First Day of School for All 3!

And just like that, all three are in elementary school!

Our big girl started 3rd grade! She was so nervous to start school. 

Makena started 2nd grade. She was the most relaxed of all three about starting school.

Kyle started Kindergarten! He was excited and just a little nervous until the day before when he started feeling a bit scared. 

How is he big enough to be in Kindergarten all day?! Mommy was definitely sad about her baby going to Kinder!

 

Ready to start a great year at Mockingbird! 

 Karis and Ms. Fox

 

Makena and Mrs. Boyles

Kyle and Ms. Carlton

There were nothing but smiles when we picked them up. They all had a great first day!

Kyle's First Day of PreK

This handsome boy is in PreK!  Since we left our old church, Kyle is starting preschool at a new school. He wasn't too excited over the summer to start at a new school, but after we toured it and then he spent two days at the school while I had teacher meetings, he was pretty excited for the first day.  It also helped that his sisters started school two weeks ago, and he's been pretty bored at home! 

Kyle wanted to color the flags on his "first day of school" sign. When he gave me his sign back, he had drawn trees and a whole bunch of people on it. I loved it! It'll remind me of how he's been drawing a lot lately as it's one of his favorite things to do. 

Daddy brought him to school and helped him learn the drop-off routine. First thing was to hang up his backpack. 

He unpacked his lunch box and water bottle and put it in the designated spot by the door. (Side note: the little boy next to him is Grahm. Kyle says whenever he hears his name, he wants to eat a graham cracker.)

After Kyle dropped off his things, he went straight into the classroom. Derek and I just looked at each other because we wanted a hug good-bye...or at least a wave. I called him back so I could at least get a picture of him with his teacher. He loves Mrs. Marsha!

We both had a great first day! I am at the school three days a week as the Toddler and 2-Year Old Teacher Aid. We are looking forward to this school year!

On the second day of school, Kyle was just as excited to go to school. He was so happy and giggly when I picked him up at the end of the day. 

First Day of School

The girls woke up on their own before their alarm clock went off. They were so excited!

They love their new backpacks and lunch boxes that Halbogi bought for them.

 

A little sassy pose. 

Kyle wanted some camera time too! The girls gave him a big hug -- boy are they going to miss each other!

It was finally time to head to school. Notice both girls had to carry their own backpacks. Daddy has a rule that he only carries Kindergarteners' backpacks. There are no kindergarteners here!

A quick picture on the Mockingbird bench before heading into school. 

Again, Kyle wanted some camera time. He asked for a picture with Daddy. 

We dropped off Makena in her classroom. She was greeted by her teacher, Miss O'hearn. This is Miss O'hearn's first year of teaching! 

Then we dropped off Karis at Mrs. Ruth's classroom. 

It was a great feeling knowing that both girls were excited for their first day. We left feeling good about dropping them off. On the way out, Kyle got a donut from the Kindergarten Boo Hoo breakfast. It pays to know the PTO president who snuck him in to get one!

And then we walked home and spent the rest of the day with this guy! Two more weeks before he starts Pre-K. 

Getting Ready for a New School Year

Leading up to the first day of school, there is always a lot of talk in our house about the first day of school outfits, nail polish, backpacks, lunch boxes, etc. This year was no different. However, in the midst of the excitement, I wanted to check in on the girls to see how they were feeling about the first day of school and if they were nervous at all. Last year, Karis was nervous to start the new school year and of course, Makena was too. So on Sunday afternoon. I asked Karis, "So, how are you feeling about tomorrow?" She looked up from her book and said, "What's tomorrow?"  I guess I didn't need to worry about her being nervous!

Before I took the girls to get their annual hair cuts at the salon, we talked about what each girl wanted. Makena definitely wanted to keep her hair long and get bangs. Karis wanted her hair short like mine. 

Karis got her hair cut first and after seeing how cute it was, Makena wanted the same thing! I had to convince Makena to keep her hair a a little longer since she has a lot more hair than Karis that's thicker and curlier.  She was a bit sad, but in the end, they were both happy with their new cut. 

That night, we went to school for Meet the Teacher night. The girls met their teachers, saw their new classrooms and some old friends. These are two of Makena's good friends from her class last year. 

After the girls saw all their new school supplies, they're excitement reached a whole new level! The next day and every day after, Makena kept saying, "I want school to start tomorrow!"

Makena Loses Her Teeth

 Ever since Karis lost her tooth, Makena has been wanting hers to come out too. She kept asking us and her teacher to check if it was ready. Her teacher told her when she could wiggle it with her tongue, then it would be ready. Finally, one day she could ever so slightly wiggle it with her tongue. She wiggled it and wiggled it and was convinced it was ready. 

She went to school and her teacher pulled her first tooth out. At noon I received these photos. 

And then two hours later, I got these photos!!

As her teacher said, "She is one determined girl!"

When I picked her up from school, I had to take a picture of my toothless twins!

We had to take a couple pictures as Karis helped little sis learn how to smile and show her missing teeth. 

Karis Lost Her First Tooth

Karis has been waiting a long time to lose her first tooth. Most of her friends have already lost a few. After her last dentist visit, we realized one of her teeth was starting to wiggle. She waited and waited... and wiggled it and wiggled it... and asked for whole apples in hopes of speeding up the process. Finally, it was getting pretty lose. Even though she couldn't wait to lose her tooth, every time we talked about pulling it out, she would get giddy and squeamish. 

We weren't sure if the tooth was ready to be pulled, so we called Halbogi because he pulled out all of Mommy's teeth. He said we should pull it out! I tied dental floss around her tooth and pulled, but the waxy, flat floss just slipped right off. Even though the tooth didn't come out, it made it really loose and it was now definitely ready to come out. 

Karis wanted to wait until the next day to have her tooth pulled at school. That way, she could get a little treasure box for her tooth from the nurse. Her kindergarten teacher is known as the Tooth Fairy since she has pulled countless teeth at school. All the kids love getting her teeth pulled by her!

The next morning, I took her last picture with her baby tooth. 

And then a couple hours later, I received this picture from her teacher. 

A picture of her tooth before the tooth fairy took it away and left her a dollar bill. 

And now I have to get used to her new look!

Good thing she's still super cute with one less tooth.