First! Day! of! School! 2018

I love my kids more than anything in the universe.  Their childhood is my magnum opus. And also, THANK GOD FOR SCHOOL.

(In our district, 7th, 8th, 10th, 11th, and 12th graders start school a day later, giving the truly, truly awkward 6th and 9th graders time to get it together in their middle/high schools without an audience of older, cooler kids.  So Harry's first day of school is technically not this day.  And my own class doesn't officially start meeting until next week even though adjuncting season in upon me.  And Ben!  Has been back at work since the day we got home from Hilton Head!  But I am calling it anyway-- academic New Year begins now)

We have been getting ready to go back to school for WEEKS now.

We've been putting stuff in lockers

 Getting hair cuts

 Meeting teachers

 Buying shoes.  SO MANY SHOES.

 Dorothy got a sweet letter in the mail from her teacher (who was also Jack's teacher and Cooper's)

 She's been practicing with her giant back pack

 WE HAVE BEEN LITERALLY COUNTING DOWN THE DAYS

 And filling our time practicing school skills.

 I even made Ben plant mums thinking specifically of my first day front porch photos.

 Beatrix has gotten used to being a working dog.

 Food prep has been prepped.

IT IS TIME

 Can you EVEN BELIEVE she's a kindergartener?!?

 She can

 5th grade!!

 First grade!

 She was SO EXCITED to walk to school like the big kid she is

 I stuck around and stalked the kids to their tables of course.

And then Harry and I went to see Crazy Rich Asians which was so fun-- you should see it!

And we made the cupcakes Dorothy wanted-- sort of.  Clearly my frosting colors were totally messed up.

 And then!  Before we knew it!  Time to pick them up. 

Jack was on duty as a safety patroller.

But Dorothy and Cooper were sweaty and dirty and happy to come home and eat cupcakes.

Another first day is behind us, and we have a super excited seventh grader getting ready to board the bus RIGHT NOW.