Back to School-ish

These photos are from Gavin and Abe's first day of school 2010. I know.... long overdue.

This year Abe is in 1st Grade. This is his first year of full day school. He is lucky to be in class with his best friend and our next door neighbor Ethan and they are both happy to spend so much time together. He has kept true to his word and plays with Gavin every day at recess. It has made such a difference. I see that Gavin is happier and more confident each day and a lot of that is due to the unconditional love he receives from his little brother. Abe continues to love his artwork and spends hours and hours each day working on it. His teacher chuckled at parent/teacher conferences as she showed us his homework/tests/journals completely covered with doodles. He also has a real knack for math. This is really the first year he has been asked to do math problems and I am surprised at how quickly he catches on to the concepts. He even helps Gavin with his math homework. He certainly did not inherit that skill from me! He becomes more and more like his Dad each day and I am completely charmed by him.

Gavin is in 3rd grade. I can't believe it! He is so grown up now. He has a wonderful teacher this year. She spent 15 years as a special education teacher before moving into a mainstream classroom and has such a patient and positive attitude. It helps so much to know he has a champion in the classroom who is focusing on his strengths rather than his weaknesses. He has a great friend in his class which has made him so happy. He loves to play with Abe each day at recess. He continues to wow everyone with his memory for trivia. His latest course of study is British history.... mostly the monarchy. He sits and studies the royal family tree and has taught us all about it. I learn so much from him each day. I have always been terrible with history, but Gavin is changing that for sure. I am inspired by his humility and determination each day. He tries so hard to be teachable and tolerant even though those things do not come naturally to him. He is going to have a great year!

Ella will begin preschool this year, but she will not be starting until late January. I will post some pictures of her when the time comes. Until then she is having fun hanging out with Mom and Ashlyn and has standing weekly play dates with five of her girlfriends.