And We Are Off To Start Another School Year...

We are back in school.

(First Day of School 2011)

Our littlest guy is now in Kindergarten...

[sniff, sniff-]

I was worried, at first.

He said he was looking forward to "nothing":

{Notice the 'excitement' on his face...}

But after the first day,

he came home saying how much he loved kindergarten!!!

(Yipee!)

Me too, that is-
I am back at school, too.
And unlike Happy Boy,
I was  SO excited.

And my classroom is positively heavenly.

(Sorry, I have been too busy to take pictures! Pictures of my classroom to follow hopefully soon-)

I absolutely adore my class.

Even after spending the first day a little melancholy and wishing that I had flunked my last year's class so that they were back with me for another year,

I got my first hug of the year on the second day of school.

I was then suddenly ready to take
 on a whole other group of little darlings,

and found myself hugging my former first graders,

and sending them on their way to second grade with a smile.

Then, turning back into my classroom with my newest class waiting,
who brought with them their

tentative smiles and jumpy nerves -
we got our year together started.

By day three
(even after THREE landed themselves on 'yellow' light,
and one on 'red light'-),

a few of the girls told me I was the 'prettiest and nicest teacher ever'.

 Oh Fine.

They can stay...

(and I will love them so much this year!)

(...who loves, loves, loves to teach little first graders!!!)