Rocky start but good outcome

Now that we are entering third grade, we are old hat at first days of school. He did wake up early and came into our room dressed and ready for the day! What a change from sleeping in all summer long. He was excited to tackle the day and see all his friends.

The little kids didn't feel the same way . . . they didn't want to lose their best buddy for the day. All day long they wanted to know when Max would be home!

The ever popular backpack photo.

This year is a bit different in the fashion, music and just general attitude. He is an eight year old who is influenced by older kids in the neighborhood, on sports teams and at camps he attended. We went to the mall last week for shoes and he really wanted to pick out some "fancy" t-shirts that weren't his usual sports teams. He asked to go into Aeropostale and he picked out some t-shirts, a hat and a lovely chain with a dog tag on it. I was proud of myself for keeping my lack of enthusiasm for the fake chain in check. He knows he can't wear it to school, so really it didn't do much harm. I am learning with the music choices to pick my battles for the ones I can't live with losing.

Here he is from the weekend with the new hat and he is feeling very stylish and cool.

I need to dig out the first day photos I have taken in front of this lamp post since pre-school. He is really getting tall!

I took a couple shots of our bus stop to use in the yearbook for school this year. It is a job I took on with a friend last year and lets just say . . . tons of work! This year I vow to keep up with it throughout the year so it won't be so much work in the last couple weeks.

I love this shot from oldest to the youngest kids. We have 6 Kindergarten kids on our street this year, three at our bus stop! What fun! The only problem today was the bus didn't really show up! It broke down earlier in the route and a new bus was sent. Not a great way to start the year. We ended up driving the kids and just as we were leaving the neighborhood with minutes until school started, the bus sped onto our street. Lets hope Friday the whole thing goes a little better. Yes you heard me, we had a day of school and now we have a day off for the Jewish holidays. Not sure why we didn't wait for Friday or Monday to be the first day . . .

Max is a rule follower and our house is actually its own bus stop. We often get lonely and go and hang with the neighbors a few doors down. Max always feels like he is breaking the rules and he didn't want to break them on this first day. Ellie and Sam always wait with him. I was waiting to get the shot of them waiting and the bus pulling onto the street, but this year that didn't happen.

True to form, we didn't get many details. Looking forward to chatty Ellie's school days and actually knowing what goes on. I did learn that - he likes his teacher, she is nice, lots of his favorite peeps are in his class and his favorite part of the day was learning that one of his best buddies, himself and the teacher are the only three Red Sox fans in a sea of Yankee loving New Yorkers. He is quite anxious to learn to write in cursive and is thrilled that they will learn slowly.

Have a great year Max - we are thrilled, proud and expecting you to try your best!

P.S. I started writing this post around 8:30 and Max was fast asleep . . . the first day of school is draining!

A year of practice and about a minute of dancing . . . lots of looking cute though!

Ellie started taking dance lessons this year when she was about two and a half. It started off with the older girls in her class (4-5 year olds) leading her around the classroom like their cute little doll. Finally she started to get the hang of it and started to actually dance. She loves it! She usually belts out the songs and wildly swings her leg as she works her big step - heel, toe, heel, toe, heel, toe.

They started practicing for the recital in about January on their routine to "There ain't nobody here but us chickens" . I really thought that we would need to not attend the recital and that it was too much for a three year old. However, it soon became apparent that she loved it and that she wanted to be a part of the big number! Even that night I thought that she might be a little too scared . . . not at all! She sat backstage with all the other girls and took it all in. She shared her lip gloss and proudly applied it before going on stage. It was a riot. When I had to leave and she left to actually go onstage, she seemed a little nervous, but held the helpers hand and went right out. We were sitting on the floor right in front of the stage, so she relaxed as soon as she saw us. Max gave her the thumbs up and she blew us kisses, yelled "hi, mommy" and was good to go. (over 500 tickets were sold for the event and it is held in a big auditorium.

Here are the photos, you can see she started off looking around and then began to dance.

Backstage waiting for their turn to dance

Was checking out the stage when they first came onstage

then looked out at all the people, over 500 tickets were sold and it was pretty full, scary for a three year old . . . then she saw us right in front of the stage on the floor watching and you could see the tension leave her . . .

Maggie and Ellie danced next to one another and they spent a lot of time smiling to each other and looking around at the start of the routine

her favorite move . . . heel, toe, heel, toe, heel, toe!

then some loud kicks (she loves this part!)

a little attitude and sass!

the big finish, they crouch down and then jump up with hands in the air (didn't get that shot!)

thrilled to have flowers from her brothers - loved them

leaving with their new umbrellas

sam didn't want to leave all the girls and loved playing with his umbrella

Max was very sweet to his sister. He told her how great she did, how pretty she looked and that he loved her. It was a proud moment for her to get her brother's thumbs up!

waiting for Sam who was having lots of fun in the puddles and rain! This was Steve's first big day off the couch and he was sporting some stylish footwear - lose the black sock grandpa!

Package in Mail - So glad it is on its way!

Okay, I am pretty sure that I went a little crazy making things for my sister's baby shower.  It started out from feeling bad that we live so far away and that I wouldn't be in Seattle for the delivery, the days after, etc.  She lived in Boston when Max was born in Hartford and it was great to have her with us.  

So I felt the need to make up for not being there by sewing and knitting up a storm for her.  I made the quilt for my mom to open at the shower given by her friends, she and Karyn will have to decide where the quilt will reside.  I thought it would be a fun thing to have for the baby to play on at mom's . . . but it came out so cute, I am guessing Karyn will claim it for their house.  I will get ready to make another fun quilt for whomever gives in on this one!  The package includes all the items in the previous posts (diaper clutch like Diapees and Wipees, diaper bag, matching quilted changing pad, cute little bunny, minky blanket, bibs and soft little shoes)  I also threw in some of my favorite items from when Ellie and Sam were babies - a wonderful sleep sack, footed dwell sleeper, haba pacifier clip and Dr. Brown's bottles.  I really wish I could find a way to be in Seattle this weekend . . .   maybe I will have time to sew some things that got thrown on the back burner for "shower fest '09"