just tell me to RELAX...and BREATHE

first day of Second Grade

Time is flying, and now I have a second-grader.  How did THAT happen?

Ripley has been VERY ready for school to start.  She has now lost her two front teeth (the bottoms are still hanging on) and she'll have a whole new smile for her school pictures next week.

On our way to school, I asked her what she was most excited about, and her answer was, "EVERYTHING."  Good answer.  Tuli took the trip with us to send Ripley off.

I think she's been trying ever since to figure out when Rip is coming home to play with her.  She is a lonely pup without her best buddy here.

I've been wading through mountains of emails, papers, calendars, lists, and laundry, trying to catch up from the last 3 months of summer.  Now, if only I can avoid having jury duty tomorrow...

Fingers crossed.

 

Time to brag

When you have a superstar 7-year-old like Ripley, really ANY time is time to brag.  Seriously, she is an awesome kid.  But today I have to REALLY brag because R won an award for her awesomeness...

(she's the little squirt in the middle of the pic, standing up to get her plaque when our Head of School announced her name)

Each homeroom teacher picked a child for the Leadership Award (I've also heard the teachers refer to it as the "Outstanding Student Award") for the trimester, and Ripley was the recipient from Mrs. Templin's class.  

(that's Mrs. Templin patting her on the back as she goes up to the front of the assembly)

This is how our Head of School announced Ripley:

"Ripley is polite and respectful and she is willing to lend a hand to anyone in the classroom and does so without any expectation of reward or praise.  Ripley arrives in class prepared, with a smile on her face, and is eager to learn every day."

(as written by Mrs. Templin)

She was just beaming.  And so was I!

My dad happened to be in town and made himself available to come with me to the assembly with very little notice.  Really great timing that he was able to share in this big day...

P.S.  she makes GREAT grades, too.  Wowzer.

first day of first grade

Wow.  It sure came around fast.  Even after I may have mentioned to a few friends a time or two about how I couldn't WAIT for summer to be done...it still snuck up on me.

I got up super early (for me) so that I wouldn't be the one that made us late for school.  This is Ripley's first year of full-day school, so the morning drop-off is a whole new thing for the two of us.  I am definitely not a morning person, and Rip has been sleeping in quite a bit the second half of the summer.  We invested in a working alarm clock for her this past week and tested it out all weekend.  So far so good.  Then this morning James and I stood in her doorway while she slept through her alarm.  Like mother, like daughter.

We were out the door on time with lunch and backpack in hand (and a cup of coffee in mine).  Tuli was along for the ride to school, but we had to stop everything and get back out of the car since I had forgotten to take any "first day of school" pictures.  Wow, I am out of practice.

Clearly Rip is NOT out of practice.

 

 

 

 

Impatiently waiting in the carpool line at drop-off, R said, "Come on cars!  Move!  I'm trying to get to school here!"

 

Tuli was looking bored with the whole thing.

When we pulled up to the front of the school, Rip was ready to go.  The carpool attendant opened the door and she was out the door.  I yelled, "Bye Rip!  I love you!" and I got a "Love you too!" on the way out.  She never turned around to look back.  Then she saw her friend Liza getting out of the car in front of us, and I saw her say "Liza!" and the two of them went into the building together.

Rip is carrying the pink lunch box with the pink backpack on her back.

 

And now she's a first grader.  Can't wait to see her at the end of the day to hear all the stories.