First Day of School

After much anticipation, the day is finally here. TODAY was Connor's first day of school.  Jeff and I already decided to take the day off so it was kinda a bummer to have to get up just as early as we would if we'd been working.  So we woke up and I made Connor a special first day of school breakfast. Bear of course had it too. The boys got dressed, teeth brushed, hair (kinda) brushed and after a few quick "let's start a tradition" photos we were on our way. 

waffles, bananas, blueberries and peaches

He wrote this himself. I saw a bunch of examples of this on Pinterest and most were on chalkboards. That would have been cuter but i hate chalk.

wearing his giant backpack

my boys. seriously, i dare you to say they aren't beautiful children. double dare you.

crosswalk - seriously there were so many people there that we just immediately parked across the street at Desert Breeze Park and walked over. Check out Connor's cool new shoes.

Connor's school mascot is the gecko - random but cute mosaic at the school. Assuming I remember, this will be another tradition. Who wants to remind me next year?

Connor is a super focussed kid. He remembered two things that he kept repeating like some kind of First Day Rainman.

1. Mrs Yoshioka will have on a red button.

2. I have to find my line with the Bear and put my backpack down.

Aidan and his family spotted us and I was trying to take photos of the boys. Connor kept repeating, have to find the bear, have to find the bear. Boarderline creepy but I appreciate the he's a taskmaster. We took a few pics and then continued our search for the bear.

Connor and Aidan found each other immediately.

we're missing Samantha in this picture but Connor, Kaci and Aidan found each other

spoiler alert: we found the bear

Bear wanted to play too so we took some time to let the boys play before the 7:40 bell



I discovered today that you are either overdressed or underdressed. Saw lots of workout clothes and a few pairs of shower sandals today. ladies come on. you can do better. I toned it down today with a sundress of sorts and a cute flip flop. Regardless, it was crazy busy at school today. The masses were out in full force.

Connor found the red button and got a new nametag from Mrs. Yoshioka. They are clearly sticking with this Old West theme. I'll likely buy myself some boots.

they will likely look like this

Connor and Noah shared a very emotional hug while Connor stood in line. Actually it was not emotional at all for them I just somehow caught them at an off moment

here he is lined up with the other kids in his class

Connor's class has 21 students. The one waving at me in the middle is not my child.

the line going inside the school

No joke, Bear ran up to Connor just as they were almost in the building for a hug. It was adorable. I missed that shot and got this.

After we dropped off Connor and were headed to Bear's school I saw this car. I leaned out the window like a creeper to snap a pic of the plate. thought it was appropriate.

After we dropped Bear off at school, we decided to go and see a movie. We saw Batman - three hours folks. Three hours. Then we grabbed lunch and some beers at a favorite spot in Tempe. Since ASU hasn't started yet, Four Peaks is still mostly visited by locals so it's tolerable. It was a great adult day. I think we've found another tradition. First Day of School Ditch Day for Parents. Feel free to do this yourselves.

Several friends have asked if we cried? No, we didn't. I feel heartless when I see others posting about weeping and "boo hoo breakfasts" but we are so excited for him.

He came home just thrilled. He was so excited but couldn't really tell us anything he learned. I think a lot of today was taken up with first day goodness - where's the restroom, this is how you order your lunch, name learning, dont eat paste, etc.  He did tell me that he LOVES P.E. which is no surprise. the kid is an athlete so I figured PE would be the takeaway today. He did tell me that all the kids except he and one other kid had their lunchbox today, meaning their family packed their lunch, meaning their parents love them more clearly. We thought it would be fun for him to buy lunch on Day one. Tomorrow I'm packing lunch for him. It's either that or start funding a therapy account and we have a big vacation coming up in October so that's likely not happening.



A couple fun projects that came home with him today

We called all the grandparents and he filled them in on his first day. We all asked the same questions so you could tell he was over it by the 3rd retelling. Yes, he made new friends. No, he doesn't know their names. Yes, he learned things. No, he can't remember what those things were. PE was amazing. Lunch was delicious. He didn't have his lunchbox like the other kids. His backpack is cool.

Hope your day was half as good as Connor's :)



All I really need to know... I learned in kindergarten.

All you really need to know you learned in Kindergarten?
Nope.

