4th trimester: School begins

I was worn out after the frantic pace of the road trip posts, so my first day of school post comes a week late. I did capture photos on the actual day though. I think a late post is somewhat appropriate as it has given us some time to reflect on the start of 1st grade for Stella and on Lucy's move into preschool.

Stella is not quite as enamored with 1st grade as she was with Kindergarten. I predict time will soften her opinion, but there is no doubt it is a more rigorous learning environment, which inherently means it is less fun. After her second day I could sense she was down on school and I asked her why. At first she told me it was hard to explain. I assured her that I had been there before and would likely understand even if she lacked the words to describe what she was feeling. She went on to sum it up pretty much perfectly by pointing out that "in Kindergarten we had free time two times a day, and in 1st grade we only have it once a week on Fridays." There you have it folks - the injustice of growing-up distilled to its core.

As for Lucy, she seems to be enjoying her 3 day a week preschool experience. She comes home dog tired, and although there is still some drop-off anxiety, all accounts indicate she has a good deal of fun once we leave.

As for Mom and Dad, we returned home before going our separate ways and remarked at how unusual it was to be in our house with no children. It was quiet - very very quiet. I think Roy received some extra attention that day.