Time for School . . . Time for School

I can't believe it's that time of year again. Our summer of fun is over & school has begun once again. This year I have a

THIRD GRADER & a FIRST GRADER.

They really do get too big too fast.

Lorien is thrilled to be in 1st grade. She no longer has to go to the "baby kindergarten" school like she did last year. She is officially at the BIG ELEMENTARY SCHOOL with her sister this year & she couldn't be happier. Her teacher, Ms. Reidy, seems to be good. She is much stricter than Lorien's teacher last year, so we'll see how Lorien adapts to that environment. But it's good for her. Different teaching styles make you a more well-rounded learner. She's excited about everything in 1st grade. She was ADORABLE on the first day of school.

Cadence is in 3rd GRADE this year. (I know, I can't believe it either.) She was SO excited to find out who her teacher was. She has known who she wanted as a 3rd grade teacher for about 6 months now. I even caught her praying this summer that she would get Ms. Farmer. ha ha ha. Was it because Ms. Farmer had a fantastic teaching style? Did the kids learn better in her class? Was she just super nice? Why was Cadence SO DRAWN to this particular teacher? The answer will crack you up.

SHE HAS A CLASS PET: A GUINEA PIG

You should have heard her shrieks when they posted those class lists & her name was listed under Ms. Farmer's name. She was screaming so loudly I thought someone was going to think I kidnapped her. She was SO EXCITED. I happen to LOVE Ms. Farmer. She has a reputation at the school. . . a GOOD REPUTATION. She's one of the best teacher's they've got. So I'm thrilled Cadence gets to work with her.

Both girls were excited to get to go to the same school this year. I was thrilled to not have to drop off/pick up from two locations. See, everyone is happy. And the best part is that their classroom doors face each other so as soon as school gets out, they simply walk out the door & voila, there is sister.

I took some pics of all the kids together on the 1st day, but the boys were NOT into taking pictures as you can see. ha ha ha. Taya was happy until she realized her two best friends were going to school & she was getting left behind. Poor thing. She loves her sisters SO much.

Cadence did great with Ms. Farmer. Ms. Farmer took me aside after school to inform me about how excited she was to meet Cadence Potter. She said that Cadence has quite the reputation among the teachers of the school. I was nervous to hear that, but she told me that everyone ALWAYS talks about this Cadence Potter girl & what a sweet, loving little girl she is. When Ms. Farmer told the other teachers that SHE got CADENCE, they were excited for her. Cadence is such a good girl. I'm glad everyone knows her name based on her loving & sweet nature. She makes this mommy proud.

Oh & the guinea pig is even cooler than she expected it to be. (ha ha ha)

Lorien did well on her first day too. Comparing her to Cadence is like comparing apples to oranges. Though she may not be as focused or organized as her sister, she still excels in the learning process & enjoys it. Lorien's strong attribute is her ability to make friends. She told me after school that there is one little girl in her class that nobody would talk to or play with so she decided that SHE would be her friend. That made me SO proud. Then she proceeded to tell me that this particular girl was "special" because she uses a stick to walk & a special machine to write her letters. But she said that even though she was "different" than everyone else she really liked her & loved playing with her. I got to thinking about it, & I wondered if the little girl was blind. But then I thought there was NO WAY a blind child would attempt to attend a public school. I was completely WRONG. Melina IS blind & Lorien IS her best friend. She walks with her walking stick (she taps it on the ground to help her around obstacles) & she brings a braille machine to class every day to do her homework. (AMAZING GIRL). Lorien ADORES her. She brought home a piece of paper with "Lorien" written in Braille that Melina gave her. It's her prized possession at the moment. I am SO VERY PROUD that my girls are GOOD PEOPLE. They teach me lessons as an adult that I would never learn on my own. They teach me more about life than I could ever teach them.

And so another year begins. And this is ONE HAPPY MOMMY.