First Term

A little cuddle before school

Holding hands (it's less scary that way)

One day of school and Charlotte goes cerebral.

After a week of shopping for a mountainous list of uniform pieces (grey socks, track pants, gym shorts, black polishable shoes, affixing labels and doing my best to shrink half of the things for our very little girl), we stepped off today for our FIRST day of school in a new country. For Miss Charlotte it was perhaps the biggest day - her first-ever day of nursery. Both of the kids bounded out of the house, eager, I think, to make new friends.

Charlotte was a bit worried when she realized she and Harry wouldn't be in the same classroom (I think she believed the whole school things was a big hoax, like we'd dressed her up but really it was only Harry going to school, but no, she did indeed find her class and the second she saw the open paint pots....)

There are a lot of new routines for us to adjust to - everything from bringing snacks to share (?) to obtuse pick-up routines and, on day one, ANOTHER list of items to buy (wellies and rain clothes that stay AT school. In England, the kids go out and play in the rain. No indoor playrooms for these children).

It was a very long day for Charlotte, who dove into the art project, literally, and was returned to me coated in the paint (hair, sweatshirt, legs, you name it). Her teacher, Mrs. Ransome, said she was enjoying the texture. Which I think is British polite for 'she was bathing in it.' She was tired when I fetched her, but very satisfied. She will be attending three days a week, Harry five.

Harry was still charged up at 3:15, explaining at great length about the 'bigger boys' that attend the school, the books they read and the self-portrait he worked on.


One day down....many, many to go.

Cashed out.

Our new Lego, a first-day of school treat.