First day of school.

Sigh. The summer is over. I can tell Anna is growing up because she faced this new year of school (at a new school, no less) with a whole lot of courage. I am so proud of her and optimistic about what this year will bring. So far, I'm impressed that she comes home talking less about who was mean to her and more about what she has learned. Driving her 25 minutes away 6 times a week is proving to be a huge commitment, but I relish the decompression time she gets to spend with me instead of on the bus. I pay for it the days she is gone for 9 hours instead of 7. And I miss her, too.
Lily was born to go to school. There must be something in the name because she is an exact copy of "Lilly" in Kevin Henkes' books. She asked every day for the entire month of August when school would start. I'm trying to pretend that it was the terrific job I did "homeschooling" her a few weeks before school started that inspired her (instead of the alternative: that she was tired of having me as a teacher). Phew. I'm glad I don't have to answer that question anymore. Upon fetching her from kindergarten every day, she is keen on revealing what new friends she made and how much she LOVES station time. It's gonna be a good year.