2010 Christmas Highlights

Making gingerbread houses

This snow fort actually reached over six feet when Gary was finished. It had a roof and everything! Snow or sand, he is the best builder!

Christmas Eve at Nanny's house. Always lavishly decorated (thanks Natalie and Nanny!), with amazing food, a talent show, and a nativity pagent!

Vanessa, Remi, Mitchell and Chase did a hip hop dance. It was hysterical! They will do anything for Nanny! Maggie told Christmas riddles and clogged, and Sophie did her Mele Kalikimaka clog. Spencer was a Christmas lion in the pagent, Maggie was an angel, and Sophie got to be Mary! We were well represented.

Ta da! Christmas morning. Thanks Nana for the pajamas!!!

The hit gifts: the Star Wars legos and helmet for Spence, the Hungry Hippo Game, tons of new books, the American Girl doll clothes, angel barbies, new leap pads, brand new robes, slippers and blankets for everyone (it's cold here in Idaho!) and OF COURSE the karaoke machine from Nana and Papa! And oh yes, the brand spanking new trampoline that Santa delivered to the studio out back.

Gary gave me counter space for Christmas, bless him. He had our above-range microwave fixed (so we could put the countertop one away) and bought me this tv/dvd player for the kitchen instead. It installs above the counters, beneath the cabinets. Mommy was pretty darn pleased! He always finds some way to surprise and spoil me! I got him some winners too, but he almost always manages to outdo me.

We spent the day playing games, taking naps, carving out dinosaurs from the mini paleontologist kits from Santa, setting up the tramp, playing in the snow, and watching movies. And of course, since food is such an emotionally important aspect of my family traditions, we happily snarfed down crepes, eggnog French toast, ribs, homemade rolls, cheesy potatoes and hula ice cream pie. Kids went to bed very tired but very happy. What a wonderful day!

2010 Headlines from the Larsen Family Times

Stop the Presses: “Spencer (3 1/2) Was the World’s Easiest Potty Trained Kid!” The community at large rejoices as the last box of diapers is happily donated to the toddler down the street. The Larsen Household is now officially diaper-free.

Personals: “One adorable black lab/collie mix puppy available at the pound.” Oh wait, no she’s not, because we took her home! All are immediately smitten with charms of said puppy… even mom, who had to clean up her puppy poop. Bella grew really fast, but she’s a good doggie!

Sports: “Footworks Young Adult Clogging team comes home with three first place wins from Western Nationals!”

“Team Bella-n-Kids Clock New Speed Records On Kitchen/Front Room Speedway”

Theater Review: “Madison High School’s Fall Musical of ‘Singing in the Rain’ (Choreography by Gary Larsen) is Smashing Success!”

Health and Beauty: “Larsens Join the Nebulizer Owner’s Club as Pneumonia Sweeps through the Family. Enrollment in the Albuterol Flavor of the Month Plan is a Bonus.”

“Tylenol with Codeine Ruled an Effective Pain Reliever When Margaret Larsen Broke Both Wrists in One Scooter Accident”

“How to Give Dogs Pain Pills for Broken Legs: A Primer”

Weekend: “2010 Critic’s Choice Awards go to Tepanyaki Restaurants, Mountain Dew Apple Dumplings, Donckel’s Belgian Truffles, Horseback Riding, Zumba, The Grand del Mar, Bye Bye Birdie, The Princess Bride, Three Amigos, Legos, The Hunger Games and The Fablehaven Series”

Travel Section: “SE Idaho Prime Destination for Outdoor Recreation”: bridge jumping, waterfall tours, hiking, and river and pond swimming win top accolades. Contact the editor to book your reservation at the Casa del Larsen as your gateway to Yellowstone, Jackson Hole and the infamous (that’s “more than famous”) St. Anthony sand dunes!

Want Ads: one tired mom desires in-house assistant to aid with dishwashing, cooking, cleaning, laundry, bum wiping, carpools, midnight sheet changings, doing screaming daughters’ hair, etc. Payment will be in meatballs, with signing bonus of caramel popcorn, depending on experience.

Christmas Pics!

(Bella's not normally allowed on the furniture so she was a little excited about this!)

Thanks Dawn for taking these pics! I FINALLY have a picture that we're all in from 2010!

Thanksgiving 2010

Always up for a challenge (and as sucker who can't say "no"), Gary choreographed the local high school's fall musical, Singing in the Rain. While he enjoyed the experience, we were all grateful when it it was over and we had our dad back! The show closed the Monday before Thanksgiving, in the midst of a rampaging snowstorm which cancelled school...but could never cancel Gene Kelly!

