Hello, Kindergarten and 3rd Grade!

Here, we are ready to head back to school. The children are excited and a wee bit nervous and I'm happy and sad at the same time. This is the year my little boy enters elementary school as a Kindergartner. It is a big step and lots of change is ahead of us. 

Ready to go to school: 

We did not know who Elliot's teacher was until the middle of the week, hence, the empty/ edited space on the board. 

Both children will be at the same school for the next 3 years :)

As per German tradition, on the child's first day of elementary school, you receive a Schultuete: a cone filled with some goodies, school supplies and sweets. Amelia got a smaller one as a sibling. Doesn't he look so big and ready for school?1?

All excited to see what's in their Schultueten:

And then we had to rush to get to school on time for their first day:

First stop Amelia's classroom to meet her teacher and see her classmates. She was not here while they had Open House last week and so this was the first time meeting everyone. For 3rd grade, she has Mrs. Cowan as a teacher. 

Then I had to bring Elliot to his hallway, where we had to drop off the Kindergartners for half a day while they did some testing. This year, they tried something new and it was't great at all. No one knew what to expect and the children were quite scared. Elliot started crying, so naturally my tears started flowing too. Parents were not allowed to bring them to the room, which they had never seen before nor did they knew the teacher who took their hands. Our brave face:

 And he is off:

 But at pick-up time he was all smiles:

That night, some extra cuddles with mommy were needed:

On Wednesday, we were informed that his teacher will be Mrs. King. And on Thursday, it was time to meet his teacher and some of his classmates. Starting Monday, the Kindergartners will be full-time (7 hours) every day in school. Just this week was an introductory week. Elliot was all smiles and loves his classroom, Superhero theme, and his teacher. 

First picture from lunch:

Elliot had a great day with his class and is already looking forward to Monday, when his entire class of 20 will be together and he can ride the school bus home with his sister. 

This first week is always a blur and a bit hectic. It was even worse this year with having to get two children ready to go. I'm so proud of my big boy but also so sad that he is growing up so fast. On top of that, my girl is turning 8 years old tomorrow. So frankly, I'm emotionally drained and as exhausted as the kids are from these past 5 days. The real highlight though of getting up so early: My morning view at 6am while I prep the lunchboxes.

Today, Elliot and I surprised Amelia for lunch. We brought in cupcakes for her birthday and the class sang to her. She truly enjoyed herself at the center of attention. 

I know they are ready and will have a great time at school learning new things and exploring who they are. And so the first week of school comes to an end while we are starting off the birthday celebrations.