The first week of the school year!

We've settled in to our new routines some this week. We were all pretty excited about the kids' first day back to school and Will's first day of school ever.
I spent Sunday night sorting their school supplies and filling up their backpacks. School Years Eve. It felt a little like Chrismas Eve to me. Haha. All is set and quiet the night before.

They all hopped right out of bed when Patrick woke them.(That was new!)First thing, Will asked, "Do I get to go to school today?" When I said yes, he said, "I'm so excited!!" Then he bounced around and kept trying to get in the car long before Patrick was even out of the shower. He was so ready to go!

It was also Lexa's first day of third grade and Timmy's first day of fifth grade, his last year in elementary school. Eek! Let's not think about that.

Hugh was very upset that he had to stay behind with me. So I took a photo.

It was nice and quiet and calm after he settled down, just Hugh and me in the morning. When I picked Will up, he said he'd had a great day, hadn't missed me at all, and asked if he could go back again tomorrow. When I said he could, he waved his arms and bounced with glee,then he asked if he could keep going there forever. Other things he's been forthcoming to me with about school are that he wants to get all the stars so that he can get all the prizes, he's not very happy about not being allowed to play on the very tall playgroynd equipment, PreK is reasonably restricted to the smaller playscape on the playground, he's been reciting Mary Had a Little Lamb and Eric Carl's Brown Bear, Brown Bear, and he says he made a friend.

Lexa and Timmy were also all smiles when I picked them up later on their first day. Lexa said third grade was easier than she had expected.

This year's elementary school theme is steam punk, so Patrick wore an interesting costume.

At home the purple sage was blooming. It was beautiful. We have an abundance of it.

It seems to have only bloomed for a week though and is already done.

Monday was also solar eclipse day. We got a partial eclipse in Texas and clouds in Sabinal though. Timmy said his friend, Ptolomy, let him borrow his solar eclipse glasses, and Timmy said it was really, really neat. I looked up at the sky early on and didn't really see anything, sun behind the clouds. Then I picked up Will, ate lunch, got a little sleepy and hot/lethargic after lunch, as usual, so I felt like reading and then playing the piano for awhile. At 2pm I suddenly remembered the eclipse. Too late. I really have a mind like a steel trap.. I guess I'll be ready to do better for the total one scheduled six years from now. Patrick took a picture from up at the school.

On the first day of school since we've moved to Sabinal we've always headed out to the river to swim after school, so we had a nice evening family swim. Patrick took a pucture of them by the same tree again.

On Friday at school they were sorted into teams like Harry Potter houses by sliding down a slide and pulling out a colored necklace. Timmy and Will got Team Davinci and Lexa is on Team Tesla. Here goes Mrs. Valdez, the music teacher.

Patrick sent me this picture of "dinner in a box" Friday afternoon. He was very mysterious about it. It turned out to be tamales.

(Is it worth going into a photo editor to rotate a picture of a box because apparently this ap won't? I don't think so! It's a just photo of a box. Ha.)

That's all our big news for the week. Here's some pictures of Hugh. Sometimes I find him playing quietly with his cars(so sweet!) or figuring out how to disassemble the wagon.