Back to School

After sort of dreading it and sort of looking forward to it, the first week of school came and went. Kai started 1st grade and Teia started her second year of preschool. For the first time since our babies were old enough for "school" of some sort, they returned to the school they attended the previous year. That made the whole event a little less climactic and stressful, thank goodness. Anything that involves less stress is something I am ALL over.

I did not manage very good back to school photos this year. But that is okay. I think Facebook was overwhelmed with them anyway. Kai managed to lose his front tooth just a few days before school started and w/n the week, front tooth #2 was gonzo as well. He swallowed it.

Here is his not-so-great-first-day-of-first-grade-photo:

And this is the best pic I've gotten so far of his toothless vampire grin:

Teia was supposed to return to the same class with the same teacher that she adored but a few last minute administrative changes at her preschool meant she got a new teacher. I fretted when I found out but so far at least, Teia has been rolling with it. She is big wo-man on campus this year - her second year in the 3 to 4 year old room. Even her body language is different from last year as she confidently struts around her home turf.

Her first-day-of-second-year-of-preschool photo wasn't so great either. She was just being silly. I had several to chose from, each as silly as the next:

She really is growing up so fast. Her legs are long now and she wants to do pretty much everything by herself. Except when she doesn't. And that's okay. A few days before school started she pretty much told us it was time to take down the baby monitor. She'd had enough of that creepy little red-eyed camera watching her every move. We'd been hanging onto it, enjoying the nap surveillance that it provided. But I had to admit, she is almost 4. We were being a bit ridiculous with that baby monitor. So out of her room it came and I told her that now she couldn't just lie there in bed and call for me, she'd have to leave when she was finished her nap or I'd never know. Since the camera removal, naps have ended anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 hours after I put her down and then wonder if she's sleeping; she storms out of her room, finds me and announces "Good Morning Mama!" This translates to: "I'm finished being in my room and you have no way of knowing if I napped or not, nah nah nah nah nah."

Doesn't she look like such a big kid in this photo?

Teia is still only a part-timer when it comes to school so I've been keeping her busy this week while Kai has been in first grade. Its been hot so we've just been trying to stay cool....

Back to back to school. Despite staying at the same school, Kai has had to make a big adjustment out of the cozy kindergarten corner and into the big kid area where all of a sudden he looks so tiny again. He's made it like a rockstar. He has visited kindergarten a few times but has adjusted really well to his new class. His teacher is amazing and he seems to be with a great group of kids. Its a multi-age class so half of the kids are second graders doing their second year with Miss Erica. Next year, that'll be Kai, showing the young'ens the ropes.

The early mornings, long days and soul-melting heat we've had this past week has taken its toll though. Poor guy fell down just walking into our house on Friday evening, proof that he'd given all he had for the week.