First Day Jitters

It was a good day!!!  Despite the fact that Jane was awake at 3 and Scott had to go and lay down with her to to get her back to sleep {falling asleep there himself for an uncomfortable couple of hours} and ETHAN was so anxious about waking up late that he woke up at 5:30 instead the determined 5:45 {waking Jane up for good while he was clomping around downstairs before 6}, everyone was excited enough to pull it together and get themselves ready with plenty of time to spare.  :)  I still can't get over the fact that it's DARK outside when Ethan will be catching the bus, but hopefully we'll be able to get into the swing of things here soon.  Needless to say, his first day of school pics are on the dark and grainy side.  Hahaha.

Ethan -- 7th Grade

After Ethan was off, it was time to focus on getting the rest of the girlie bugs up and ready to go, too.  Breakfast was eaten and lunches were packed and Scripture Time was completed with PLENTY of time to spare for a full on "first day of school photo shoot." 

Classic Jane face right there.  Hahahaha.

My favorite shot of the morning.  :)

Or perhaps THIS is my favorite.  :)

Jane -- 1st Grade

She wanted a shot with her backpack.

Grace -- 5th Grade

Her "signature pose."  According to Grace.  Hahahaha.

Isn't she lovely?  :)

Sophie -- 3rd Grade

How cute is her back-to-school ensemble??  She was dead set on wearing this knit moto jacket even though it's not exactly fall yet.  I can't say I blame her.  :)  If I could find one in my size, I'd totally buy one for myself.

I love this one because I love her little smile.  And also, because it showcases the earrings she picked out for the big day.

Cutie pie little Jane

I was really so worried that Jane was going to be a zombie all day long after her minimal amount of sleep.  

Alex -- Pre-K {starting in a couple of weeks}

How cute is this picture my neighbor snapped of Jane and her friend walking to the bus while holding hands??

And they're off!!!

I have to admit it was a little weird not having the kids around, and -- as predicted -- I had to deal with Alex proclaiming there was nothing to do all day long, while wanting to know when the big kids would get home.  The happiest part of HIS day was when they all got home off the bus.  :)

I went with a special after school treat of chocolate chip cookies for the first-day-of-schoolers, and I loved seeing how excited everyone was to tell me all about their day.  Even Ethan!  Who is not always the chattiest of sorts about things like this.  Haha.  Everyone had a great day, and the afternoon and evening continued on in the same vein, with the most pleasant dinner experience we've had in a long, LONG time.  Apparently absence DOES make the heart grow fonder.  :)  Let's hope tomorrow has the same effect.  

Recipe courtesy of  Daily Rebecca. I googled "best vegan chocolate chip cookies," and this was the first link.  I wanted to go with something that Sophie could have, too, which is why I went the vegan route -- no eggs or dairy.  The only changes to the recipe I made were to substitute Earth Balance buttery sticks for the coconut oil {Sophie's allergic to coconut}, and soy milk for the almond milk {Sophie is also allergic to nuts}.  Of course, all of this extra effort was for naught, because Sophie wouldn't even try them.  DOH!  She's always so worried that something will cause a reaction, that she's very hesitant to try new things.  Which is why I typically don't even bother to make Sophie-safe specialty items. Oh well!  Live and learn.  Again.  At least everyone else ate them and seemed to like them just fine!