back at it

I'm a little late getting this post up. For some reason, the start of the school year has been a bit unceremonious around here. We have had a lot of other things going on, I guess. But Grace and Grant are super happy being back at school.

Grant started school two weeks ago, one week before Grace. He picked out his clothes, got himself dressed and made his bed. He confidently rode with his carpool (not his mama) to his first class. He was so happy and confident - we are so very grateful he gets this additional year in preschool.

Grace's school started last week. Earlier in the month, we went to Back to School night. Later we visited her new classroom and met with her teacher. Grace was in ecstasy. She could not wait to get back. I was glad for opportunities to meet with her teacher. Grace missed the first week of school for our final summer trip and I was pretty concerned about it turning into an ordeal. But her teacher was super great about it, and we enjoyed our extra week of vacation worry free.

Here she is on her first day of first grade. ("Actually mom, its more like my sixth day, only I missed the first five...") We are really excited for her. Grace qualified to be in an experimental program they are doing at her school called APEX (APplication and EXploration). She will be in a class of 1st graders who were selected based on standardized test scores. Her class isn't designed to move more quickly through the curriculum, rather it is designed to cover the curriculum in greater depth. We think the challenge will be great for Gracie, as she is constantly on the look out for additional projects and things to work on.