Two Kindergarteners!!

Alas, summer is over.  It was a good one for us.  Zoe had a fantastic nanny, an OT student, who will be greatly missed!  Ethan went to day care and had fun with new buddies, some of whom are in his new kindergarten class.  Yes, Ethan will get to be a kindergartener again....this time knowing English!!   And I think, given his beginnings, his maturity is more on par with this peer group.  With the extra time he's getting, we're hoping for greatness this year!  (But will settle for good behavior and a little learning, too)  :-)  Thankfully, he doesn't understand that there's anything wrong with repeating a grade.  This morning, he was excited to see his buddy Lucy, and I had to re-explain that Lucy will be in first grade and he will be going to kindergarden again.  His response?  "Yeah!!  I can do kindergarten again?!!  Yeah!!"  Oh, dear.

So now we have two kindergarteners in the hizz-ouse!  Ethan is at the same school as last year, and Zoe is at a school about 6 miles away with an autism program.  I am happy with absolutely everyone I've met so far.  Ethan's teacher is super energetic and watched Ethan grow last year.  

 Zoe's teacher is wonderful.  I like her so much I want her to be my friend, but think it would be weird to ask her to come over and play.  She has an adult sibling with autism which, I think, gives her a better perspective on the dynamics that go on in our household....strain on marriage, jealously by Ethan....all that yummy stuff that autism brings with it.  Zoe's class will have 5 kids, 1 teacher, and 2 para-pros.    I was even able to meet Zoe's bus driver and her care taker in the after school program.  Her ASP class will have 3 kids and 2 care takers.  Sweet!!

So here are my babies on the first day of kindergarten...

His backpack looks HUGE on him!

Photographing a kid like Zoe is tough.  She won't smile on command or pose.

But occasionally you catch something like this!!!

Zoe's awesome new bus driver and attendant.