First Grade!

Today was Alex's first day of school!  It's hard to believe he is already a first grader!  And, what a handsome first grader he is!

It's amazing what a difference a year makes!  When I think about Alex's first day of kindergarten, I remember the excitement of the new journey for Alex and the anticipation of all of the learning and new experiences that he would encounter.  But, I also remember the emotion I felt as I dropped him off in his classroom and of the uncertainty and unknowns that come with starting a new school.  This year, though, we knew what to do.  Alex saw his friends and ran to them; parents we know smiled and waved.  We knew where to park and which door to go in.  It was so.... comfortable.  There's always the tinge of sadness at another summer coming to an end, but the transition from summer to school was just about seamless this year.  

Alex is feeling pretty good about school this year.  At his Spanish immersion school, first grade is where they switch over to just about all Spanish at school (last year was about 85%) and the students are expected to use Spanish when conversing with other students too.  Alex is thrilled.  He loves Spanish!  He is also thrilled because his best friend is in his class again this year.  It feels like a gift from God to have them in class together again!  Joe and I are so excited to see what this year brings for our boy.

We also found out that our commute to school in the morning is about three minutes shorter from our new house than it was from our old house.  (Three minutes doesn't seem like much, but it feels like an eternity, especially when you are running late!)  Joe is also already being recruited to volunteer in Alex's classroom and his kindergarten teacher wants him back to volunteer as well, and I am serving as the PTO Treasurer!  Whew!  Welcome to a new school year... here we go!