FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL: 2012

Today is the first day of school!

Even though the kids have been at school all summer, save for last week and the week right after the last school year ended, they were pretty excited about today. Not sure what Jay was asking them to do here to get them to look at the camera, but they're cute in their coordinating orange shirts!

(Don't mind the handprint on the wall. We can blame Cora for that...)

And because you KNOW how sentimental I am, here is a comparison photo of their first day at Agape (when we switched daycares mid-October last year) to today. 

They have both grown SO MUCH! Funny that they're both going into their same classes this year though, and with the same teachers that they had last October (if you recall, Cora started the 2K/Toddler Montessori class at 16-months-old, then dropped into the infant class for a few months before moving back into 2K in January). We have no indication as of now when or if James will move up this year to the 4K/Preschool Montessori class. He's currently in the 3K/Primary Montessori class, which has a whopping 12 students (Cora's class has 8). We're a bit shocked at the numbers and will be keeping a very close eye out for any issues or behavior changes with James, but we were glad to hear at dinner last night (when we mentioned going back to school today) from James: "I get to see Miss Reese?! I love Miss Reese!" Even though she's not our favorite teacher (we don't have any major issues with her, we just don't mesh well with her quiet/shy personality and lack of straightforward communication), it's reassuring to know that our kids really like her (because as you know, kids are completely honest about such things, so she must be doing right by them).

Jay reported that both kids went running into Assembly this morning without even looking back for hugs or goodbyes from daddy (he was kinda bummed, to be honest, since they normally require multiple hugs and kisses and squeezes), so they must have been happy to see all their buddies (most of whom were not in school over the summer) and the return to normal structured activities. Here's hoping for a successful and fun school year for them!