First Day of 1st Grade!

My little baby boy had his first day of ALL DAY SCHOOL!!! How did we get here?!?! He was so excited and I hope his enthusiasm for school never fades because his attitude is awesome!!! He jumped out of bed and was so excited to get ready! He picked out his outfit way back when and could NOT wait to put the whole ensemble together (down to the socks and underwear!). He only wished his backpack was red and black so he would totally match! We walked to school together and took Grant to his class first because I knew his drop off would last 1 minute or less, which it did. We walked down to Wyatt's pod and he confidently walked into his classroom, found his desk, looked at the instructions on the smart board and got busy putting his things away. He had some fresh playdoh on his desk and he got to playing. He seemed very quiet and nervous, but once his buddy Matthew sat down two desks over from him, he perked up and started chatting, which was my cue to leave. After school, when he saw me, I got a giant hug and I could tell he was a little relieved to be done for the day! But he said his favorite part was having 2 recesses!! We went and celebrated his first day with a celebratory Blizzard and it was well-deserved!!!

Last night, as I was tucking him in, I prayed that his teacher would know how to teach him in the way he learns best, that he will have confidence from knowing he is a child of God and remember the God and mommy and daddy love him SO much, and that his year will be filled with learning, growth, joy and fun!! I will keep on praying those words every single day this year Wyatt, so you will love 1st grade even more than you loved Kindergarten!!!

First Day of 3rd Grade!

Can't believe we have a 3rd grader!! Time sure has flown! After Sneak a Peek night Monday, while walking home, Grant said, "Ok, now I'm excited for school!" The afternoon prior he was still insistent that he was not going to school!! But, he woke up chipper and excited and had a big 3rd grade pep in his step!!!  He's still such a sweet boy, letting me hold his hand while walking to school, letting me and Wyatt walk him to his class, and give him a hug in a kiss without the slightest hint of embarrassment. He was already getting to work when I left the room and my heart ached a little bit knowing I wouldn't be seeing him for 8 hours!!! I met him in the hallway at the end of the day and he had a big smile on his face and said he loved it! Recess went awry with a kickball game that turned out "disastrous" but all in all, he gives 3rd grade two thumbs up!!! We celebrated with our dessert before dinner- Blizzards!!!

I prayed over the boys last night and asked God to help Grant follow in Jesus' footsteps and grow in wisdom, that he will be the light of Jesus to everyone around him, and that this school year will be filled with learning, growth, joy, and fun! I will continue to pray this everyday Grant, so that 3rd grade may be your best year YET!!! 

Stand by the Sign

I love the tradition of standing by the sign each year! This year we have a new sign, which is kind of a bummer since there are no cool pencils or crayons or rulers to measure against each year, but I guess the new sign will have to do! We've been able to capture the first and last day of school with these kiddos for 3 years now and I LOVE it!!  

3rd Graders

2nd Graders

1st Graders

 And now the new crew of siblings get to have their chance to "Stand by the Sign" for yearly pictures!

1st Grade

 Kindergarten

First Day of School 2017-2018

My heart wasn't quite ready for these two to be away from me for 8 hours a day, but the day arrived and seeing how excited they were made me excited for them! And hey, a free afternoon to go out to lunch and shopping with my mom and a trip to Target alone isn't as bad as it sounds ;-)

After Sneak a Peek night on Monday, we all were excited about their teachers, their classes, and knew it was going to be a great year, so that made walking out the doors alone ok with me!

Its hard walking away from a building that is holding your whole heart inside there, but I am SO confident they are going to have the best year yet!!!

First Day of School 2016

These kiddos are just awesome! Love them so much! We had to take our obligatory First Day of School at the marquee, which will sadly be its last year! A new marquee is going up to match the new exterior of the school. Bummer!!! We will cherish these sweet pictures of these sweet friends!

The Kindergarten Posse

The Second Grade Buddies

These guys always run to the Scalise's driveway, throw their backpacks on the ground and immediately start eating!!!

Love these friends!!

