Fall of a sudden

How did that happen? We came back from a fun week in SF and it was raining and dark by 8pm. We haven't even lost daylight saving time yet. You know what, though? I'm okay with it. Yes, the winter is long and dark and rainy and we will have to find different ways to entertain ourselves. But fall is for roasting vegetables and wearing sweaters and staying home and being cozy, and those things have their charm.

School is upon us. Aaron had his first day in his new classroom, and he did well. He was confused and sad at first about Jordan not being there with him, but he pulled it together and enjoyed his buddies and his new teachers. This year, he gets his own lunch out of his cubby instead of having it served to him, and he drinks water from a plastic glass instead of a sippy cup.

Kindergarten doesn't start until tomorrow but we're all fired up. There was a BBQ at the elementary school this evening and the yard was full of families that seemed just great. We visited Jordan's classroom and it looks excellent, teeming with fish and crayfish and carnivorous plants and a cactus garden, and the teacher, Mrs. Murphy, seems as delightedly serious as you would hope a kindergarten teacher would be on the eve of the first day. After locating his desk, Jordan led us back outside, where he hooked up with a new friend named Will and was basically not seen again for the next hour. (Okay, we were watching him, but he had no need for us.) Will is not in Jordan's class, and neither is Jordan's JCC friend Itamar; but another new buddy named Sam is at his very table. He's off to a good start.

Here, Jordan is inspecting the blank "tooth chart." The wall has the daily schedule on it.

Jordan found his own desk.

Here's the view from Jordan's desk.

His teacher, Mrs. Murphy, is in the middle.

Yes, for those of you keeping track, Wedgwood Elementary was not our first choice. But in the time since that post, we've learned that people move into our neighborhood from all over Seattle, abandoning perfectly good homes to get into our schools, and that Wedgwood Elementary in particular is cherished for its terrific parent community and good teachers. Surely it's good enough for us? The acknowledged downsides are the dumpy building and the brand new (thus untested) principal. I still worry about that geography teacher I saw when we visited... but for now, we're reconciled to our placement, and actually looking forward to it.