First day of school

Joshua and Lucas both started new schools today!

For Joshie, today was his very first day at the Baby House, the same daycare where Lucas started out 4 years ago.  He loved it.  His teacher Megan reports that there were no tears at all. He smiled all day at everyone who looked at him, and he seemed to get a big kick out of all the other babies. He also loved the new slew of toys, especially the purple rattle and the xylophone. Apparently he would hit the xylophone keys and giggle when a sound came out. Joshie will return to the baby house 2 days a week through the fall, and then hopefully start full time in January. (It's a popular place and it was a real pain to get him in at all!)

Lucas is still at the Big House right down the street, but today was his first day as a "Dragonfly", which is the young 5s/pre-kindergarden program. There is a new teacher, more academic learning, and a new classroom space downstairs where the kids spend most of their time.  Their storage cubbies move downstairs too, and our first task at drop-off today was to have Lucas find his new cubby by looking for his name in the new classroom.  He has been very excited about becoming a Dragonfly, which is a little like being a senior in high school (though he also has some angst about it; last night at bedtime he worriedly asked dad: "What if I don't want to be a Dragonfly? What if I want my real teacher Becky?"). When he got home we asked him what was different about being a Dragonfly, he explained gravely: "We napped downstairs!" Later he mentioned that they did math.

It is especially cool that Lucas and Joshua will be only a half block away from each other. The babies often go on stroller rides down the street, and when they pass the Big House all the big brothers and sisters run up to the playground fence and call out: "That's my baby!" as they point to their siblings.  Today Lucas's friend Desmond dropped off his little sister Catherine at the baby house with his mom, and he was very excited when he saw Joshua.  "That's Lucas's baby!"