We survived the first day of school!

Well, Macy is officially a first grader! And she loves it. She absolutely adores her new teacher. She even made her a card last night and took it to her today telling her how excited she was to be in her class. Macy was actually sad that they only had a half day of school today. She is so excited that tomorrow is a full day, and she even said that she wishes they went to school on Saturdays.

Macy looked really cute this morning in her new pink outfit with her missing front teeth! Of course, Bailey looked cute, too, and she was sure to get in on the picture taking.

We all four went to the school this morning to drop her off. Each morning the students line up by class outside the doors and their teachers come outside and get them when it's time for school to start. Mrs. Stanchina invited us to come in and see the classroom and help Macy get settled at her desk. She found her spot right away and loves that her desk opens from the top! Then they got to go out in the hall and put their backpacks in their lockers. She really loves having a locker (even if she does have to share with one other person). It makes her feel all grown up.

Macy said that they did carpet time, center time, and recess today. They also had snack, and got a class picture taken with the school mascot (Roadrunner). Today each student was given a school t-shirt that they are all supposed to wear tomorrow. They are having a school assembly (magic show) to kick off the new year. Also, Paws (the mascot for the Detroit Tigers) is supposed to visit her school to welcome all the students. Macy's class will also go to Spanish and P.E. tomorrow, and she's really excited about that.

Overall, the day was great! We loved her school and the excitement we felt there. Mrs. Stanchina is awesome. She has taught first grade for five years and has also previously taught Kindergarten and special education. (Her Master's is actually in special ed.) She was so calm and patient with the kids, but she also joked with them and seemed to love having them in her class. We feel very blessed to have such a great school for Macy to attend, and we are looking forward to a great year.

After dropping Macy off, we took Bailey to breakfast at McDonalds. She wasn't too happy about leaving Macy at school and asked if we were coming back to get her later. But some pancakes cheered her up!

A couple of funny things we learned today...

You know you're a student in Michigan when the school handbooks specifically states: "Snowballs are not permitted anywhere on the school grounds." Ha! That really cracked us up.

And we were also told that the students could wait for their teachers in the mornings inside the building (instead of outside) if it was "too cold." Their definition of "too cold" is anything 20 degrees and below! So if it's 21, you're outa luck and have to wait outside in the "warm" weather. ;) But this shouldn't matter too much to us. We won't be dropping her off early. Dustin will get her there at about the time the teacher comes out so she should be able to go right on in.

J