Elias and Adeline had their first day of school yesterday. I can't believe I have a second grader and a kindergartener. We always take pictures on our deck on the first day and last day of the school year. I was amazed how smooth the morning went and that the kids didn't fuss at all about the pictures. I think it helped that they knew ahead of time that it was going to be part of the morning – ha!
Adeline was a bit nervous for her first day (she doesn't like change), but she did great. Her school gave all the kindergarteners t-shirts to wear on the first day that said Class of 2029. I was class of 2000, so that makes me feel old!
Matthew called me at work after picking the kids up, and she shouted, I LOVE MY TEACHER! at the top of her lungs. She then added I MADE A FRIEND! She also knew several children in her class who attended the same day care she did, so that made things a little easier. We could not have asked for a better day for her.
Elias is very easy going and also had a great first day. He had several friends from past years in his class and his teacher has been teaching for 20 years. You can tell she runs a tight ship and he is going to learn a lot.
Both kids took the teachers candles for the first day. I wrote a note thanking them for all the work that had done to prepare for the school year and that I hoped it encouraged them to take a little time for themselves. 🙂
This was the first year we used a chalkboard for the first day of school. I bought the first day of chalkboard on Zulily a few months ago and loved having them write their grades on it. I thought it was a fun way to capture their handwriting. Adeline proclaimed to me, “Mama, I can't write a little a.” Her A is my favorite part of KindergArten. 🙂
I bought their backpacks on clearance during the winter. Adeline's was from Pottery Barn and Elias's was from Hanna Andersson. Fairy princesses and Star Wars were huge wins with the kids. Both are retired designs and I got them at a great price. I think I will always buy backpacks in the winter! (I will say that in the few years I have been buying school backpacks, the Pottery Barn ones have held up the best. We will see how the Hanna one does.)
We had a bit of chaos when we arrived at school (I left some paperwork in the car and had parked a few blocks away) so I neglected to get a picture of them together outside the building as I intended. Oh well. I'm glad we took these pictures at home!
When do your children start school? Do you have any first day of school traditions?
I always take B2S photos too. With my older “live-in” grandchildren we took one the day before school started in front of the school sign. With my younger grandson I take a photo of him at home holding a “First Day of ___ Grade” sign.
He hates to have his photo taken, so I “bribe” him with a giant Hershey bar each year.
FWIW, I’ve found that Lands End backpacks last forever … the backpack I bought for Will to carry to preschool is still in great shape … nevermind it’s 17 years old and small. Will carried it for 3 or so years, then Chase carried it for another 3 or so years.
That’s great to know. I had a Lands’ End diaper bag that I LOVED!
Great tip about the backpacks! I always had L.L. Bean backpacks growing up and they lasted for years and years (and have a lifetime guarantee) so I went that route for my now 2nd grader’s pack. He has the junior pack which has lasted him from preschool through second grade but we’ll be looking to upgrade next year. I never considered Hanna Andersson even though I love their clothes. I just checked them out and they have adorable designs. I’ll have to keep my eyes peeled for their sales this coming winter!
I’ll say that the Pottery Barn backpack seems much nicer than the Hanna backpack. I LOVE Hanna clothes, so we will see if the backpack is as well-made as the clothes are. Good to know about LL Bean. I always forget about them. 🙂
Where did you get the school sign? I’m in need of one!
I found it on Zulily. Another follower mentioned they have similar ones at Babies R Us. 🙂
Adorable children! I have to say it was the blog post title that caught my eye… My grandma is Adeline, and her father was Elias. I also have an uncle and brother who have Elias as a middle name. It’s not one I see often, so it always stands out to me! Are either names family names for you?
Elias is not, but Adeline was my great-grandmother’s name. 🙂