1st Grade RULES!

Ella finished her first week of first grade and oh how happy she is to be back in school. I think it's her favorite place to be. She loves her super nice teacher, having her very own desk with it's own little cubby, eating lunch in the cafeteria, and of course, riding the bus to and from school with her best friend Michael. She has a few familiar faces in her class from kindergarten, but that doesn't matter - she's already made "best friends" with someone she's never met before, which is just like Ella to branch out and make new friends. This girl is ready and eager to learn all sorts of new things this year, and she's got the best first grade teacher at Quarry Hill to keep her mind rolling, I'm sure!

One funny story from the week... on Wednesday, Ella accidentally took the wrong bus home from school. When Ella didn't get off the bus at the bus stop with the others, I climbed aboard and said to the bus driver that she was missing one little girl. I figured Ella was talking to a friend and not paying any attention. But, after the bus driver announced her name over the intercom and Michael confirmed she didn't get on the bus at school, I realized she really wasn't there. The bus driver told me she'd call the school and find her. I got off the bus and our cute little 3rd grade neighbor said she saw Ella get on bus number 121. I called the school and they tracked her down.

Sure enough, here comes bus number 121 and my little first grader is the only one aboard. She smiled and waved at me through the window when the bus pulled up, but the minute she got off the bus she was in tears. She said she knew she was on the wrong bus when the bus driver announced it was the last stop and she didn't recognize where she was. On the other hand, she was happy to ride most of the way with her old pre-school friend Julia. What a fun first week of school!

As is tradition before the new school year begins, I took the girls on their back-to-school shopping date on Monday. This year the girls decided they wanted to go shopping together, which I thought would be great (one less trip to the miserable mall), but it actually made things more difficult. After the shopping was done, we headed for ice cream. Here's what little I could get out of these two in between bites and licks of ice cream...

When I asked what they were most excited about for school this year...
Ella said she is most excited "to be in first grade."
Brooklyn said she is most excited about "everything."

When I asked what they wanted to learn this year...
Brooklyn said she wants to learn "how to read" (hmmm, I think we'd better learn the alphabet first)
Ella wants to learn "to speak Chinese" (ahhh, what?)

I know Ella will have a great year, and I can't wait to see what she absorbs - her brain truly is like a sponge. Brooklyn starts her first day of school tomorrow. Can't wait to see how that goes!

At meet-your-teacher day, Ella was excited to see her name on her "very own desk" and check out her little cubby. She loves not having to go to the "cubby wall" to get her things like she had in kindergarten.

Not our best "first day of school picture" but Ella was just to anxious to get going to the bus stop. Plus, it was raining outside so we could get pictures out in the garden.

 Ella practically runs to the bus every morning whether we're running late or not. She's just so excited to start every day.

 At least Ryan and Kendall look super happy to have their picture taken. =-)

 All aboard!

 Day 2 of first grade. Ella loves these boots Grandma Asay gave her in Utah. I think they're adorable and I love that she wears them with everything.

Eating ice cream on our back to school shopping night. I think they care more about the ice cream right now then they do about the clothes. I'm sure that will change in a few years!