Tomorrow morning Connor starts Kindergarten.

We did the school supply shopping a few weeks ago and bought way too many crayons. We bought the entire "suggested" school supply list and then about 83 extra boxes of crayons. Why? We have a giant wipe container full of crayons we've found/purchased/acquired from kids menus at restaurants. Why would we buy more? Because they were a quarter. A quarter. What else can you get for a quarter? I don't know but you can get a box of 24 crayons so we did. Worst case scenario, I actually make something from my Pinterest board labeled "things i'll likely never make":

New clothes, new shoes, haircut yesterday, thorough shower tonight (they aren't all winners, let's be honest) and he's all set for tomorrow.

Tonight I took pics of the boys at bedtime. Full disclosure I was trying to take it of Connor on his last night before Kinder but Bear was insistent and the last thing i need is a pissed off Noah at bedtime. They are adorable.

"let's make crazy faces noah" -Connor

tommorow will be a big day for him :)

 At Meet the Teacher, Connor got an assignment to bring in photos, toys or something about what he did over summer vacation. He wanted to bring his shirt he made at Chase Field on Take Your Kid to Work Day and several photos so I made a collage for him to take in. We practiced his presentation. Yes, presentation. He'll likely do amazing.

So tomorrow morning, we'll take Connor to school. We'll park 1/2 a mile away due to all the people swarming the school. I'll wear appropriate shoes. He'll play for a bit and line up in the Bear line. I'm going to take roughly 237 photos and then we'll leave him there. He'll do amazing and be charming. We'll be fine too because we're thrilled for him and can feel his excitement just talking to him. Luckily he's been in a school setting for several years so it won't be a huge adjustment for any of us. Other parents will weep so hopefully we'll avoid those people and not let any of the crazy rub off on us.  He'll go to Kids Club after school so he can play more with old friends and new friends. We'll pick him up early and go to dinner wherever he wants to go (read: Peter Piper). We'll call the grandparents later and retell the story of his first day over and over. He'll love it. I'm assuming I'll be dying to hear about how his Summer Presentation went and he'll tell me he lost his photos before it was his turn, or that he only had 1 minute to talk when we clocked his presentation at 4 minutes and I know that will piss me off. 

Jeff & I both took tomorrow off. We'll take Bear to school after Connor and then spend the day hanging out. We're planning on seeing a movie and grabbing lunch with adult bevs. In the middle of the day - on a Monday. I know. crazy.

Wish us all luck!!

Get a Job Kid!

The Dbacks hold activities for Take Your Kid to Work Day and this year Jeffrey decided that Connor was old enough to go.  I think he was the perfect age as there were a few that seemed not quite appropriate for the thing. Seemed like there were some that were way too young...is that a pacifier?! and some that were too old...suspended from summer school and needed a place to go?!

They hung out with Baxter, got a super insider tour of the ballpark, sat in the dugout, had their faces painted, made special shirts, played in the Sandlot, ate Chick-fil-A for lunch (hold your uprising, i dont care), met Gonzo and shadowed their parent in their job. Connor had a great time. Maybe bear will get to go along in a few years. I love that Jeff works for the team, it's wonderful.

Making his shirt in the Press Lounge

getting Baxter's signature

Connor found his favorite players locker.

didnt want his face painted (smart kid) so he got Baxter painted on his arm



Pausing for a picture with Luis Gonzalez



touring the locker room

all the parents and kiddos who participated



Meet the Teacher Night

would it be bad if i just spent the first 20 minutes of everyday blogging? at least then i'll get it done. but then, when will i cram in doing my makeup? or catching up on emails? or buying a lunch plan for Connor.

oh yes. connor. that's what i'm here for today. anyway...last night was Meet the Teacher night at Connor's school and even though I made a poor shoe choice for standing around in the gymnasium and classrooms all evening, it was a great night.

seriously? clearly a bit overdressed. should have changed clothes after work. clearly, i'm trying too hard.

Every year, Brisas has a theme. It's been Star Trek, Indiana Jones, something about the ocean maybe...this year it's the Old West. The hallways and all the classrooms were decorated with Wanted posters, barns, cowboys, tumbleweed, cacti, and other Western finery.

