going to be great.  Blythe asked me to do her hair for her, which is always a tricky thing, but we went over to the Drake's house last week to have McKenzie show us some cute hairdos we might try, and I managed to get Blythe's hair pulled back and clip worthy.  As evidence that Blythe, for one, was excited to be back at school, I am also including the picture she drew the first day of school, a self-portrait with the sentence, "I feel _______," completed with the word "exstadect."  When I asked Blythe a few days ago what she was excited about in going back to school, she said, "Meeting my teacher, art, recess, and love duty."  Love duty is a silly game she and her friends play where they spy of fellow students they are convinced are in love, and when they are spotted spying, they run away shrieking and hide in the bathroom.  Brandt asked if they were still doing to do it, and Blythe said, "Yes!  We'll do it until we're in college."  Brandt didn't ever tell me what's he's excited for.  Maybe he's not excited at all.  Either way, it's going to be great.  Here's to a new year at the new Rock Canyon!

Off to fifth and third grade!