Back to school!

My One-Eyed Jack funny face,
which cracks Mom up every time

The end of our summer was great. We were able to go to a great new splash park a few times, thanks to our neighbor, who stayed with Turner since he can’t go out in the heat and sun. We can’t wait until next year – when we can all go, we’ll be able to go more often. Mom’s so excited she got all of our swimsuits already!

We were also busy going to lots of birthday parties. We hit Pump it Up a few more times, went to a party at a pool at a downtown park, and I went to a party at Gymboree (Hazel was sick, so she couldn’t go). It’s been really fun.

 

Pigtails!

Hazel found a new way to wear her hair – pigtails! She looks really cute and likes looking at herself in the mirror when Mom puts her hair up, but they usually don’t stay that way very long!

This summer, I went to Hazel’s school, Leaps n Bounds, a couple mornings a week, the same time Hazel goes. She really loves it there, and her teachers really love her too. In fact, last week they decided she is so ahead of the game, they are putting her up in the three-year-old classroom already. They said they are doing this because she is so good at talking, knows all her colors and is using the potty.

Anyway, I didn’t really like it there because I like a smaller class and I never got used to it because I didn't go that often. I preferred the place where I went every day last school year. Since we moved, I can’t go there anymore, but I can instead go to the school behind our house. I was pretty excited because we played on the playground all summer, so I was familiar with it. But we were all kind of nervous about the change.

We met my new teachers August 22 and my first day at my new school was August 23. It is pretty different from my old school. My really big classroom is inside the school and I start a couple hours later than I did last year. I stay an hour longer, so I am there for four hours instead of three. Instead of coming to the classroom to drop me off and pick me up, we meet my teacher at the school entrance, since Mom isn’t allowed to walk through the school when it’s in session.

It’s been really cool living so close to the school. Since we’re so close, we haven’t been late once (quite a feat for Mom, who is perpetually late). Mom picks me up in the middle of Hazel’s nap, and because our gate is right by the school’s side door, my teacher’s going to start sending me home that way so Mom won’t have to wake Hazel up to leave home. Yeah, we’re really that close. It’s going to be especially great when it gets really cold this winter or if it ever rains again.

Some of our new neighbors,
in our front yard

My teachers are amazing. We really love and miss my teachers from last year, and these teachers seem just as wonderful. They’ve already said a lot of great things about me – how smart, cute and nice I am. And we think they’re great too. They got me over the hump with potty training, so we’re pretty grateful to them for that too. They’re putting up with Mom’s interrogations and they are very accommodating.

This week, we studied bears and the letter B. Next week is “All about me” and the letter M.

I am excited to be off to a great start!