SCHOOL Days!!!

YESSSS!! I'm finally up to where school STARTS!! Yay! Haha! I know it's pathetic, and that I'm still very MUCH behind, but I'm making progress, people!! And it's just for our journal! I'm actually hoping to print out a couple of books for Christmas! My kids just LOVE to look at pictures of THEMSELVES!!! Vain little things! ;o)

This post is just the day before and the day OF the first day of school!  (Which was waaaay back on 11 August 2010!)  I explain the day before because I'm certain that when you see the first couple of pictures, you'll think...???  HUH???  Those don't look like pictures of SCHOOL!  You're right!!!  But Gma Pam came that week and we had FUN with her, too!!

...wait for it...

...keep waiting...

...oh, she'll be so happy I posted these, but they are Ella and Lexi's TRADITION...

...Okay... NOW!!  ;o)

LOVE YOU, MOM!!  You're so good to let the girls "play" with your hair!  You look FABULOUS!!

I'm telling you... Ella is STILL for hire!!  Haha!  ;o)

And notice she has even been "accessorized!"  Lovely!

The breakfast of MY champions!  Cinnamon rolls and scrambles eggs!!

And for those who won't eat ANYTHING... (meaning Ella)... it's granola bars, Gogurt, and juice!

LOVE!  He's so handsome, huh?  I know I'm biased, but still...

I actually got her to buy a shirt that said "HAPPY"!!  It's a gentle reminder to her that she NEEDS to be happy and GRATEFUL for the chance to get new school clothes!  (Plus, it's waaay cute!  I love this color on her... it makes her eyes so beautiful!  And I think she is gorgeous anyway... I LOVE her freckles, and her "taffy" hair... still biased... and I don't care!  That's what mother's are for!!)

Let me just insert here that she BEGGED for these shoes, and wore them EVERY day for several weeks, but now she hardly ever wears them.  Sigh!  What do you do when they don't even like the stuff THEY pick out??????  (But they are too cute, don't you think?  I wish I could get away with them on MY feet!)

Can I tell you how WONDERFUL it was to have their dad here that morning to get to go with them on the first day??  FABULOUS!!

Maybe someday we'll live in a place where they will actually get to experience riding the bus.  I actually miss it... a little!  I think every child should have the experience of the bus driver pointing and shouting at the hooligans in the back who won't sit down and behave!  ;o)

On our way in...

Lexi and Mrs. Robertson

Notice her name tag?  She promptly had it changed to "Lexi"... and I mean PROMPTLY!!  Stinker!

And don't I look studious?  I'm actually dressed... WITH MAKEUP on and with DRY hair!!  Woo-hoo!  (I've gone downhill since then!  Haha!)

It's very hard for me to believe that I have a SECOND GRADER!!!  How is that possible??  She should only still be 4, right?  'Cause I'm ONLY 29!!  I really love that she loves school and does so well in her studies!

Mrs. Shorack pulled Braeden's name from the pot... and we are sooooo glad!  We love her!  She is great with the kids, and really pushes them to their full potential!  She holds them totally responsible for their behavior, and they respond so well to her!  Here he is with his gingerbread name tag!  Also a tradition!  They spend the first week or more doing gingerbread activities!  It's sooo FUN!!!

And we were so surprised to see this again!  Lexi and I made it for her at the end of Kindergarten and sent it to her over the summer!  She had it hanging in her den at home, but now that she has her very own classroom (she was sharing with the other teacher that did 1/2 days with her for-e-ver, but they made everyone go to the extended day schedule... boo) she decided to bring it in and fill in some wall space with it!  (And maybe it's just because Braeden is in her class this year... who knows, but we LOVE that she still loves it enough to show off!)

Damian helping Braeden with his first page of class work!  He had to draw a self-portrait!

Doesn't he look pleased with his work?  Haha... I actually thought it was amazing!  He had all the right colors for what he was wearing that day, and he even drew a bike on his shirt... just like the one he was wearing!  I tell you... kids these days are sooooo much more advanced and talented than I am even now!  My kids can out-DRAW me... ANY DAY!!!

Mrs. Shorack reading the Gingerbread Man! 

Braeden's gingerbread puppet!  He only had to be there for 1 1/2 hours, but it was fantastic, and it set the tone for his real first day!  The 12th of August!!  

Thankfully they STILL love school and are happy to be there every day! I take them every morning and walk Braeden to class pretty much every day. I did it with Lexi and promised him that I would do it for him, too! I really like it. I know I'm not dressed for the day most of the time, but, oh, well!!