We bought Connor his first (of many i'm sure) Brisas tee shirt and it was adorable

Jeff and I were planning on getting shirts for ourselves but we hit this step last and they were nearly sold out of everything. We even got his yearbook ordered.  While we almost always prefer digital over hard copy, we went for the actual yearbook versus the disk version.  The thought of popping in a cd to view your yearbook feels wrong to my core.

Jeff and I had our pictures taken for our Brisas school ID cards so we're officially in the system now that we've both taken the least flattering photos ever. check check.

We learned about school lunch. school lunch now is nothing like school lunch when jeff and i were in school. these kids have options. seriously. the first day they choose between Whole Wheat Bean & Cheese Burro, Whoe Grain Chicken Patty on Wheat Bun, Turkey Ham & Cheese on Whole Wheat Sub, Whole Wheat Crispy Chicken Wrap - all with sides of broccoli florets and grapes. Um, sign me up?! If you're interested the whole calendar is here. Also he gets to choose his milk so that's a fun thing for him. Funny side story: My mom and dad tell me that on my first day of school they got a phone call from my teacher with a concern. Apparently, when asked if I wanted white milk or chocolate milk i asked for a wine cooler. While I find this hilarious I have to question the truth to this story. Lindsay doesn't drink wine coolers.

We got Connor's teacher assignment and were pleased to get the teacher we asked for, Mrs. Yoshioka. Tough name, nice lady.  She came so highly recommended and we chatted with friends so Connor and two of his friends Kaci & Sam will be in class together. Connor's bff Aidan will be in a class just across the hallway and from what I understand the two classes partner up a lot so that's great.  When Connor and Aidan are together they just adore each other so much that no one else matters. That can be tough on other kids and tough for a teacher so we decided that maybe this would be a good year to give them some space lol. They will still see each other at recess and after school at Kids Club so they'll get their bromance time in. It's so great that Connor is back at Brisas. To recap, this is where Connor spent most of his first three years. When Bear was born, the Kyrene program had ended their infant program (they feared his arrival clearly) and so we had to remove Connor in order to keep the boys together in one school. This was heart wrenching but we're thrilled to be back.

Samantha - Aidan & Connor - Kaci

We found his classroom and there were 5 stations that Connor had to lead us through. He got to write his name on a class board, do puzzles, fill out some forms with his name and Kids Club info.  The kids all take turns bringing in snack and I let him pick the day we'd bring in snack. He picked the first day. No pressure, right?  We brought in the bags and bags of school supplies we battled the masses to acquire in the last few weeks. We learned that he'll have PE on the very first day of school so leave the flip flops at home that day. His classroom was bright and cheerful and I can tell he was super excited. We got forms to fill out and Connor even got his first homework assignment. On Monday, the kids are all to bring in a picture, toy or item to tell about something they did over the summer. Not sure what we'll do. Unlike many of our friends who are teachers, we don't have the whole summer off to vacay :) Connor wants to take his shirt from Take Your Child To Work at the Dbacks he did last month. Maybe. I'm thinking of making a photo collage with pics of swim lessons, dbacks games, soccer photos and other randomness we did over the summer. Maybe we can be a bit liberal with the "summer" term and includes pics from the Hot Dog Derby for his birthday since that was pretty cool and likely to be something that impresses the tough 5 year old crowd.

standing outside his classroom - room 50!

this is a list of his Kindergarten friends - he wrote his name on the board

Meeting Mrs. Yoskioka and learning some first day business

Yo-Shi-O-Ka - we'll be practicing this weekend

Connor learned from Mrs. Yoskioka that each morning school starts at 7:40 but he can arrive at 7:15 to play outside. When the bell rings at 7:40 he's to line up with his class. Each class is given a symbol so they know where to line up. CONNOR'S IS A BEAR. easy peasy. Here he is lined up by his bear.

So, Monday is his first day of Kindergarten. Unbelievable. We'll be taking him to school but parent's aren't allowed inside the building so that kids can get right down to business without the distracting weeping. Honestly, I don't anticipate any crying from the Barnes camp. Not that I'm not a cryer, I am. But we've already had him in such a school environment since the day he first went to Kyrene at 6 weeks old that it may feel more comfy and familiar than anything else. I hope it's that way for him as well.