1st Day of School
Today was the first day of school. Two big transitions this year -- Amy is starting middle school and Donny is starting Kindergarten. So fun!
Amy, about to head off to the bus stop. Notice it's still nearly dark outside. Oy, I am so not ready to get up at 6:30 am every morning! The bus comes at 7:30, which honestly isn't too bad. We're the second to last stop, so at least her ride to school is short. Much better than the elementary bus which took 45 minutes to go the two miles to her school. *eye roll* (Which is usually why I drove her last year!)
Notice, however, the GIGANTIC instrument case next to her. That's her drum and bells (xylophone) -- it's like half her size! My only real worry about her going to school today was how she was going to manage to get that thing on the bus; it's heavy. Like *I* don't even like to carry it up the stairs heavy. Rolling it the block and a half to the bus stop isn't a big deal in nice weather, but I'm really hoping she was able to get a seat near the front so she didn't have to figure out how to get it through the bus.
I talked to the band director at orientation to see if there were any alternatives to her having to bring it back and forth to school every day, but it's not looking good. He offered to let her leave it there overnight, but then she won't get to practice in the evenings, and I really want her to get in that habit, even if it's just 10 minutes a night. She is brand new to music, and this is not going to come naturally to her -- she needs to spend at least a little "homework" time on it.
So I think I'm going to look into renting a second instrument to keep at school and let her just leave this one set up in her room. It sounds silly, but when I think of the headache involved (how the heck is she going to drag it through the snow in the winter?), an extra $20/month (the used rental cost) doesn't seem that bad. The other option is to drive her every day myself, but I think a second instrument would be much easier, LOL.
OK, moving on ...
Close up, nicer smile ... she was a little nervous, but I know she's going to love it.
Donny, on the front porch, getting ready to walk to his new Montessori preschool. Since we only have 1/2 day Kindergarten here, I wanted to find him something else for the mornings, and this program should be a good fit. It's literally around the corner from our house, and after spending the morning in class there, he gets to eat his lunch with the handful of other Kindergarteners, and the bus picks them up right in front of the school. Perfect!
And yes, he's excited. Bouncing off the walls excited. Hardly willing to turn around and say goodbye at the door excited, LOL.
Waiting at the preschool after lunch ... it's picture perfect weather for the first day of school. :)
About to get on ... notice all the other kids lining up nicely with the teacher or hanging back wtih their parents out of sight? Then there's my kid, practically nose to nose with the bus door as it opened, LOL. The bus driver had to tell him to wait and turn around so I could get a picture. *g*
Good bye!
Amy, about to head off to the bus stop. Notice it's still nearly dark outside. Oy, I am so not ready to get up at 6:30 am every morning! The bus comes at 7:30, which honestly isn't too bad. We're the second to last stop, so at least her ride to school is short. Much better than the elementary bus which took 45 minutes to go the two miles to her school. *eye roll* (Which is usually why I drove her last year!)
Notice, however, the GIGANTIC instrument case next to her. That's her drum and bells (xylophone) -- it's like half her size! My only real worry about her going to school today was how she was going to manage to get that thing on the bus; it's heavy. Like *I* don't even like to carry it up the stairs heavy. Rolling it the block and a half to the bus stop isn't a big deal in nice weather, but I'm really hoping she was able to get a seat near the front so she didn't have to figure out how to get it through the bus.
I talked to the band director at orientation to see if there were any alternatives to her having to bring it back and forth to school every day, but it's not looking good. He offered to let her leave it there overnight, but then she won't get to practice in the evenings, and I really want her to get in that habit, even if it's just 10 minutes a night. She is brand new to music, and this is not going to come naturally to her -- she needs to spend at least a little "homework" time on it.
So I think I'm going to look into renting a second instrument to keep at school and let her just leave this one set up in her room. It sounds silly, but when I think of the headache involved (how the heck is she going to drag it through the snow in the winter?), an extra $20/month (the used rental cost) doesn't seem that bad. The other option is to drive her every day myself, but I think a second instrument would be much easier, LOL.
OK, moving on ...
Close up, nicer smile ... she was a little nervous, but I know she's going to love it.
Donny, on the front porch, getting ready to walk to his new Montessori preschool. Since we only have 1/2 day Kindergarten here, I wanted to find him something else for the mornings, and this program should be a good fit. It's literally around the corner from our house, and after spending the morning in class there, he gets to eat his lunch with the handful of other Kindergarteners, and the bus picks them up right in front of the school. Perfect!
And yes, he's excited. Bouncing off the walls excited. Hardly willing to turn around and say goodbye at the door excited, LOL.
Waiting at the preschool after lunch ... it's picture perfect weather for the first day of school. :)
About to get on ... notice all the other kids lining up nicely with the teacher or hanging back wtih their parents out of sight? Then there's my kid, practically nose to nose with the bus door as it opened, LOL. The bus driver had to tell him to wait and turn around so I could get a picture. *g*
Good bye!