We went to closing night, packed up, and early the next morning lit out of Rexburg, driving white knuckled at the wheel through a blizzard with visibility of about 10 feet, to get to the safer, warmer (we hoped) locales of Richfield, Utah for Turkey Day. Holidays at Gram and Grandpa's are always relaxed, low stress, dog-filled affairs (although we left Bella with some awesome neighbors so she wouldn't be stuck in the car for us for 8 hours), and we had a lovely four days of reading, watching movies (we saw Tangled on opening day!), playing cards, eating food and hanging out. We even *gasp* hit black Friday and got some super deals on Christmas gifts. It was the first time I'd done it because I really dislike crowds and I really do like sleep, but we picked the midnight whammy rather than the 5 AM slug fest so we went, grabbed our goods, and were out of there in 20 minutes. Must be a record! In bed and asleep by 1, and slept in until 9 AM because the kids run upstairs and wake up Gram and the dogs instead of us. Ahh, not a bad deal over all!

Playing 5 Crowns. Gary is flashing his gangsta signs to show that he got the highest score! (sorry honey, that means you lost! :-) )

Packing up the kids for the drive home... Scotty always thinks he gets to come! Cute little furballs... and the dog too.

Thank-A-Thon

People Who Have Changed My Life
In no particular order, and not in enough detail, and leaving out many, I’m sure, but only by accident and because time and space here are issues…

· My husband, Gary. He sees, loves and nurtures (and puts up with!) the real Mindy – nuff said. And he brought out the wackier side of my sense of humor – without him I would never have come to appreciate Dumb and Dumber and Tommy Boy. And he refined my taste in cheese. And we laugh a lot together. And oh yes I love him a lot!

· My siblings (and in-laws) and parents… but I can’t go into all that here because I would never have done. Last summer though at Aspen Grove I wrote them each a detailed, specific letter letting them know why I appreciate them and how they have changed my life. You are loved, dear family! And mom and dad, a special thank you – your high opinion of me makes me want to live up to it.

· My kids – you have pages and pages in y our journals detailing my love and delight in you. Read them and know how deeply I love you. In general though, parenting has presented me with my biggest challenge… and therefore my biggest opportunity for growth.

· My core best friends: Christy Knight, for being an answer to prayer again and again and again… I consider you my true, beloved sister! Pammy Welch – you saved me in LA so many times, plus you helped me develop a backbone. And nobody swears at me like you do! I adore you honey! Julianne Muhlestein – LA would have been a cold and dreary place without you. Settlers Forever! (I am the king of Catan, no matter what Kerry says!) Sarah Cannon, my goddess divine in Charlotte, I continue to learn so much from you and miss you dreadfully! Juli Hicks, ditto. Please come visit. My HHS cronies, for making my high school years (and the married Vegas Girls trips) so freakin’ awesome. Who else would appreciate my taste in Broadway music and dance in the parking lot with me? Stina Berg, you gorgeous Chinese brainiac you - sure wish Oklahoma were closer! And B, Brenda Franson, for being my saving grace, confidante, and self-reliance guru in Rexburg. I am so lucky to have found such amazing women in my many moves to enrich my life!

· Kim Clayton, the director of the singing groups I grew up in – can enough ever be said about him? Funny, strict, inspiring, talented, the best mentor in every way. If you’ve ever worked with him, you understand. Plus the broad range of music he exposed us to acquainted me with some of the best out there, and gave me a deeply personal attachment to particular songs and music as a whole. And the places he took us, Cali and Florida and Washington and England – in many ways he opened the world to me!

· Debbie Brower, my best friend from 5-8^th grade. Ah, the complete satisfaction and stability to my soul to have a bosom and best friend! She was the reason Junior High was so great for me. Plus she got me out of reading the Beverly Cleary books and into the good stuff – Gone with the Wind in particular. She and I were two peas in the proverbial pod.

· My cousin Brittany, who told me when I was about eight that the Lord does everything for us and all he asks is that we kneel when we pray to him. I have had no problem getting on my knees ever since.

· Helen Stewart and Randy Puzey, our RS pres and bishop in the Sugar City ward, for showing me what loving, ideal leaders can do for a person.

