The Traditions

I addition to our theme for the year {see the post below}, we have a few more traditions each year as we head back to school.

The day-before-school meal at a favorite restaurant.  Last year it was Chinese.  This year we went Mexican.  Yummy.

Pictures with the first-day-of-school outfits and grade signs.  The kids love this tradition--but the decorating of the sign has gotten progressively more elaborate each year to the point of not being able to "read" which grade the kids are entering (with the exception of Josh, of course, who did not decorate, thus leaving his sign legible).  In case you can't tell, Josh is 10th, Emmie is 7th, Olivia is 5th, and Jack is 2nd.  They are growing up.

Notice Josh in this shot.  He WOULD NOT smile for any of the pictures.  And every time he started to smile or laugh, he turned his head so I couldn't take a shot.  Typical teenager.

Here are Jack and Livvy lining up for their classrooms.  This is Livvy's last year in Elementary school.  I will soon only have one walker in the family.

After sending them back to school, I went out to lunch with a few friends.  We had such a great time and two hours went by before we knew it.  But then one of them said she had to hurry home to make her kids cookies for their first day.  DUH!  I have usually done that too.  But this year it had completely slipped my mind until she mentioned it.  So they shamed me into hurrying home myself to whip up a batch before heading over to pick up Emmie and Josh.

Glad I did.  They all really enjoyed that welcome home from their first day.