Our 1st Grader!!!

Would you trust these ornery chefs to cook your breakfast?

Here's some pictures from our first day of school.  We started off with colored pancakes to celebrate the beginning of the school year, and then quickly moved on so we could finish Abe's studies by lunch.  I quickly learned that having a toddler and baby around are going to force us to be a bit flexible with school.  Jack wants to be right in the middle of it all, which I think will be great for him.  He has his own notebook and crayons, and loves to "Me.  Draw."  So, we weren't completely finished by lunchtime, but finished science and then curled up to read together after the little guys were down for naps.

Abe has a fantastic attitude towards school this year, for which I am so grateful.  We struggled a bit last year with the reading program, and I was afraid that had tainted him towards learning, but he is excited and already knows so much.  We didn't send him to Kindergarten last year because we didn't feel like he was ready (and several teachers told us that most boys benefit from waiting an extra year), so we did a little homeschooling instead.  I didn't really anticipate that he would be ready for first grade this year, but he tested that he was.  And he is doing great so far.  We are using a great curriculum called "Sonlight," and its focus is on building a love of reading.  Perfect for us. 

Superheroes and a Bears shirt to kick off the year.....

Here is the big guy in his back to school shirt my Mom bought him (he was so cute... when he woke up Monday morning, he asked if he could wear one of his "back to school" shirts) with the lunch box they decided he needed.  On Sunday, he chopped up zuchinni and squash, put some balsamic vinegar on top, and put it in the fridge for his lunch the next day.  When I said it was time for lunch, he marched off to get the lunch box.  I love that kid.  (On a side note, I started back at Western on Tuesday, and it should be noted that none of my students were this excited, nor did they have cool lunchboxes).