All Five in School Today!

All the kids are in school today!  At three different schools - Clayton started middle school (yikes!).  Lydia is in preschool this year (yay!) She goes to the Montessori school just down the street.  And Eliza is in Pre-K at the elementary school with Isaac and Brigham.  As for me? I am home alone for the first time in 12 years. . . It's a big year for the Smiths!

 I snapped some pictures of the kids this morning.   Here's our drop-off routine.  First we walk Isaac, Brigham, and Eliza to the elementary school.  

 It's only a couple blocks but apparently, it's too far for Lydia.  She insisted on being carried.

 I meant to take a close up of Eliza but Brig ended up in the shot.  This might be an accurate representation of how these kids really feel about school.

 Eliza has been sleeping with her backpack for weeks.  She is ready!

 She was all smiles. . . all morning.  Not nervous at all.  

 Of course, my kids are never the nervous ones.  They are the ones already up to trouble before the bell even rings.

 Eliza and her BFF are in the same class this year. . . watch out world! 

Next, Clayton heads over to the middle school (which is right next door to the elementary) Look at this kid all grown up.  (He's almost as tall as me now).  Ahhhhhh, I have a middle-schooler!!!!!  I am falling to pieces, I feel so old.  But Clayton is confident and ready. Out of the kindness of his heart, he humored me by letting me take a picture before he went in.  He starts band today.  And Pre-AP Science, English, Reading, and Math which gives him a pretty rigorous schedule.  He memorized his locker combo by assigning each digit a musical pitch.  And if you ask him? He'll even play his locker combo for you on the piano.  Love this kid!

Last, Lydia to her school.  Cute Lydia is thrilled to finally be in school like the big kids!  She will only be gone for a few hours each week so, thankfully, I will still enjoy lots and lots of Lydia time this year!

 Love this pretty girl.

So here's to a new school year!  I miss all these guys already.  I am one very lucky Mama!

Another First Day of School

After five years of elementary school, I feel like we've finally got the routine down.  The boys started their first day of school yesterday without missing a beat.  It was like summer never happened.  Except it did.  It's a new school year and they're all a little more grown up.  Which makes me sad in some ways.  I snapped a picture just as we were heading out the door. Look at my boys.  So tall.  So confident. So grown up.  They were practically babies when we moved to Houston five years ago.

Clayton is the big man on campus this year (ahhh, we can't believe he'll be in middle school next year).  He is ecstatic to be in a class this year with all of his best buddies.  He is ecstatic to be in school, period. He's. . . bouncy happy.  And that's saying a lot.

I walked Brigham to his 2nd grade class. The first grade hallway was decorated with pictures and notes from the students last year (they were so cute - all displaying flags of their counties).  Brigham found his picture (the only boy with yellow hair).  His advice for upcoming first graders is to, 1) Do your work fast so you don't have to do it anymore.  And 2) Learn how to add billions of numbers.  He also says that the best part about first grade is going to second grade.  I hope second grade meets all his expectations.  He has a wonderful teacher - the same one Isaac had last year.  And guess what?  I get to be the room mom (again) this year!  Brigham is excited to be in class with all his favorite friends.

I poked my head into Isaac's 3rd grade classroom on my way out and snapped this picture.  He was smiling and busy doing his "morning work".  So different from the little first grader I remember a few years ago who sat in his seat on the first day of school holding onto his knees until his knuckles went white - trying so hard to be good.  I hope Isaac's teacher recognizes (and brings out) the best in Isaac like last year.  He tries so hard to contain that bigger than life personality of his. Isaac's best friend in the world is in a different class this year.  They are missing each other.  Luckily they still see each other at recess for their favorite game. . . football!

Eliza started preschool this week at our house!  All girls again this year and we are loving every minute of it.

Look at cute Lydia in this picture.  She is in heaven being a part of preschool (at least when it's at our house).

School is in.  And we are all smiles around here.

And So It Begins. . .

The boys started school today.  After just (barely) getting back from vacation (blog posts coming soon) we have hardly had any time to even think about school.  It was quite a shock this morning when I realized, oh yeah, I needed to pack three lunches, and where are those darn backpacks from last year? But, despite still being in major vacation recovery mode, we are ready for school. We are ready for routine.  Clayton is in fourth grade now (I feel like such an old mom).  Isaac is in second.  And Brig is in first. 

