First Day of School 2013

We went to a park in Issaquah for a picnic the day before school started.  It was relaxing and we had a very good time!

Old train depot in Issaquah

Picnics are always a hit!

This was in response to my pointing my camera at her.  She is so funny.

About to walk up the hill to go to school.  They were excited and nervous!

Sean said "Don't be scared, I will hold your hand."

Aly's classroom.  Miss Lowy on the left.

Sean's class.  The teacher said there are 28 students.

Our adorable Noah still sleepy heads out to school at 7:20!

It's bitter sweet to see your children grow up.  The twins, the chubby cheeked chuckle monkies, are  already kindergartners this fall.  The big boy Sean is a tall and handsome second grader now and I can just imagine how quickly he will be on his way to junior high.  He only has three more years before he becomes a junior high schooler (the last grade at Spiritridge is 5th grade)!

I was a little nervous for the school to start after the long lazy summer.  Noah goes to a special education school near Factoria and his bus comes and picks him up at 7:20 am.  That means everyone has to go to bed earlier to wake up at 6:30 am.  Sending him to a public school vs. private therapy/home school has been the topic all summer long amongst my therapy Mom friends.  Some of them opted for home school, but having had a great experience with the public integrated preschool, I wanted to give it a try.   Noah all dressed up for the first day, he left a little nervous, clinging to Daddy's arm before boarding the bus.  But, he seemed to have had a very good day!  He came home pretty tired but happy. 

And then there is Miss. Alyson.  She is known to cry and scream whenever she goes to a new school.  I even told the IEP coordinator that she would probably cry.  I was preparing for the hard good-bye at Aly's kindergarten class the first day.  She walked in with me and the teacher greeted her and asked her to find her name tag and seat.  So far so good, I thought.  She sat down and started to color the coloring picture with crayons.  She looked nervous, but seemed very composed.  As I stood in the back of the class, she asked me if I could stay by her side.  I told her that I can't and said good bye to her.  I waked away immediately, knowing she could cry any minute if I stayed any longer.  I turned back to check on her and she was busily coloring.  Success!! I was very happy that she was brave. 

Sean was very excited that Aly is a fellow student at his school now.  He was about all smiles on the first day and actually forgot about his own worries about starting second grade.  He would asked her "Are you scared, Aly?" and comfort her that the school is a nice place and her teacher is good (Aly's teacher used to be Sean's teacher last year).  I think that helped him calm his nerves down as well.   I am very proud of Sean for being a good big brother and tackling down the first week of school like a champ.  His new teacher is a male youngish teacher and Sean likes him a lot.  The teacher said Sean is an upbeat eager learner and it sounds like he is improving a lot every year.  I think he is going to have a great year this year.  He is already starting to mention his classmates' names, who he played with, during our dinner conversation.  That is a great news since he didn't often talk about his classmates at home.

The littlest girl and I are going to have lots of fun as well this year.  She will continue studying at the Japanese preschool and she will also begin gymnastics this Wednesday at a local gym.  She and Aly are taking a ballet lesson at their Japanese school as well and they are beyond excited about it.  They want to be a ballerina when they grow up.  I want to put the kids into music, but putting four kids in after school activities prove expensive!  I will have to get better at photography soon and start earning some money!

So, the first week of school was a success!  We are exhausted, but surviving!