Starring the Stewarts: School Starts 2011!!

I'm a day late posting this, but we started another school year yesterday! This year Cade started 7th grade, Carson started 1st grade, the girlies started Kindergarten, and I began my 11th year teaching! Time flies, and this "back to school season" has been way difficult for me! I know it's the fact that my babies started "real" school! I just wasn't ready! Even though it's saving me a house payment in school tuition! :) Also, Cade started junior high at Gunn JH yesterday, and that's a whole 'nother animal! As you will see in this post he's not in any picture. :( This is the first time since he started school in the 3 year olds class in 2002 that I haven't captured him on his first day. He just was too nervous about his first day to even ask to be in pictures, and I totally understand 7th and 8th were some pretty nerve-wracking years for me too!! He had a rocky first day, but today was better!! This morning he started his football practices at 6:45 am ugh!! However he had a positive attitude about it, and came home with good things to say! I was so relieved!!
Gosh!!! The emotions of starting 2 in Kinder and one in junior high have really gotten the best of me!! I saw a good friend in Wal-Mart last night at 9:00 pm (junior high gives supply lists the first day of school-who knew??), and poured my heart out to her. Poor Stacey! I was bawling and laughing for over an hour with her on one of the school supply aisles, but it was just what I needed!!
So here's the story of the 1st day....

After everyone was ready for the day we went out in the front yard of dead-dying of dehydration grass for some back to school pics, and who did we see???? of course the little flock of 4 guinea hens!!! :) We love them! They make little annoying pits in our yard and squawk when the sun comes up, but you have to appreciate how they never leave our neighborhood! In Arlington TX of all places this kind of thing is rare!! Kinda makes me feel like I'm living in the country!!

My sweeties!!! Ellie snuck Raffi into the pic!

Mommy with the babes!!

So-So had to get in on a pic! Emmy is holding her!

New backpacks!!!!
After pics I headed to school on my own. Sam always takes the kids on the first day because I have to be in my classroom to greet my kiddos. However, I always make sure Sam makes a stop at my classroom before he walks them to their rooms!! That's when we get our family pic next to my room. I have a family pic like this of Cade every year from K-6th!! I love that we spent those years together!

Sam snapped some pictures of Carson and the girls getting their days started!

Ella

Emmy wouldn't give him a smile at that moment! :)

When Sam was leaving the school he passed the camera off to me, and I got to head to their lunch to get more pics!! It just so happens that Kindergarten eats lunch when I have my conference period!! I'm so lucky!!! I can walk 10 feet and see my girlies eating!! I've been a little of a hoverer these past 2 days!! I told the girls tomorrow I'm just going to peek in the cafeteria and wave! :) Here is Emmy with Quinny!! They both brought their lunch on Monday, but today they bought lunch! They loved going through the line and getting trays!! They even got to put in their lunch numbers in the keypad!! I would've loved to capture that, but decided not to be annoying with my camera for a second time in 2 days!