Wyatt's History of First Day of School

4th year of school for Wyatt and he couldn't have been happier about being a Kindergartner!!!!

Grant's History of First Day of School

My, how this handsome fella has grown over the years! Still has handsome as ever!!!!

First Day of Kindergarten

The long-awaited First Day of Kindergarten finally arrived!! We've only been waiting for this day for about 2 years now! Wyatt was so excited and had everything laid out and organized for weeks! We just had to make it til 12:30 before we could actually get up there! I took him out for Chick Fil A breakfast to celebrate the exciting day!

The first day of kindergarten for Wyatt was a much different experience than it was when it was Grant's first day. On Grant's first day, we didn't know anything about the school and didn't know a single person. But with Wyatt, he already knew where his classroom was, and he already knew over half of his classmates, so there was a lot to be excited about!

 The first day of school was sooooo hot, so instead of waiting outside, we all filed into the school entryway and waited for Mrs. Gentz to walk us to class. The kids all waited anxiously, checking out each others backpacks and water bottles! :)

 And then she came and we all got to walk back to the classroom to get set up! 

**There was a little mix-up with Wyatt on Sneak a Peek night- they had him enrolled in AM kindergarten, even though I had written 100,000,000 times in multiple places that I wanted PM. So the AM and PM teachers already had everything labeled and set up, so when we showed up to Sneak a Peek and they had him all sorts of confused about where his stuff should go, what number he was, etc. So instead of changing all the other kids numbers and making them all shift up a number, Wyatt is now #15 instead of #1. He likes that because now his cubby is closest to the door. Thankfully he just rolled with it all!**

 He got his supplies all squared away and got busy on his first assignment! He was so excited to get to work!

He was also very excited to bring back his crayon for the class bulletin board. I like his What Makes Me Unique; "I can do a round off back handspring."

It's going to be an awesome year, with an awesome teacher, and an awesome kiddo!!!

First Day of 2nd Grade

 Grant is an official 2nd Grader, and WOW that seems old!! I used to teach 2nd graders and now that I have one on my own just seems so strange!!! The first day was met with a lot of excitement and anticipation! He was happy he got Mrs. McGinnis for his teacher, although she's on maternity leave until the end of October. He's making it through with the sub, but he's really anxious for his "real teacher" to get to school! It was straight to business on that first day, like he'd done the routine a million times. Amazing how adaptable kids can be!! A quick hug and a few pics and that was that! He's ready to get busy and learn all that 2nd grade has to offer!!

 And just because I love comparison pictures, here is me compared with Grant on my first day of 2nd grade!!

First Day of Pre-K!

We made the decision to hold Wyatt back a year from Kindergarten just as we did with Grant. We didn't have the same circumstances we had with Grant, but being their birthdays are the way they are, we felt it was best to keep them 2 grades apart. Although Wyatt could probably head onto first grade this year and hold his own just fine!! But the fact that Grant started school is early August, Wyatt was counting down the days til it was his turn to head back to school!

So finally, on the afternoon of September 2, we headed up to meet his teacher and give his classroom a once over. Although he has a different teacher than last year, his classroom is still the same. And instead of morning preschool, he is in the afternoon class. So lots of changes, yet still lots of familiarity!!
September 3rd was his first real day of school. He had picked out his outfit for the first day of school back in July. He wore it sparingly this summer because he just wanted it to be safe and perfect his first day! He was so funny- every time he hung his clothes up, he would make sure this shirt was front and center. And whenever he put his shorts away, he always put them to the farthest spot in his drawer so they wouldn't get mixed up. Nothing was going to stop him from wearing this outfit!
I know Pre-K for him will be a breeze for him, he just loves school so much, I know he will have a great year!! As I write this post, he is on his 4th day of school and he just can't wait to go each and every day. He comes home with a backpack full of artwork and coloring pages- apparently during center time he spends every second in the art center drawing and writing and creating!!!
Wyatt, we are so proud of the special boy you are! Work hard, be kind, and light up the room with your smile!! We love you big guy!