A new school year means new clothes, right?  Ane is sure it does.

With the weather almost giving summer a miss and heading straight into fall, Ane and I went back-to-school shopping and made sure she had some nice school clothes – long-sleeved tops mostly, along with new jeans and a pair of brown pants – and a new pair of brown casual dress shoes to go along with her tennis shoes.

Of course, she begged and pleaded with me to let her wear the new brown shoes for the first day of school.  Since the shoes have a design punched out in the leather on them, I had made the rule that she can’t wear them on rainy days, because her feet may get wet.  And the weather was supposed to be mildly rainy for the first day of school – it had rained the night before.

So, on Wednesday morning, before she got dressed, I agreed to let her wear her new shoes.  That sent her scrambling into her room to get dressed, happy as a clam.

On Wednesday night, she was getting in her nightie when she yelled, “Mom, we need to pick out my clothes for school tomorrow.  Do I have any more new short-sleeved shirts in my drawer?”

“Um, no, you just wore the only one.  But it is going to warm up and be sunny tomorrow, so just pick a short-sleeved shirt.”

“MOM!  I can’t wear a shirt to school that I wore LAST YEAR!” she cried indignantly.

We finally compromised on a shirt that she wore over the summer, but had not worn to school yet because it didn’t warm up enough until after school ended for her to wear it.  And, of course, she insisted on the new shoes.

My word.  What hath we wrought?

Sort of.  More like “very thin rice cereal.”

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Here they are!

Ane was ready and raring to go this morning.

New shirt, new headband, new jeans, new shoes and curled hair.

Because it’s not first grade unless you have new shoes and a gap in your mouth where a tooth used to be.

Tad, who is in afternoon kindergarten, was less enthusiastic about getting on the bus and going to school.

He had a new shirt and new jeans, but he’s a boy.  New clothes mean almost nothing – unless there’s a shark on the shirt.

But he went – whining a little – onto the bus, and I really hope that he has a good day at his new school.

And Rerun is napping, so there is peace and quiet.  For now.

I could get used to this!

I have one very happy girl living under my roof just now.

The class lists were posted yesterday evening for the first time, so we got to find out who her teacher is.

And guess what?

IT’S MS. V!!!  Her kindergarten teacher has moved up a grade and will be her first grade teacher this year!  To say that Ane is excited is an understatement.

It also makes me feel better about turning over my little girl to the school for six hours a day, since I’m sending her into the care of a teacher I know and like – quite a lot, actually.

I never had the same teacher two years in a row in elementary school.  The Captain did, for 1st and 2nd grade (I think), but I don’t recall that Ressis or Auntie ever did.  I am so pleased that Ane gets to have her wonderful teacher again this year.

*****

Speaking of school prep, I finally have a list of things to send in for Tad’s kindergarten class.  Among them are a bath towel and bathing suit.

After school gets started, Tad’s class is going to have swimming lessons during class time on Mondays!  The elementary school he is attending (Woodmoor, for those of you keeping track) has the district’s only elementary pool.  And there was a sign-up for parent volunteers to help with swim time!

So Rerun will be hanging out with Grandma and Gichan on some Monday afternoons while I play in the pool with Tad’s class.

*****

I finally heard from Tad’s new bus drivers.  Because he is in special ed classes outside of his neighborhood school, the drivers actually make contact with the parents.  I talked to the driver who will be bringing him home (a woman), but I missed the phone call from the driver who will be picking him up.  He left a message that went something like this:
“Hi, my name is M., and I will be Tad’s bus driver going to school in the afternoons… I will pick him up at 11:50 at (the entrance to our cul-de-sac)… and I’m Ane’s Sunday School teacher too, so this should be really fun!  See you on Wednesday!”

I called Ane over to listen to the message, and her eyes got round.  “Is that my Teacher M?”  she giggled.  “He’s going to be Tad’s bus driver??  That’s so cool!”

I knew that M. was a bus driver for the district – I’ve known the family for years, and his wife is in book club with me, and the two of them teach the kindergarten/first grade Sunday School class – but I just find it so exciting that he’s going to be Tad’s bus driver!  Again, it’s just another comforting and reassuring thing for this Mommy.

*****

Tomorrow is the big day – school starts for both kids.  I won’t post until I have pictures of both kids going off to their first day of the school year, and Tad isn’t getting picked up until it’s time for afternoon kindergarten… so don’t look for anything new until the afternoon.

And it will be a big day for Rerun, too – we’re planning on starting him on rice cereal.  My baby!  *sob*  His first solid food!

I weighed him yesterday and I think he’s pushing 19 pounds.  He’s 8 days away from 6 months old!  Clearly, his diet has been quite filling.  But he’s been trying to grab at whatever we’re eating, so clearly, he’s ready for some of that to come his way.

Clearly, we live in exciting times!