· Lucy Maude Montgomery and Jane Austen. I cried when I was sick once, probably in 5^th grade, because Anne Shirley wasn’t a real person. These two authors, above all others, enhanced my love of nature, love of literature, my love of romance, and my (rather extreme) idealism. They lived and wrote in a time when men and women were expected to be good, moral, and respectful of each other. I envy that, and believe in it still as the best way for society to function.

· My English teachers, from Heather Brunjes on to M. Haltiner. I remember and value you all. Thank you for teaching me to love your subject! And infinite thanks to Julie Hewlett as well for being absolutely unequalled and for inspiring me to be a Humanities major. And for Madame Davis, who nurtured my love for French as well and gave me so many opportunities for leadership.

· To George Henry, that infamous AP American History teacher, who taught me how to write. I could write before that class, and write well, but he showed me how to simplify, systematize and understand what I did that made good writing. Plus I loved a challenge back then, so being one of only two students to get “A’s” out of him was a thrill. And he was so stimulating to work with – didn’t take any crap – as the student leadership advisor.

· Gayle Petersen, Linda Slater, Dianne Richards and all my other outstanding Young Women’s advisors. You DID make a difference.

· Charlotte Bronte for writing Jane Eyre, the story about a young woman who sticks to her convictions and does the hard thing. I so love that book.

· Nanny, who with her amazing love and unselfishness always calls when I need someone to talk to, always so concerned about everyone but herself. From her I have learned the value of a life spent in service.

· Jonas Anderson, who may never realize that that day he stopped and talked with me at the Morris Center at BYU my freshman year when I was having a bad day forever attested to me that God works through other people. Thank you for being one of his trustiest tools, Vern! Cody Tower, you were there for me at a dark moment too – thanks for being a great listener and friend.

· The Fellas – Mark, Charlie, Ryan, Mel, Blue and Greg – I always admired the way you stuck together with your unapologetic, absolute friendship for each other. Plus you were some of my very best friends (and crushes!) for years, and made my HS junior year absolutely GOLDEN. Thanks especially to Mark and Charlie. Love you both… in a completely platonic way, of course!

· My Crushes – I had several rather violent crushes that each lasted for years – Jim, Jason, Ryan, and Jarrod - thanks for being the patient targets of my naive romantic passions. Jarrod, you were also the first heartbreak – so painful through the duration, but I saw afterwards how necessary the cracking of that nut was. It prepared me for what was to come and I would have been crushed without it. If that makes any sense. It does to me. So, thank you.

· My Clayton friends, who gave me the separate life and friends to fall back on if others weren’t working out: Andrew Nielsen (my brother), Annie Breinholt, Angela Bentley, Kyle Taylor, Jen Medsker, the Williams, the Knapps, so many others.

· President Monson, who’s warmth, charisma, faith, healing powers, and vast and measureless love for the individual have wrought many miracles in my life.

· Bro. Perotti and Kenny ______ (sorry, brain freeze), my two favorite seminary teachers, for awakening the scripture studying beast within me and welcoming me to the world of actually studying my scriptures and the gospel on a daily basis.

· Victor Hugo, Boublil and Schoenberg for Les Miserables, the book and musical. The book helped solidify my concept of mercy and redemption, and the musical, one of the best ever, introduced me to the world of Broadway musicals.

· To my first period French I class at Murray high my first year of teaching – you were the difficult class, the challenging class, the obnoxious class… the class that cried when I told them I was leaving the next year to move to LA. You taught me that the kids with the pink hair, black clothes and dog collars can be the most imaginative, endearing, and potential –filled kids out there. Go get’em! I’m sure you already have.

There’s more, I’m sure, but dinner must be got and children fed. Thanks everyone for touching my life in permanent, precious ways!

Plaster Pals

The Good, the Bad, and the Broken Wrists

We've had a delightful week (sarcastically and otherwise); here are the highlights.

The Good:

*We got to go stay with Nana and Papa in SLC while Gary taught a workshop. We went to Tepanyaki for Sophie's birthday, spent an awesome afternoon at the Dinosaur Museum (Spencer fell in love with Sue the T-Rex), and helped Nana put up her Christmas tree while eating treats and singing along to "Scrooge" (my very very favorite Christmas movie). Let the festivities begin!

*Maggie took 4th PLACE in the district spelling bee! Without even studying! Well, okay, while she was at Community Care getting her dual casts on we did gigglingly spell out words together like "injury," "accident," and "klutz," but that was all in good fun. The goal was just to not get out in the first round. She spelled "physician" like a pro, thinking of Papa, and sailed through eight more rounds to take 4th! Go Mags!

