Blake's First Day

Something quite unusual happened 2 weeks ago ...

For the first time in a very long time ... 5 years to be exact ...

my house was quiet.

So quiet that you could literally drop a pin ...

and hear it land, if you wished.

This is because -

for the first time in FIVE YEARS,

both Sophie and Blake went to school ...

at the same time. 

Can I hear an AMEN?!?!

For Blake, his first day was really not that unusual.

He has known this school as if he were a student himself ...

since birth.

Blake was born mid-way through Sophie's Mommy & Me class

so for as long as he can remember, he has been going daily to drop

his big sister off at school.

And now, it's his turn. 

And he is doing great.

He loves his teachers, Miss Sara and Miss Ashley

and seems to be having a fantastic time.

Blake runs to class and hardly gives me a wave to say goodbye.

These first days of school, I've lagged behind to make sure he's okay.

And I think it's confused him to see me still around.

I really should just go.

Blake's only disappointment so far is that his very best friend RJ

is in the other class, the Peaches, while Blake is Banana.

Blake is sure to let me know this daily ...

"Mommy, RJ is a Peach and Blakey is a Banana".

Fortunately, they spend afternoons together.

Otherwise this might be his greatest disappointment in life.

Here are some pictures from Blake's first day of Preschool:

 Oh yes, I made him pose with the commemorative sign ...

I am THAT parent.

He should be thankful that Sophie's was much bigger.

Just you wait "yittle boy",  just you wait.

Center Animal fun with his buddy Iris

 Dot Drawing with his buddy Liam

 Puzzles with Miss Sara, his teacher

It's not that unusual for Blake to hang off of me ...

Play doh fun ...

A BIG 

THANK YOU

to my Mom and Dad

for helping me pick up Blake

a few days a week. 

Sophie and Blake, on 2 days during the week,

get out of school at the exact same time.

They make being 2 places at once ...

(which I clearly cannot be!)

look quite easy! 

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!

Sophie's First Day of Kindergarten

Well, it has been a bit over a year since I last blogged ...

We've travelled and we've lived life ...

It's been the type of life where you're on your feet, running around, busy all day long. 

Well folks, I'm just a few weeks from having both kids in school. 

Yes, you heard that right, for the first time in 5 years, I will have consistent time alone. 

And perhaps more time to blog....

So here we are ...

Sophie's FIRST day of Kindergarten.

Let me explain how we got here.

We applied to 3 private schools and 3 charter schools.

I had absolutely NO intention of sending Sophie anywhere but private

and really, applied to charter schools on a whim ... 

just because a mom at Sophie's gymnastics told me to.

And because it took all but 5 minutes to write our names on an online form ...

and press submit. 

Then, what I thought was one of the worst days of my life happened ...

We, not Sophie, got rejected at all 3 private schools.

And waitlisted at the 3 charter schools.

Way to feel like a loser. Seriously.

But, what was one of our worst days was maybe an arrow of certainty 

of where we should go.

Out of anxiousness, we applied at another (very expensive) private school ...

and by miracle, received a spot in their Kindergarten class. 

And as we were gaining confidence, we received an email

that we had also gained a spot at a charter school,

Goethe International Charter School. 

Goethe is a German immersion school. 

This basically means that students are taught in English in the morning

and German in the afternoon  ... or vice versa. 

It had been a school with a great reputation that I had heard of

before I we had put Sophie's name in the lottery so

I really felt like we had won. 

And today, August 18, 2014,

Sophie started her first day as a Kindergartener at Goethe.

The morning started out kind of rough.

Both kids were still asleep at 7am and we were supposed to leave

at 7:15am. Clearly that wasn't going to happen.

And then, Sophie really disliked her uniform ... 

she wanted to wear purple ... which wasn't an option.

Red, Light Blue and some form of Dark Blue.

Clearly that was not an option.

But, I stayed calm and before we knew it,

these photos were happening:

And we were off to school ...

 As was the German/Austrian tradition, 

for a student's first day of school (excluding preschool),

my friends Lino and Claudia helped me make a schultute for Sophie.

A schultute is a cone filled with goodies like a small doll, book and little trinkets - like pencils, erasers ... that type of stuff.

Lino made both Sophie and his daughter, Ella, Elsa cones.

Claudia was in charge of fabric choices and I just helped cut and glue.

And Blake wanted a photo next to the schultute.

He kept asking, "Where is sistahs? Where is sistahs?"

 This is Ella. Claudia and Lino's daughter. Ella is Sophie's oldest friend. 

When we were preparing for the birth of our girls,

the Wiehens, Andrew and myself took a birth preparedness class.

That was the class where our families became that kind of forever friends that you wish for.

A few weeks after the class ended, I heard a distinctly German voice as I was coming in for my

non-stress preggy test. And it was Claudia! Well, that day, we exchanged pleasantries. And wouldn't you know, our hospital rooms were the only two rooms across from each other in a small little hallway. 

We've been friends ever since ... and now, our girls are in school together!

 This is how she waved at me.

A side wave, no eye contact, no tears.

Just this. 

I think Mommy was more anxious than this tough cookie.

And just like that, she was gone. 

My baby just walked away ... like a big girl. 

 She found her place in line.

And I didn't see Sophie again until pickup at 2:50pm.

Blake wanted to ride in our shopping cart ...

so we let him, just 1/2 a block before he asked "Out!"

 

And the craziest thing happened to me during pick up.

A woman came up to me and said,

"I know you" ... which had me thinking,

 "Well, I don't know you"

And this mom (who had 2 kids at Goethe) said,

"I saw you at Bel Air Presbyterian (where we go to church) 

when you were pregnant your little guy (Blake) ... I've been praying

for you ... and when I saw you this morning, I thought, another Christian"!

Crazy huh ...