Considering that we've been fairly committed to homeschooling, this was a big decision for our family. We've decided to take everything prayerfully, one year at a time. We feel great about the boys' teachers and sending them to school right now.
The night before school started Bradley gave the boys Father's Blessing.
(It's similar to a pray said on their behalf for a special purpose.)
The morning of school we had a special breakfast of waffles with sliced strawberries. Brig, ever the little chef, helped me make waffles.
I can't get over how grown up Brig looks in this picture.
Can you say cheeeeeese?
All ready to go!
Esmé had no clue what was going on.
These silly boys make our lives so much fun. :)
Allen is super excited about the backpack he gets to wear every day. It's Daddy's old backpack from college. :)
Dropping Brig off at preschool. He hugged and kissed his siblings goodbye then confidently walked to the door.
Esmé was distressed when we drove away without him and kept saying, "Briggie bye-bye? Briggie bye-bye?"
His excellent teacher, Mrs. Sundquist.
Allen's teacher, Mrs. Seeley. She is soft spoken and lovely.
Mrs. Seeley was a kindergarten teacher last year and moved up with her entire class. It's really wonderful for Allen to start his public education with a teacher and group of kids that love each other and already know the ropes.
The first thing the children do when they come into the classroom is wash their hands.
I love the look Allen is getting from the kid behind him. Why is she taking so many pictures of you?
Little sister helping out.
We left Allen reading on the map-rug. He was explaining to the boys around him why Idaho is cool. :)
Sadly, Esmé did not want to leave him and screamed his name down the hall as we left.
Here is the lunch I packed for Allen the first day. I wrote him a message on his napkin like I do for Daddy sometimes. I was on the fence about whether or not it would embarrass him. To my delight he loved it! He wants me to write him messages on his napkin every day. :)
Getting into a school routine has been good for our family. I enjoy the 3 hours I have with just Esmé in the morning. It's wonderful to have one-on-one with her and a little "mommy prep time". I've been cleaning, paying bills and grocery shopping. It's nice.
Brig loves his school. With his intelligent little brain he really needs the stimulation that he gets from a Montessori education. We've already noticed a positive difference in his attention seeking behavior at home.
Allen loved his school the first day...and then pretended to hate it for the following week. He could never tell us why he didn't like it. In fact, he would come home happy and excited with wonderful stories about P.E. and music class and how much fun he had at lunch and recess. Then he would look depressed and say, "But my day was awful, very boring." It was so melodramatic we had to try hard not to laugh.
We finally figured out that he is simply reacting to being on a strict routine. He's not used to having a specific time allotted to eat, read, play, etc. He thinks it's boring to be told what to do next instead of getting to choose. He is adjusting though and likes school more and more each day.
This is my favorite time of year. I love the Fall colors and crisp weather. I'm excited for the upcoming holidays and baking everything with pumpkin. I especially love the photo opportunities and fun we'll have with the children. :)
Looks like a good first day! :)
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