Seriously?  Where did the summer go?  Wasn’t Stella just finishing up kindergarten last week?  How on earth is she already in 1st grade?  At least it’s been a great start to the year so far.  Here’s something I haven’t done in awhile and the reason I started blogging in the first place…recording the moments of my kids’ lives.  Those of you that enjoy the personal side…here I go…

Stella was very sad to finish the 2 days/week summer camp she was doing, but very excited to meet her teacher, start school, and make new friends.  Now that I stay home, she gets to ride the bus to/from our neighborhood.  Although I cannot believe she does not arrive home until close to 5:00.  I thought for sure she would hate the ride home (much longer than ride to school), but she jumped off the first day with a big smile, “MOM!  I’m the LAST one off of the bus!  And the bus driver said that if treats are given out…the LAST rider gets DOUBLE!!!!!”  Plus, one of her neighborhood friends is her bus buddy and she adores him.  So no complaints so far.

But the day seems longer without her.

She survived the cafeteria…her biggest worry.  Navigating the unknown is not her strength.  I actually worked in the cafeteria on the first day and helped her through the lunch line.  I think it made both of us feel better.  I told her she could buy her lunch as much as she wanted the first few weeks to get the routine down.  Over dinner we mentioned to Andy that there was a guest table in the cafeteria.  He is definitely interested in trying to have lunch with Stella sometime during the school year.  Stella looked confused and finally asked, “Will I be allowed to talk to daddy?”  Huh?  She thought he would sit at the guest table alone while she still sat at her class table!  She’s definitely listening to the cafeteria rules about where you sit.

And she survived remembering her lunch box on a day she packed – because apparently mini corn dogs are not all the rage after all.

She survived her first REAL soccer game.  Extremely nervous again although she’d participated in 2 or 3 scrimmages beforehand.  “But mom, it IS different, because in a GAME they keep SCORE.”  Ok.

Overall, it’s been a good transition for her.  All of us are a bit more tired these last two weeks.  But getting into a new routine will exhaust most people.  I look forward to seeing what the new school year brings.

How’s everyone else doing with new back-to-school routines and “firsts”?

(Oh Stella, I thank you for being so very patient with every photo I take.  I laugh when you now pose perfectly and then say, “Put this one on Take 10 and make sure it says…” and then you describe exactly what the photo is for.  Someday soon I’ll explain hashtags and you can have your say in those.  I’m sure you’ll have better ideas than me.)