The Bad:

*Maggie broke both her wrists riding a scooter at Nana and Papa’s house. Yup, she had to have two casts put on. We were hoping for green and red, since she’ll have them on for most of the Christmas season, but they were out of both so we went with blue and pink. She was a trooper through it all (the Tylenol with Codeine helped!), and everyone in the Western Hemisphere has signed her cast. The same day she got the casts on she aced the afore-mentioned spelling bee, so we were pretty proud of her. And luckily for us it wasn’t her feet; she can still clog with broken wrists but couldn’t if it were broken ankles!

*Bella the dog got hit by a car (we think) and broke her leg too. So we plastered her leg up as well, and since we don’t exactly carry “doggy insurance,” hers cost a lot more than Maggie’s did! She hobbles around great though, and she and Maggie are now Plaster Pals.

*The same day of the spelling bee and the casts, Spencer was up from 3AM to 6AM throwing up. VIOLENTLY. He finally fell asleep just as Gary’s alarm went off and it was time to get up. Poor kid. That same day (it was a biggie) Sophie fell asleep on the bus and we couldn’t find her for an hour. I was out of my head with worry! She finally woke up when the bus pulled up at the high school for its later rounds and she started to bawl. My poor dear tender rosebud! They radioed me and I rushed up to pick her up. She was so traumatized and required extra cuddling all evening! But all’s well that ended well – it could have been a lot worse!

At Little Boy Heaven (also known as the Dinosaur Museum at Thanksgiving Point)

Super kids with Supersaurus.

Swim away, kids, swim away!

Digging for bones. Does it get any better than this? Wait, it does!

Putting up the tree!

My favorite! I tear up every time they hit that last chorus of "Thank You Very Much". By far the best Christmas Carol version ever made! Reading with Papa...aw!

Sneaking in to cuddle with Nana in the mornings - a Shady Oaks ritual!

Maggie and the other six finalists from the spelling bee. They got to have their picture in the paper! We just wanted to get her home and put her in bed - what a day!

Halloween

At our ward's trunk or treat. Maggie was a Mexican dancer, Sophie a cat, Spence a knight. I was a Bad Hair Day. We had an excellent chili dinner with the Franson's, then scored on sweets at the trick or trunk, but we missed Dad who was in Las Vegas co-choreographing a Bollywood routine with Tabitha and Napoleon (of So You Think You Can Dance fame).Sophie did her own makeup. She got just a few sets of it for her birthday!

Happy Hula Birthday Sophie!

My sweet-as-sugar Sophie turned six this week. Here are the highlights of her day:
Breakfast. That's an "S" and a "6" - Gary's the master of French Toast Carving. And of Cake Decorating (but hey, I baked them, made the frosting, and stuck in the candles!):

The Luau birthday party: I decked out the studio with luau stuff and even enlisted the aid of my awesome blossom neighbor Dawn to help me create three six-foot palm trees out of duct tape and card board. (she's the best!) It was an atypical Martha Stewart touch for me, but they were really cool! Attendees were welcomed at the door by Maggie and her bud Rachel with leis and directed to the snack table or the coloring table where pictures of hula girls and parrots awaited

. Games: musical chairs, ring toss over the alligator's nose, the Limbo stick dance, grab the fish relay, Hula Hula Coconut (duck duck goose) and of course the traditional crazy dance party with the disco lights. I have to admit, having a dance studio really makes party-throwing a breeze! My house didn't even get trashed, although we had 18 kids there at one point, and the studio cleans up in a snap!

Opening presents with the friends. Over all a very successful, fairly easy festivity! Luckily 6 year-olds are quite easy to please!

Things I love about my Sophie:

*that her first instincts are good. When she lets herself, she helps before being asked, is naturally kind and loving, and is a happy child (as her constant singing to herself testifies!) I pray for her all the time that she will keep and nourish this trait!

*that she says the sweetest, sometimes nonsensical but always endearing things: "please bless that daddy will get home safely because I love him so very much." "Mother, watch me cuh-tsy!"

*That she's soft all the way around, from her little dimpled fingers to her "sophie slump" to her tender little feelings

*that she loves little things (dolls, littlest pet shops, tea sets, etc), just like I did when young

*her giggle!!!!!

*how she loves her daddy best. Really, I think this is so sweet! She's a daddy's girl. (It's okay, Maggie likes us both, depending on who's temporarily the most indulgent, but I get Spen! Of course, today Spen told me that he loves daddy best...and my mole. Well, at least he loves part of me!)

