First Day of School - Finally!

The Sweet family treaded through a long and sweaty summer break with one bright light to keep our hopes alive: the first day of school.

Paisley was too excited to stay out of the picture, and Des was too sleepy to smile!
August 12, 2015

During the summer, Des was enrolled in two programs - one was a tuition-free Kindergarten prep program that went four days a week for three weeks, and helped kids adjust to an elementary school environment. Des got Mrs. Cullymore, just like Aislin did when we first moved to AZ...and just like Aislin, he later got her as his official Kindergarten teacher. We are a family that loves Mrs. Cullymore :) The other program was expensive and met every Saturday morning for six weeks. It was a reading readiness program that I had initially felt was a rip-off, but later realized how helpful it really was. Des learned a number of sight words and was reading by the end of the program!

Both Aislin and Des also had "homework" throughout the summer...to keep them from strangling one another, and me from strangling them. For a few minutes each day, at least five days a week, Aislin did pages from a 2nd grade workbook while Des practiced his handwriting, letter/number recognition, and reading. He now has stellar handwriting and writes "s" like an "s" and not like a "2," and he holds his pencil like a pencil instead of like a paintbrush. These are remarkable accomplishments :)

Since Des's programs kept him busy for most of June, Aislin wanted something that was just for her. So she agreed to start piano lessons! At first, I thought I'd just teach her what I could until the baby came in November, and then find another teacher to take her from there...but we've made such progress together and have enjoyed our lessons so much that I'm starting to rethink that plan. Sure, we'll have to take a little break after the baby's born, but I think I'll continue teaching her piano until I have nothing left to teach her!

As for the start of school, their weekdays now look like this: they drowsily get out of bed, agreeing to do so only after being reminded that we have to pick up our neighbor, Aubry. They dress according to their school's "color of the day," and then head to the kitchen where they slowly eat their waffles or cereal while I pack their lunches. Then there are shenanigans while they wash their faces and brush their teeth, and usually something to argue about while they put on their shoes and grab their backpacks. Finally, they clamber into the car with Paisley, who navigates from the passenger seat, and we pick up Aubry from across the street. I drop them off beside the Kindergarten playground where Aislin's old teacher from 1st grade greets students coming out of their cars, and the three of them clamber out with their big backpacks and bouncy shoes. At the end of the day, Aubry's mom picks them up and drops Aislin and Des off in front of our house where they run across the front yard, excited to share news of their day and raid the pantry for whatever snacks dad had bought from Costco.

Thank heavens for school :)