Back To School Von Trapp Style

To make my life easier, I usually just number my kids and count noses when we’re out in public.
Accordingly, I am happy to announce that kids 2, 3 & 4 are back in school.  Kid 1 goes back on Monday.
The reality of year-round school and all five weeks of summer break means back-to-school shopping begins approximately three minutes after buying new summer clothes.  Love that.
About this time each year I realize that I’m learning new things right along with TDHD.   Deep, meaningful things like:
1) I really don’t care for loud, cheesy murals … 

I like the old picture of school mascot better, even though it’s a large, puffy, yellow cartoon star.
2) Kid 2 and 3 have got the whole school thing down.
They practically bounced into their new classrooms and smiled for a few I’ll humor you because you’re my mom and you’ll give me extra jobs for being a grump if I don’t first day of school pictures.
And then they were off to a fun new year: happy, confident and ready to learn.  I choose to take all of the credit for this, thank you very much.

3) Kid 4 is going to take this world by storm.

He’s waited so long for this day.
 
Of all my kids, #4 has never been to preschool or even a neighborhood Joy preschool.  And his birthday is so late in the year that I went back and forth about holding him back a year.  But the bottom line it that he’s ready—testing at near end of year levels on most of his skills—and he needs his own place and friends outside of TDHD.

And that first day, he jumped right in … listening to stories during group time …
 
…drawing a wonderfully perfect interpretive self-portrait …

… and showing off some serious I can trace my hand better than you can Mom skills that left me in the dust.  Seriously.  Kid kicked my trash in the tracing department.
*Sigh* 
Love these kids.  And shopping for school supplies.  Both are deep, abiding loves for me.  The word ‘joy’ gets tossed around when I think of either.  Or both.  Or both together. 

See ya, bud.