Autumn in Idaho

This may not be the most generally pleasing landscape in the world, but to me, Idaho in the fall is inexplicably charming. I have so many memories of Thanksgiving at my Nanny's house in Lewisville (population 451) that being here this time of year swoops me back to childhood holiday highlights. The shorn fields remind me of 4-wheeler rides down the fields behind Nanny's house; the sparsely decked trees evoke games of hide and seek in the riverbottoms; gray skies and the omnipresent wind remind me of curling up in Nanny's uber-cosy house shielded from the storm outside by brick walls, homemade fudge, waldorf jello and carrot pudding. It may be blah to the unconnected viewer, but I love Idaho in October.

Snapshots

Here are some of the most recent snapshots of Life with the Larsens:Our ward is doing a 90-day Book of Mormon challenge, so we read every night on our reading sofa downstairs. We're all really enjoying this, except for Bella, who gets wriggly when forced to sit and listen for too long...

...and for Spencer, who tends to fall asleep (preferably in full pirate regalia) as we read. Notice: he still loves my mole!

Over conference weekend we got to go to the zoo while down in Utah at Nana and Papa's house. Even though I've probably been there 200 times, I still LOVE Hogle Zoo! I could watch the bird show weekly all year long and still get a kick out of it. Luckily for us, Nana and Papa only live about 4 blocks away so we go there often.

By far our new favorite dining experience is eating at Tepanyaki restaurants. Luckily for the ol' wallet, there are none within a 30 mile radius of us up in Rexburg, but there's a lovely one right by Costco in Salt Lake where the kids beg to go every time. We all enjoy the dinner-and-a-show ambience, and nothing makes it more fun than being with Nana and Papa! Maggie had a particularly special weekend; Papa got her and Gary tickets to Conference from President Monson and they got to go to the conference center, park in the First Presidency's lot, and sit right up front. She loved it! Then she, through other private means, got to meet the Prophet himself, and sit and chat with him for a minute. She was one thrilled little 9 year-old!

Back home: who's the boss here, the dog or the cat? Meow!

Excerpt from an email to my sisters: An Unusual Week

Hi gals! So I just had A WEEK. Yes I know it's not over yet, and I may have some good thrilling stories to add to my list below, but for now, I'll just sum it up because sometimes a girl's just gotta vent... and laugh... or cry?

Monday: AM - woke up to discover that my right contact never made it into my contact case. Found it dry and crackly on the floor later. Did resuscitate it, but was visually lopsided for a few hours. Should have known right there that that was setting me up for a week of overall insanity.

Went out to the garage to drive Spencer's preschool carpool (5 kids) and realized, oh, my car's not in the garage! Oh yeah, it's at the church, because Gary didn't see we left it there for him to drive home after his meeting and walked home like we did. I hop on my bike and pedal like the wicked witch of the west to get to the church, retrieve said car, then drive the 5 3 year-olds to preschool. We made it on time, but only just.

Sophie forgot to put on a pullup and wet the bed. Cue laundry.

Tuesday: Spencer wakes up with a low fever. I still pile him in the car and we do errands in Idaho Falls. Only the Shopko lady forgot to put my freakin expensive ink toners in my basket after I paid for them, so I left without them. No worries, it's only a 30 minute drive back for it! At 5 PM Spencer is suddenly a full-blown croupy mess, but I still had to send him to the neighbors while I taught achievement days (my new calling) and took Maggie to dance. Raced home, fed the herds, jumped in the car to pick Maggie up at dance and tried to race back to teach an etiquette dinner at the church, only to find that my car tire was flat. Took a nice detour to the gas station up the street and we limped home on borrowed air. I love tire problems. Really.

Wednesday early AM: 2 AM Maggie wakes up in a puddle after downing 32 oz. of Gatorade after dance. All over the nice clean sheets. Shuffle on new jammies for both her and Sophie, rinse them down, make them another bed, and cue laundry again. Spencer not doing well.

Spence wakes up at 3 almost unable to breathe, begging for medicine. Luckily my foresighted and beloved neighbor smelled drama and had lent me her nebulizer the night before when she heard Spence wheezing, so we gave him a treatment and a blessing. I was primed and ready to race to the emergency room, but his breathing calmed down enough to go back to sleep so I spent the rest of the night dozing at his side to make sure he was still breathing. Yes, it was one of those nights.

