First Day of School

Rebecca started her 7th grade year today. It was a much calmer beginning that last year. She didn't have all of the bundled nerves. Just the attitude......Here she is in the clothes her Granna bought her for back to school:

As for me...I began my 23rd year of teaching. I am in kindergarten~my true love!! I had 17 shining faces come today. I have 19 on my roll, so I hope the other two show up. It was a typical first day of kindergarten. They came in very calm. The parents were great and helped unpack the kids bookbags. The highlight of the day was going for a hunt around the school to find Chester, the racoon, from the book The Kissing Hand. We met all of the related arts teachers, school nurse, and administrators along the way. Unfortunately, we were unable to find Chester. However, when we returned to the classroom, Chester had left us a kiss-of the Hershey nature. Yum Yum. I am happy to say that everyone made it home safely. 1 day down...179 to go.

Getting Ready for School

It's that time of year. I love to see all of the new school supplies come out in July. I start my bargain shopping immediately. Rebecca has followed suit this year. She couldn't wait to go get her supplies. We took them up to her school last week and let her put them in her locker. Her friend, Hannah, went with us. They're big 7th graders this year, so they knew just what to do. Hannah couldn't get her locker open, so the school had to issue a different to her. It worked like a charm. They got busy and unloaded all of their things and got everything organized. (I wonder how long that will last?)

On their way in

Trying to open Hannah's locker

Setting it all up

Hannah deciding what to put in next

Waiting

I have a new principal this year. Beth is doing a great job. She had a back to school party for the teachers. The food was great and the entertainment even better. Eric even got roped into a fun game. Here's a short clip of the end of the fun.

Teen Clothes

It's back to school time. Rebecca WANTS new clothes. She doesn't NEED new clothes. Aeropostle is having a Friends and Family sale this weekend. She is determined that she has to go and use the coupon. (Laugh mom, it's okay. I know it's a mini me.) I had her try on her jeans this morning. They all fit her perfectly. All 11 pairs. She tried to find one little thing wrong with each pair. I told her it wouldn't fly with me. She ended up with 9 pair. The good thing....they are not too long this year. She has grown over the summer and they fit her perfectly in the length. She thinks they are too short. I'm sure this is just the beginning of the clothing battle.

Friends

I went to visit my friend, Ann, last week. Her husband, Ronnie, was away at a coaching clinic, Eric was working, and Rebecca was going away with a friend. I went by myself. It was nice to have a few days of "girl" time.

Ann and I went shopping in Wilmington on Wednesday. On Thursday, I went to visit a dear friend, Betsey, and her two children. They are growing so fast. It was great to visit with them. On my way back in town, I met Ann and some others for lunch. It was great to catch up with all of them. I went to see a former student, and then dinner at P.J.'s. YUMMY calzone!!!! On Friday, I went to Jacksonville and got my hair done. It was nice to have someone do it that really knows my hair. After hair, I was on my way home.

Here are a few pictures of my visit with Betsey.

Sarah coloring a picture of me

Gabriel and Sarah

Gabriel

Gabriel, Betsey, Me, and SarahThanks, Ann. I had an awesome time!!

Wow-Lucky Me

A local tv station, WIS TV, does a Class Act drive for teachers to help them gain the supplies they need for their classroom. I posted a need for ipods for my listening center to enhance reading instruction for my kindergarteners. Imagine my surprise and delight when I received a response. A giving person donated 4 Sony MP3 players, 4 headphones, and a wall charger. My students will be so excited to use these fun tools for learning. Thank you M. Steele and WIS TV.

Camp Cheer Dance

Here is the squad in action. Rebecca is on the far right in the back corner. They did a great job with their stunt. Sadly, this was the only thing we were able to observe our girls doing. They hid in the back of the group for the rest of the exhibition. : (

Cheer Camp

Rebecca went to her first UCA cheer camp this week. They decided not to go away to one this year, but have UCA do a private camp for the two middle schools and high school in our area. She was very nervous that first day, but came home pumped up about what she was learning. Her favorite part was stunting. One of her friends said camp was just okay. She didn't like having to learn the cheers and dance. : )

I made each of the girls a goody bag. I went online for ideas of what to put in them. Each girl got:a personalized notepad, paw print pencil, flip flops, paw print suckers, a candybar with a special wrapper, bubbles, and a picture frame. I also personalized their bags.

Today is the last day of camp. The coach ordered special outfits to wear today, but there were some problems with them, so the girls wore their regular uniform. Here are some pictures of Rebecca before leaving:

Notice the cute flip flops and Levi looking out the window

I told her to strike a pose and this is what I got.

This is more like what I wanted

We get to go watch them at 1:00. I can't wait to see them in action!!