First Day of Second Grade

It was the first day of second grade today, which was something we were all fretting a little bit about.  But we didn't have to - Madison came off of the bus all smiles, which drew an enormous sigh of relief from Daddy.  She had a great day, despite nervously taking small steps towards the school when dropped off this morning.  Boy, the traffic was crazy this morning, with so many cars dropping off kids, and so many walking their kids in.  But we made it all in time, with no worries at all.  Okay, maybe with a little worries.

We prayed this morning, and said hello to our old routine of getting up early and doing all those things before taking Madison to school.  We even took that picture above, with the thought of once again taking a picture each day this year before school, watching her grow up over the past year.

Mommy got her this Elsa t-shirt, which of course Madison loved.  And the new shoes are nice and pink.  And she's armed with her Doc McStuffins bookbag and lunchbox as well, along with the other supplies inside her book bag.  We sent the Kindle in for now, but we did take the picture above with the iPad, something we'll probably do each day as the year goes by.  It's remarkably easy to take photos with.

Lots of parents out there, lots of traffic and chaos for the first day, but everyone grinned and bore it, which was good to see.  And even better news:  the day was a success, as Madison was all smiles coming home, which made for a sigh of relief from Daddy, whose anxious prayers were answered.  She not only survived the day's events, but enjoyed it all.  She's got much more self-confidence than Daddy ever had in school.  But we still keep pouring into her regardless - her middle name is Mei, which means beautiful.

And we missed having her in the house this morning, an empty spot and an odd silence permeating.  Mommy and Daddy did a few things around the house this morning, cleaning up and setting up.  But it was that quiet again, the quiet of a school year that we'll have to adjust to.

When home, we talked about our days together, though Madison's was much more interesting than ours.  She saw her science lab today and was introduced to the rules of Chestatee.  After dinner, it was time to get some exercise.  Rather than tennis though, we decided to have a Kinect party of sorts.

This was a new game we downloaded this week, where Madison could use the weapons of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to knock down or slice up flying pieces of wood or pizza boxes.  Madison loved it, and so did Daddy.  You can see above the option to have your photo taken as one of the turtles - Madison chose Michelangelo, hence the nun-chucks, orange mask and turtle shell on her back.  She's so tiny in this picture, as always.  The shell is probably as big as she is!

The Kinect can be a very rigorous exercise routine.  We did Kinect Adventures next, racing about with lots of jumping and flailing of the arms - this is one of Madison's favorites.  And then it was time for Star Wars again, where Madison earned the achievement of Angry World Traveler.  This is because she was doing the rancor monster's missions again.  It's like being Godzilla and destroying a city - if only there were that option for a Godzilla game.  You flail your arms, jump, run, clap, stomp, and bulldoze through buildings, vehicles, and the good denizens of Tatooine - or wherever.  It's a blast!

But bedtime comes early now, doesn't it?  We went upstairs and got ready for bed, where Daddy read three chapters of the latest Nevergirls book, "The Space Between."  The intention was just two chapters, however Madison was so into this book, listening so closely to the story as it unfolded.  Daddy just had to read just one more chapter.  We'll be through with this book in no time, and we'll have to go ahead and order the next one from the library.

We said our prayers, thanking God for his remarkable favor, and a wonderful day.  We prayed for the people of Hawaii, who are facing two back-to-back hurricanes.  But we also prayed for Israel as always, and this dreadful war that goes on and on.  And the people in Iraq, and the brutality and fear of living there.  The world is going through a lot, and the best we can do is pray.  And we prayed for our friends, including one of Madison's classmates who got sick at a birthday party recently.  After reading from our Bible, it was then time for bed, time for sleep for Madison, who shouted out from upstairs, "I love you to infinity and beyond!"

She's such a sweet girl.  Mommy and Daddy were tired from the day, but still had energy to watch an underwater adventure, "The Hunt for Red October."  After the Sochi Opening Ceremonies, and the recent Under the Sea theme, Daddy had this one on his mind.  One ping only please.

How interesting that Sam Neill's last words are "I would have liked to have seen Montana," and the very next movie I saw him in was "Jurassic Park," where he was the main character doing a dinosaur dig in... Montana.

Anyway, we did go to bed on time, which was good, because here we go again with this school schedule.  Up early, and then to bed early too!