I snapped a few pictures this morning as we headed out. 

Here they are at our front door wearing their brand new shoes (purchased on vacation) that they wore hiking through the ditch at the ranch before I could stop them.  It was quite a chore scraping them clean of caked mud and cow pies to get them ready for this day.

 I walked (Ha!) the kids to school as usual this morning.  They were very excited.

 I really wanted to document our walking route. But this is as good as I could do - a blurry picture of Isaac elbowing Brigham out of the way and me desperately trying to keep up.

When we got to the school, Clayton headed into a different entrance after a quick goodbye.  And then I tried to snap a few more pictures of Brigham and Isaac waiting outside their door for the bell to ring.

 

If this is any indication of what the school year will be like. . .

 we might be in for a real ride.

Wish us all luck!

First Day of School

The kids started school today. So much has been going on lately that I feel like I haven't even had a chance to process the fact that my happy little Briggy-boo is now a big kindergartener. And that talkative, imaginative Isaac is finally in first grade. And principled, reliable Clayton is already in third - halfway done with elementary school! Summer is over. I have no preschoolers. My kids are growing up. What is a mother to do?
I walked the boys to school - we know the route well. Through the "secret way". . .
and down the sidewalk with all the other kids.Third graders go through a different entrance. The main entrance. Clayton felt like such an upperclassman. He quickly found a friend and said his good-bye's. I watched him walk through the doors - looking so tall. He didn't even glance back.
I walked Isaac and Brig to their classrooms (with all the other lower grade students). As soon as Brigham saw his room and before I had a chance to say anything he squeezed himself through all the other parents and children, hung up his backpack, and found his place to sit. When I finally got a glimpse of him over everyone's shoulders, he was happily coloring - the only student seated in the class. I guess some kindergartners are just born ready. Bye Brigham (kiss kiss) I hope you have a wonderful first day. . .
Isaac was unusually nervous. We've been lecturing him nonstop about first impressions and being respectful and I kind of hope we didn't overdo it. He timidly found his seat and then didn't move a muscle. When I left he was still sitting with his eyes closed and head bowed. I'm praying too buddy. . . not so much that you can handle all of first grade, but that first grade can handle all of you. Have an awesome day my bigger-than-life first grader!

And then I walked back home. . . to this.
And this.

And a completely new era for me. With all my boys in school. And all my girls at home.
This is life. Always changing. Growing. Re-inventing.

I really can't wait until 2:3o today.
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School Boys

The boys started school this week. . . successfully!

Isaac is officially in kindergarten and is now one of the older kids in his class (along with a few of his friends from last year). One year makes a world of difference - when I compare his first week of school last year (the meltdowns, the tantrums, the phone calls, the parent-teacher conferences, the meetings with the vice-principal, ugh! what a nightmare!) to this year. He is taking his role as a "leader for good" very seriously and we have received nothing but praise (and green behavior marks!) from his teacher. Another parent, noticing me with Isaac after school today, told me how impressed he was with Isaac's manners at lunch (He fortunately did not know Isaac last year). Apparently he brought cupcakes for his daughters birthday and said that Isaac spoke very politely and was the only student in the class to thank him. We are all so proud of Isaac and hopeful that he will keep up his excellent behavior and good attitude all year.

Clayton is in second grade! And he is excited. . .despite being in the same class with bully-girl again. Grrr. (at least this year he doesn't have to sit next to her at lunch). It turns out Clayton is more forgiving than me when it comes to mean kids. Here are two conversations that prove it.

Conversation #1
Last year at lunch. I walked into the cafeteria just after Clayton's class had arrived. I was standing behind Clayton who was seated next to bully-girl who clearly hadn't noticed me yet.
Bully-Girl: (yelling to the whole class) Hey! whoever hates Clayton raise your hand!
Nobody raised their hands. They all looked at me in horror.
Me: (shocked and angrier than a mother bear) See? Nobody raised their hand. (then addressing the whole class) Whoever thinks that was a mean and insecure thing to say raise your hand.
Everyone raised their hands. Everyone except bully-girl who sulked the rest of the time.
Clayton: (to bully-girl) It's okay. I always just ignore you anyway.
That made bully-girl sulk even more.

