First day of school and Eclipse

We are in it now. School is back in session. I can't believe how fast the summer has flown by! I feel like I barely had any break at all. Another couple of weeks would have been nice.

Neil is starting 2nd grade. His teacher this year is Mrs. Stanley. I was really happy with his placement. I think she will be really good for him this year. He was happy to see several of his friends who were also in his class. When I picked him up after the day ended he said, "I had a 100% super awesome day!"

Grace is starting 4th grade. Her teacher is Ms. Holck. When she first found out her teacher she was in tears. She had her hopes set on someone else. I tried to ease her fears, but I too had my own reservations. Then she found out her best friend was also in the class. After that she resolved that it didn't matter who she had as long as she had a friend. I was still a bit apprehensive, but after her first day she was bubbling with enthusiasm. She loved the teacher. So for now I think I will see how it goes. I'm glad she is happy.

Claire is now in 7th grade. I just can't even believe how much she has grown up over the last year. She is looking more and more like a young adult everyday. She is almost my height and we can pretty much wear the same clothes. She is taking orchestra again this year along with STEM. This means she will have zero period PE every single day. That means 7:30 start time. Oh boy. She is my child that would sleep til noon if I let her. I really hope we both survive this.

Our first day of school was also complicated by the fact that it was Eclipse Day. We had all been eagerly awaiting the eclipse and the school district actually purchased enough glasses for every student. I was a bit concerned about my kids (mostly Neil) using the glasses correctly and heeding the safety warnings. I decided to just go to the school to help supervise him during the activity.

It was pretty fun to be out at the school where everyone was out seated on the blacktop staring up at the sky with their special glasses. The teachers were able to teach about the rare event and all of the kids really enjoyed it. I was a bit disappointed in our view from here. We were only about 75% in our area. I regret not going somewhere for the 100%. Next time I think I will make the effort.