School Finally Started

This is one the faces that greets me each morning. You can see why I love dear CW, but I'm guessing you can also see why I would be anxious for school to start to use up some of that mischief that is otherwise oozing out every pore of his being. To back up a bit. . .
We are now one week and one day into the new school year that everyone else started some time ago--due to the modern "wonders" that are yearround school. Normally I like the 12 month school system. It allows us smallish breaks throughout the school year when we need them and when the weather's more agreeable than three months home in the convection oven that is Vegas in the summer. Normally, my children start the school year with everyone else and then begin having their breaks thereafter. Nothing about this year is normal. We know that now. We are on what is called track one. Which means we "started" the year with a break and are only beginning the instruction portion of the school year now. I have, as a result witnessed a unique phenomenon: children actually begging to go to school, looking wistfully at every passing bus and verbally wishing they were on it, counting down the days until they too could have school. Here's the school going crowd before they caught their first day bus:

Not only are they on a new track this year, but at an entirely new school, riding a new bus (we've never had the option before) and all in addition to the other newnesses in our life. So we have a bit of an adjustment to weather. It was a bit tricky last week. Some of my children don't transition all that well, not to name names. But this week is already going much better. Friends are being made, routines are being recognized and observed. We are getting into a groove. I like grooves.

Another new aspect of our school life this year is the absence of uniforms. Heretofor (see the snazzy and otherwise useless words you learn in law school!), the kids have attended a dress code mandatory school, which means navy, khaki, white and yellow were the colors. No jeans, no graphics and only very small brand logos allowed. It made school clothes so easy. But at the new school, we have none of that, so the kids are revelling in their newfound choices. I give you the first day fashion show:

CE, ever the girly girl, has been dying to be able to wear such a profusion of pink to school. She is now in HEAVEN. Please note, that she is only wearing sneakers because she was afraid it was PE, but she had her new favorite pink cheetah flats in her bag for a quick changeout the minute she knew there was no PE.

Z, is generally an easy going boy, except that he won't wear denim shorts ever and it is very important to him what sorts of things are on his t-shirt, now that he can actually have things on his t-shirt. His choice here, a shark, was actually a second choice, because the first choice: a red shirt with lots of gadgets of which I didn't really understand the appeal, got breakfast spilled all over it in some first day jitters, so we were already onto second string by this picture.

CW, you can see above. The things on his t-shirt must be cool as well. He is usually most pleased with balls, but will wear something non ball related if it is a green shirt or has skulls or fire on it instead (you guessed it, his favorite t-shirt, not pictured here because I hadn't found it yet, is a green soccer ball t-shirt where the ball is flaming and has a skull on it) So, this shirt that is greenish with a ball, is pretty cool.


And finally we have Bam. He's not in school. But he does have "class" twice a week: a mom-share, joy-school sort of round robin playdates with some themes that a few of us in the ward have with the 3ish set to give them time with friends and to give the moms time to run errands, etc with out their member of the 3ish set. Bam loves class and especially loves that he is big enough to have somewhere to go like the big kids, so of course he had to be in the first day pictures.

So that leaves M alone with me on two mornings a week, to have her own adventures:


All the regular elements of our fall are now in place, or as much as they can be at this juncture. And we are off and running to soccer practices, piano lessons, and church activities. We juggle homework and piano practice and most of all we relish saying the phrase "not tonight it's a school night." Yes. School finally started and not one moment too soon!