Conversation #2
We ran into bully-girl at "meet-your-teacher" night this year where the two discovered they were in the same class. . . again.
Clayton: Hi bully-girl. Well. . . It looks like we're in the same class again.
Bully-girl: (glaring. seething. says nothing.)
Clayton: Let's just make an agreement to be friends this year, okay? That means I'll be nice to you like I always am. And you be nice to me. Deal?
Bully-girl: (looking sulkily at her mom and then back at Clayton. nothing.)
A few hours later while I was still loathing bully-girl, Clayton perked up and said, "I'm really glad bully-girl and I are going to be friends this year." And then he recounted the whole conversation to me.
I love that kid.

Brigham is in preschool and he styled his own hair for the first day of school. Do you like it? This week Brigham really got into gluing. He came home chanting, "one drop is enough. one drop is enough. one drop is enough." He glued and glued and glued and brought home page after page of little glued things. He stole some foamies from the classroom which I made him return and which his teacher said was okay because she knew how much he loved gluing which totally gave him the wrong idea about stealing. He also got in trouble for talking constantly (to himself) during nap time which he hated until the teacher told him he could just read a book and now if you ask him what his favorite part of preschool is he'll say, "nap time because everyone has to take a nap but NOT me." Brigham is so happy to be one of the big kids this year!

All the kids are going through major playtime withdrawals. And I don't blame them. With school PLUS our regular home routine and schedule, it seems like they have so little time for pure play. Eliza and I miss the noise, the sound effects and constant chatter during the day. We miss the never-ending entertainment. And I miss the help (from Clayton mostly). I always have such mixed feelings sending the boys off to school. I'm mostly happy. . . but kind of sad to see them all looking (and thinking of themselves as) so. . . so . . . so. . . grown-up.
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First Day

The boys started school today. Which means so many different things to me. Yup. Even Brigham is going to school. Which means for the first time ever, at least until our fourth child arrives next month, I have a few hours during the week ALL TO MYSELF!!!! A few hours that are already completely booked with appointments, church assignments and meetings, volunteering in three different classrooms, and a long-long list of projects. Like this:

And making eighty more of these:

and these:

Oh. . . and a nap? Yeah. One of those too.

The boys started school today. Which means Clayton is a big 1st grader! Which means he gets to check out "science books" (non-fiction) from the library. Which (besides escaping the wrath of his spitting, screaming, destroying-his-lego-contraptions-on-purpose little brothers) was the number one thing he was looking forward to in 1st grade. He checked out a book on sharks. And this is what he learned: Mother sharks often eat their young. Nice.


The boys started school today. Which means Isaac is now in, what we call, Pre-K-K. Which just means that he'll be in Kindergarten next year too. I met him for lunch today. He was sitting by a little boy from India who was talking a million miles an hour. Even Isaac (of all people) had a hard time getting a word in. After inhaling his entire yogurt in one slurp, Isaac growled at the little boy and through gritted teeth said, "I don't understand a word you're saying!!! Why are you talking funny like that!?!"
"Isaac!" I gasped - shocked by his impropriety, "He's telling you about his trip to India and all the things he did this summer."
"Oh." he quickly said to the boy, "Well, I didn't do ANY of those things this summer. I just stayed at home and played with my toys."

ouch.

What about the Ranch? Seattle? Our awesome summer-long road trip? What about your light saber party???? And all our trips to the museum? splash park? and pool? What about? What about?. . .


The boys started school today. Which means that from nine to noon Briggy gets to wear smart, British-looking school clothes. He applied and interviewed for the Montessori program awhile ago. It was like applying for college. I asked him what he said in his interview:
"Uhh. She asked me if I wiked bahloo-berries. And I said, 'Sure I do.' And dat's all I said."
So there ya go. The correct answer to blueberries is "sure I do."
In all honesty, Brigham's school is a wonderful, magical place and even I enjoy exploring, relaxing, and helping in his classroom. I could seriously live there.



The boys started school today. Which means we got to see a real-live Texas armadillo scurry across the sidewalk AND an awesome "monster truck" on our walk to school this morning. It means less mess everywhere in the house. And less noise. It means grocery shopping with a regular shopping cart. And time to think. . . think. . . think. . . about how much I LOVE and MISS my three little schoolboys - almost enough to keep them home with me forever. But not quite.

so with mixed feelings. . .
Mmmmwahh!
To those three adorable Kissing Hands!

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