Kindergarten and Harvest

So, Elsa started kindergarten yesterday!  There were no tears!  No time for tears, that's for sure.  We had a very quick start to the school year.  Chris and I had each thought that the other person had set the alarm for around 7 am.  That would give us ample time to get ready and ride bikes to school for the 8:15 start time.  Well, all did not go as planned.  Gibson came in asking for breakfast and I looked at the clock.  Uh-oh! 7:47!!  Thus began the quick start.  We jumped out of bed and woke Elsa up, she got dressed, ate breakfast, chose her lunch treat, got her shoes put in the right feet, got her hair fixed in two ponytails, and got in the van.  Chris drove her and they made it just as the class was starting!  I tried to be all relaxed an calm, and I think I succeeded.  I don't think she really knew that she was almost late!  I'm glad SHE wasn't too stressed out.
Thankfully, this morning went much smoother.  We did miss the bus, but that wasn't really a big deal.  We'll try to be ready and watch for it tomorrow.  We had been trying to get the kids up earlier in preparation for this, but it still feels AWFULLY early to me!  Our kids have always been sleepers and they would often sleep until 9:00.  Gone are the days....  I will have to say it was nice to go running while Chris rode the bike with Gibson and Lu before he went to work yesterday.  Today I played a lot with Gibson, which was fun. I must admit that at 9:15 I looked at the clock after playing dinosaurs for awhile and thought, "This is going to be a LONG day."

We are slowly adjusting to our new routine, and Elsa has loved her first two days of school.  They have full day kindergarten, so she comes home hungry and tired, and today: a little grouchy.   She does have a lot of stories to tell, and it's fun to see her excited about all of it.  Hopefully we can catch the bus tomorrow!

Oh, and here are the photos.  On Monday they had a little "get the jitters out" day where we went to the classroom to take the supplies, meet the teacher, and get a feel for everything.  Thankfully I had enough foresight to bring the camera and take our pictures that day. (Since there wasn't ANY time for photos the first day of school)

Elsa in front of her locker--Yes she dressed herself.  Chose her own clothes and even buttoned her own sweater :)

Next to her carpet spot.  The carpet is a map of the world.  She is in Europe.

Her table spot.  There are two boys and one girl at her table.  She didn't know any of them. 

Left to Right: Miss Hunt(student teacher), Elsa, Mrs. Zeller

There she is!

Chris loves to garden. I am grateful for that. He spends time with the kids watering, weeding, and picking. It is really fun for them. This year we have had amazing success with our cherry tomatoes. In past years, the dear have hampered our success, so it is exciting! Here are some pictures of Elsa and Gibson trying to get in and get some of the tomatoes:

Lu loves to be outside!  She also loves to eat rocks and dirt.  We can grow tomatoes, and soon we may even grow GRASS!

BTW: For dear prevention we planted in raised beds and fenced them off with wooden stakes and cheep-o fencing.  They got to the outside of the plants, but not enough to do much damage!