Sorry I am a little late with this, but it is still September, so not that late and it is only Lily's second week. ;)
Mike began 1st grade and is loving it. I have to admit that as we head into the later afternoon, I do miss him around and look forward to going to get him. What I do not look forward to, is the ridiculous line of cars parked on the street. If I get there a half hour before school gets out I may get a spot close to the pick up area, but then I get blocked in by all of the people parked on the street. If I get there 15 minutes before school gets out then I have to park almost on the next block and we walk 1/4 of a mile (literally). If I get there right when school gets out (and mike has been waiting 5 min because the SDC's walk to the front of the school 5 min before hand to get on the buses without all of the chaos) and then I have to wait another 10 before I can get a parking spot or drive through the parking lot like a mad women and get yelled at by both parents and parking aids. I do pay attention to the cars that wait an hour in the "parking line". There is a friend that Mike made in the Kindergarten class whose mom is always 3rd or 4th in the line, that I see as I walk with my 2 kids in tote to get Mike and then still parked waiting for her kids on my way back to the car with 3 kids now. And the 3 or 4 cars in front of her haven't moved either. Can you tell this cheeses me off a little.
Any way... Mike is loving 1st grade. In the afternoon, it is one on one in the class and so he gets a lot of undivided attention and really worked. He is quite tired when he gets home and for the first week and a half he was taking naps again or going to bed super early (6:30). He is making lots of new friends and I thought is was super cute when he saw a pic of one of the aids in the class and got excited "Mr. Ryan, Mr. Ryan, in my class!" I do love that there is a male aid in the class, it changes the dynamics of things and I really appreciate how awesome he is with the kids. He is another boys "one on one", but is helpful with everyone.
Lily finally got to start school... Really it was just having to wait till after Labor Day, but for her it felt like months after Mike. She is back in the Peer Partner Program and so glad to be. All of her friends from last year moved on, but she is making new friends. One of the peers in the other class we have known for a while we will call her A. Her sister and Mike were there together and we would always wait together to pick them up. So the girls have gotten to know each other over the years. Last year her friend went there as well, but on different days, this year they get to see each other every Thursday. Lily was thrilled. You really would have no idea they even liked one another because when we see A out in public neither of them will say hi or hardly even look at the other one. It is so goofy, but both teachers said the girls were so excited on the playground when they saw each other. Lily is with all boys, so I do hope they get to play together often.