Still Wedneday AM: I was supposed to drive Spencer's carpool again but totally forgot about it in stressing about who could stay with him while I drove the other kids, then counting down the minutes until I could take him to his doctor's appointment because he was so deathly ill. Plus I was a little hung over for the Benadryl I had given myself for my insane allergies right now, so Mindy's Head was not completely on, so to speak. Spencer throws up all over me, his pajamas, his blanket and his bean bag. I try to clean it all up while trying to keep Bella from eating the throw up. GROSS! One of the other four parents finally called asking if I needed help with driving the kids, and I melted down into tears of humiliation when I looked at the clock and it was already after 10. Totally mortified. Then I still had to get Sophie to school because the stupid district doesn't bus the kindergartners any more, then the minute she was off I raced to the Community care where Spence got a steroid breathing treatment, a chest x-ray, two shots and a prescription for antibiotics and albuterol because he had croup AND pneumonia. fun fun! Neighbor brings me chocolate cake because she called about something else and I started bawling on the phone. bless her! PM: am a half hour late for Maggie's horseback riding lessons because I didn't write down the right time. It's too dark for her to ride longer than 20 minutes. Enter sleep deprivation-induced guilt spiral about being a horrible, irresponsible person. Sleep with Spence again right by my bed, listening to his every ragged breath.

Thursday: Sophie wakes up with a fever this time. Seriously? Repeat Wednesday but add teaching clogging classes and frantically calling around about car tires to the mix. Can't leave the kids with anyone to go to the grocery store so are completely out of milk, eggs, oranges and bread - our staples. I do have old rice leftovers and instant oatmeal though, and nobody feels well enough to eat much anyway, so hey, no problem! That's what food storage is for.

PM I do get to exercise and shower after kids are in bed, so there's a bright spot.

So Friday and Saturday have yet to come but I'm hoping for calmer weather. Spencer's doing better and Sophie has yet to develop the pneumonia part of the illness, so we'll see. Sorry for the whiny ramble, but really, after a week of random craziness like this I just had to get some of it out! blah!

Maggie and Mom's GNO

So last Saturday afternoon, Gary took the younger two kids to Idaho Falls (Leo's Place!) and Maggie, by her own choice, stayed home to have one-on-one mommy/Maggie time. (Aw!) We had the best time; I had freezer corn to do, so we turned on Pride and Prejudice - THE definitive P&P, starring Colin-Firth-In-A-Wet-Shirt - made caramel popcorn, and went to work. Together we husked, boiled and packaged freezer corn according to Nanny's recipe, while watching Lizzy and Mr. Darcy make eyes at each other and licking caramel off our fingers between batches. Maggie is only nine, but she watched several different versions of Jane Eyre with me this summer when I was going through a major JE phase, so I figured she was ready to be initiated to My World. I should have thrown in pedicures to make the GNO complete, but we were too tired and busy. Still though, what a great night! Thanks Maggie! And Jane Austen!

First Day of School 2010

We had smiley faces and enthusiasm for the first day of 4th grade for Maggie and kindergarten for Sophie! Each girl got a silver necklace with a butterfly pendant engraved with "CTR". We're really pushing choice and consequences this year, and I thought that would help them face the challenge of all the decisions they will be up against as they settle into their new routine.

After a breakfast at home of crepes and turkey bacon, we went out to our annual neighborhood first day of school breakfast. (Did I say how much I love my neighborhood?!?) We took the much-requested nutella crepes which were gone before the prayer was even said, but our cocoa ripple ring (courtesy of the Best Homes cookbook) was a hit, as were the Franson's steaming hot huckleberry muffins and the Ricks' Rolo doughnuts (don't ask, just eat!). Here is a banner lovely Dawn made for the bus drivers; it says "we love our bus drivers" and all the kids signed it. The last "I love you" as Maggie got on the bus... and as I started to cry (I'm such a boob)...

This is what I saw when they got home. Sophie: all smiles. Loved the whole day, her teacher, her new friends, recess, riding the bus home. She's almost six so she's been waiting for this for a long time!

Maggie: my eternal drama queen. Eventually she admitted to me that all was well, that she had plenty of friends in her class and that her teacher was fine. But first she had to pull this, just to get my attention I guess:

We celebrated an overall successful first day with huckleberry milkshakes and cuddles. Then Mags took Bella on a walk and we started in on our first round of homework for the year. On your mark, get set, GO - the school year has officially begun!