And off they went! Steven, Sammy and Amaya set out for 2nd grade on Tuesday and had a great week!

For comparison, here’s the first day of 1st grade. They’ve grown so much!

Inspired by our trip to Charlevoix, when Steven grows up he wants to be a draw bridge operator.

Sammy would like to be a chemist. “I want to be a scientist. What’s the name of the kind of scientist that works with chemicals?”

Amaya wants to be a singer, and will soon start working on that stage fright. <3

Back at the bus stop! Yay!! Their bus comes around 8:10 AM which is perfect for our morning schedule (on most days). As long as I don’t have meetings before 8:30 AM, which is the norm, we’re golden. If I need to be in office, my short commute gives me the time I need to get there after the kids board the bus.

Same bus driver as in K! He couldn’t believe how much they’ve grown since he last saw them (in March 2020).

Getting on the bus on the first day of Kindergarten. I was so glad to see the march right on the bus just like they had back then.

It was weird to go back into the house when they left. It was so quiet! Fortunately, two other second grade moms came over from brunch which helped with the transition.

Steven and Sammy’s teacher, Mrs. Bates, sent us this first day of school photo. Sammy is in the front left of the photo. Steven is in the middle.

It sounded like a great first day (and great first week). I only get dribs and drabs of their day, which is definitely a change for me after getting regular reports from Penni but, like I did in K, I’ll get used to it. I was happy to learn that, at least for now, the teachers have discretion to take the kids outside for extra recess as they all acclimate to a full day in the classroom. About 1/3 of the students in the school were virtual last year and I appreciate the awareness that this is a big shift.

Since this was Penni’s last week as our nanny, on Monday the kids gave her this ceramic piece that they made for her. <3 Penni is amazing and we were so lucky to have her with us for the past 18 months. We spent a lot of time together between our days in the house, two trips to FL and a trip to NY. I’m going to miss her as much as the kids will!

This week was a lot of bus pictures – going to school, coming home from school. I tried hard to arrange my schedule for the week to allow me be outside when they get home. (They’re first on the bus and first off, so it makes for a longer morning – which is better for our work schedule – but a shorter time on the bus getting home. The morning bus has been very timely so far but the afternoon but has been running 10+ minutes late. I’m guessing they’ll get into a routine as the year goes on.)

Mrs. Bates send a video of photos from the first week of school and I grabbed this picture of the boys playing together. They’re not joined at the hip so it’s fun to see when they do interact – though I have no idea if it’s by choice.

On Wednesday afternoon, Penni took the kids out for a “See Ya Later” dinner at Applebees. It’s definitely “see ya later” because, as the kids call it, we’ll make sure that Penni is a kid-sitter for us going forward.

Showing off her new school sneakers! Steven got those cool Adidas Lego sneakers a few weeks ago, which he was saving for the first day of school. Sammy ordered the exact same sneakers he had previously, but in a bigger size. Amaya went for these sparkly kicks.

Friday – still eagerly off to the bus!

And home from the end of their first week of 2nd grade. I’m so happy for the kids. <3

Sammy was really excited to share this Gator puppet he made at school. (They’re the Thornton Creek Gators.)

As Penni departs, Sophia joins our family. Sophia’s first day was Thursday but, so far, it seems like she’ll be a great fit. She seems excited to work with us and the kids also seem to have a good, early connection. I’m hopeful!!

For bedtime stories, the kids and I are making our way through another Avatar the Last Airbender (ATLA) graphic novel. This universe is so rich with media that we can stay engaged for a long time – perfect for all of us because I’m a fan, too.

Bubba and Sal. This picture makes me so happy.

On Saturday morning, I headed to the airport for a dual birthday celebration for Uncle Bob and Aunt Denise. (Poppy Steven’s brother and SIL.) The kids were very excited for a movie night with cheesecake/red velvet cake. 🙂

Why not watch tv under the table?

Meanwhile, Nana, Aunt Sara and I headed to Armonk to celebrate with the Goldsteins. To commemorate a party from 20 years ago, the theme was Vicar and Tarts – very British just like Aunt Denise.

Cousins!

On the drive home, we could see Manhattan. It was a big low moon hanging right by the 9/11 memorial lights.

I took an early flight home so I could spend some of the weekend SSA and Jason. While I was in-flight, the kids had their first day of Hebrew school!

This afternoon, at Sammy’s request, we had a Lego Egg Drop challenge. The kids and I all built containers to hold an egg and we dropped it off the side of the deck. The prize for the winner was not having to help clean up.

We all took turns and Amaya was the winner! Her egg stayed intact!

It’s football season and Steven enjoyed some of the Lions game with Jason.

Upside-down girl!

We were hanging out outside when I remembered how much Steven liked the playground in Maybury State Park when we were there on Monday so the kids and I hopped in the car and headed over. Steven predicted that Amaya would love the zip line and he was right. They all loved it!

We wrapped up dinner at Garage. First time I’ve been there since the pandemic started! (Not the first time Jason and the kids have been there, though!)

Have a great week!