Another First

I know, I know, I've shamelessly abandoned my blog. I do intend to catch up. I'll get to that.

For now, yesterday was Kate's first day of first grade, and Travis's LAST first day of school as far as classes go (this semester will conclude his classwork - it's all fieldwork after that). Kate's school really started last week, but we were in Utah last week, which is another blog post for another time. I felt bad that she missed the first week, but maybe it was just as well that we joined in once all the craziness had settled down a little.

I have been looking forward to Kate starting FIRST GRADE for the past six years and I'll tell you why.

Once upon a time I used to teach first grade. Here are my cute first-graders, in Halloween costumes. (The super-shiny one is my TA, who was a REAL volunteer fire-fighter! Pretty sure I thought that was cooler than my kids did.) I am Ms. Frizzle. See the magic school buses? My hair was also red and crimped, but I'm pretty sure that effect was a lost cause.

 And here they are again wearing their Pilgrim hats for Thanksgiving.

 I didn't take many pictures that year because the privacy thing freaked me out a little. And you know, they aren't my kids. But I figure it's been long enough now it shouldn't matter. Can you believe all these little darlings will be starting 7TH GRADE this year???!!! YIKES!

Anyway, what you CAN'T really see in the Ms. Frizzle costume is the little belly that was KATE! 

This was the year I was pregnant with her, so she pretty much has already attended first grade. (We'll see how much of that she's retained.)

Really, though, this was my first exposure to having kids of my own (which is how I thought of them), as well as my first baby of my own. I would watch all these kids that year and wonder what my own little girl would be like in first grade. A few of these little angels (who shall remain nameless) even made me pray with all my might that I would have a little boy! HA! (Of course I was wrong and I wouldn't trade Kate for the world.) It will be fun to see Kate this year in an environment and at an age that is a little more familiar to me. And also can I just say the inevitable, which is I can't believe how fast they grow up!!!!!