Sending your kids off to kindergarten is such a big milestone.
I get teary eyed just looking at my own kid's cute kindergarten photos.
I dig some digging on my blog to gather everyone's back to school kindergarten photos. It seems like just yesterday and seeing them with their graduation year signs always makes me tear up. I remember thinking 2031 was so many years away when Olive went to kindergarten. Now 2031 feels right around the corner.
Walk down kindergarten memory lane with me...
When Olive went to K, I cried my eyes out. Her very independent self opted to ride the bus the first day of school and she hasn't looked back. We made matching bracelets and she has loved school ever since.
When Fletcher went to K, life was weird with Covid restrictions and he didn't love being gone all day. I was so sad to send him off to school. We unexpectedly moved to a new city mid year and he had a lot of changes to adjust to. He had two great teachers that year.
When Leo went to K, we were all so excited! His big transition happened last year when he went to full time Pre-K and I returned to teaching. That was hard to go from home with mom all day to full time school. On his first day of school, he told me at pick up that he had a fun day and was never going back. Thankfully, he figured out school life really quickly and had the best year. He excelled academically and made so many new friends. His adjustment to K was so easy because he had already learned how to do a school day. The best part of K is no more naps according to him.
I never dreamed of teaching kindergarten. I thought 3rd grade was the best grade and kindergarten was too little for me. But now that God opened doors for me to teach K, I LOVE IT! I love welcoming kids to school, having so much fun learning in K and helping their families learn the ropes of school. I also have a whole new level of empathy for the teary eyed moms wearing sunglasses to drop off. They get hugs from me and I try hard to snap smiling pictures throughout our school day to share with them.
Kindergarten is so much fun!
Whew! The first few days of school wore us out! My alarm clock goes off at 5:30am every school morning and my day goes full speed until bedtime most days. I'm working hard to get to know 22 kids and their families and lots of new things at school. It has been a huge blessing to me to see my kindergarten kids from last year in first grade. They make me feel like a celebrity with hugs, waves and big smiles in the halls. The start of year 2 has me feeling more confident and more settled than year one. I'm thankful to have made all the connections I did last year so that this year wouldn't feel so new. Overall, we had a great first week and tried hard to rest this weekend so that we could handle five full days this week.
Leo and I had the best first days. It is SO fun to have recess and lunch together plus see each other a lot throughout the day. My class is cute. I've got a few big personalities to learn and am making some changes this week to make everything go smoother.
Overall, we're adjusting and doing well with our new routines. I'm packing 20 lunches and 20 snacks each week. Thank heavens for grocery delivery. I'm laying everything out the night before. Sharing drop off and pick up routines with Kevin and we're doing it! We're excited to see what this new school year has in store for our family. Kevin's college schedule doesn't start until the end of August which means that he's been able to be extra helpful during our busiest time of the year.
Wishing you all a wonderful school year ahead!
I have all the feels about going back to school today. It's the first day ever when all the kids + me return to school on the same day. A family milestone. I think the kids are feeling all the feelings, too. They are excited to see their friends every day, a little nervous about all the new and a little sad about early bedtimes and early wake ups.
We're all navigating new pick up times, new routines, new teachers and new schools.
3 different grade levels.
2 different schools and school systems.
2 different school calendars.
And 12 different teachers.
20 packed lunches a week.
And more!
I'm so thankful to be returning to kindergarten. Year 2 feels a lot better than Year 1. I feel more confident. I love knowing lots of families, have made lots of teacher friends and am no longer a "newb" as my kids say. I'm hoping my students from last year will come see me. I know I can't wait to see their cute first grade faces in the hall. We have a lot of new things happening at school this year. I'm just thankful that I've got a year under my belt and I'm not new.
We're sad to say goodbye to Summer. It was a really good one. But I'm confident that we spent every moment together relaxing, playing, enjoying Summer break to the max. I am very thankful that my career and schedule lines up so well with my kids. We love our Summer breaks together and I love that our daily schedules are in sync.
Wishing my family and your family the very best school years!
I'll be back soon - hopefully Friday - with a round of up our first week of school favorites!
We tried something new for dessert. We switched the cereal on a classic treat and loved it.
We used Cinnamon Toast Crunch in place of Rice Krispies.
The classic recipe is the same
1 bag of big marshmallows
3 T butter + enough to coat pan
6 cups cereal
We'd love to try this again with Reese's Puffs cereal or Fruity Pebbles.
Give this swap a try! Use your favorite cereal and see how it turns out :)
Happy Friday! I'm back to work today with a day full of meetings. I am excited to not be the new teacher this year + have lots of work friends to see again. But I'm a little sad to say goodbye to a really fun Summer. I'm going to recap some July favorite moments for you today.
1. The butterflies and hummingbirds have been loving my zinnias!
13. We switched up our bookclub plans for brunch this month and it was delicious! It was so fun to try someplace new and see a little heart rock by my car.
