FIRST Grade Has Arrived!!

Today was major -- Simone's first day of elementary school.  And considering we had to leave the house nearly a whole hour earlier than we are used to, it went pretty smoothly.  Simone was so excited and was very cooperative in her new morning routine.  It will still take some practice, but we're on the right track.

The school mascot is the wildcat, and each of the grades are referred to as a type of cat.  First grade classes are the cheetahs, so Simone thought it was best to wear her cheetah shirt for the first day. And she picked out her own backpack this year -- pink zebra print for little miss fashion!

Last Friday was Open House/orientation--here's a taste of Simone getting to know her new school... 

This is Simone's desk.  Her teacher is Mrs. Clark, who runs a "Seussville" classroom.  

Standing at her desk.

And of course we had to check out the cafeteria.  Aside from the bus, the cafeteria was the concept that most fascinated Simone.

Her biggest surprise, however, was the school gym.  She'd never been in a gym before and she was impressed!  She said, whoa mommy, what do we do in here?!

We also joined the PTO and already ordered all the requisite Spirit Wear. 

Outside the school.

And finally, a pose on the school's "Pride Rock".


So, the first day was officially a success.  Simone told me that today was the greatest day of her whole life.  lol!  She said she made new friends (even though she can't remember their names), had lots of fun, and thinks first grade is way better than kindergarten.  She's looking forward to going back for more fun tomorrow.  Stay tuned for progress reports as she learns school isn't only about playing and having tons of fun, lol!!!  Tomorrow is Wednesday--library day!

Happy Ruby Anniversary!

Well, summer is officially over, but not without one last hurrah.  This weekend we celebrated Grammy and Pop's 40th Wedding Anniversary with a great big surprise party at a small amusement park in central PA.  Despite the killer humidity, we all had a great time and nearly shut the park down.

Simone was on cloud nine... she had nearly ALL of her cousins--first and second ones-- to play with for the entire day.

And even more awesome ... Grandad, Auntie Lea, and Nailah came as well!  It was so great to see everyone having fun.

Hats off to  Grandad who didn't even blink on the steepest drops.  Mommy quit these after one turn, and daddy took a pass altogether!

The smiles say it all!

Playmates, rides, and tons of sugar.... Simone couldn't have dreamed of more!  

A Special Kindergarten Memory

Today Simone officially finished her time at FCC--her very last day.  Five years have flown by,  and in just a few days she starts at her brand new elementary school.  Simone's former teachers worked very hard to make the last few weeks at FCC very special.  Two of the events that Simone loved and will cherish for a long time to come were a scavenger hunt and Harry Potter Day.  Here are some pictures of their super impressive Harry Potter Day.  Simone hasn't been able to stop talking about how much fun this was, and we are so grateful to FCC for giving her these amazing memories as she leaves the center.

All the kids made their first stop to pick up their robes, magic wands, quills, and pets before heading to "Hogwarts".

Once they arrived, naturally, the Sorting Hat assigned them to their house. 

Simone became a proud member of Gryffindor.

Their day was then filled with classes of Transfiguration, Herbology, and Potions ... 

...taught by all the favorite Potter teachers, of course, like  Professor Snape.

And what would Harry Potter Day be without Quidditch?!?!?

Incredible, huh?

Even snack time was cool!

And lastly, a  little visit to Azkaban....

I've gotta say... this day was really remarkable to me even as an adult, so I can only imagine the impression it left on Simone. It's this kind of thing that will make us truly miss FCC, but we will remember it fondly forever.

Saturday at the County Fair

Today we let Simone suggest what we should do and out of nowhere she said, "I really want to go to a fair."  She wasn't even sure exactly what a fair was, but she wanted to find out.  So to the internet we went, and learned that Prince William County was having the last day of its annual fair (supposedly the largest in Virginia). In no time we were off to the fair!

Needless to say, after a short while looking at all the farm animals, we spent most of the day riding the rides.  

Simone went on this drop-tower ride without a second thought, not totally realizing what was going to happen.  She loved the climb to the top, but turned as white as a ghost on the drop down.  She said it hurt her belly, and that was the end of that ride for the day.  We were proud of her for trying it, because you'd never get me on it! She told me if I went on this ride, it would make me throw up! lol!

Tony pondering the universe.

And that's it.  We shared a funnel cake and then went to dinner at restaurant where not everything was deep fried on a stick.  It was a nice way to spend the day. And we were happy to introduce Simone to a piece of Americana -- her first county fair.

A Late Summer Adventure

A quick post from this past weekend.  Two of Simone's cousins came to our house for a short visit, and the three of them spent Saturday afternoon on an adventure with daddy and Pop.  

First they obtained proper walking sticks from the forest and then went on a rock climb down along the Potomac River.

Also took  a ride across Harper's Ferry.

Ended the day with a short swim.  

It wasn't the hottest day for swimming, so all three of them were shivering by the time they got out of the pool.