Apologies again for such a delay in posting. I find it harder to get into a rhythm of writing back home than I did when we were traveling. I had the same problem after we returned from Japan... we had such a calmer life there, as we did in France, and so finding time to upload photos and write witty stories of our days seemed to come so easily. Now, we are happily surrounded by chaos and a busy calendar, and so I have several weeks worth of photos on our camera still waiting to get uploaded to my computer (much less added to the blog), and a backlist of good stories and updates to share.
Well, tomorrow's event -- the first day of school -- will hopefully help with that a bit. It is a BIG day for all three of our kids. Jack will be starting Grade Three (comparable to CE2 in France) and Katie and Olivia will be starting kindergarten (comparable to the Grands section of Maternelle in France)-- their first time at "real" school. Jack is so happy to be going back -- he found out on Friday that he will be in a class with one of his best friends, the amazing Ailene, and they will have a male teacher (Monsieur M) whom we've heard great things about. Kate and Liv will have the same incredible kindergarten teacher Jack had, Madame A. She is a truly remarkable educator who really understands (and enjoys!) five-year-olds! And... they will know at least three other kids in their class of 18 -- all of those friendly faces are sure to help them, I think.
Jack is pretty cool about it all, although he set his alarm extra early to make sure he was ready. Kate and Liv are pretty nervous... but I am sure once they get there, they will be fine. We have reminded them how much French they actually know -- phrases like "asseyez vous sur le tapis" (sit on the carpet) and colors, numbers, greetings... all of those things will be new to all of the other kids, but happily familiar to them. They're still nervous (and bossy... tonight Olivia said "It's the night before kindergarten... I command you to bring me string cheese!")... and excited, too.
I am not nearly as worried about Kate and Liv starting as I was when Jack started kindergarten (or when all three started school in Japan and France). It's nice knowing the ropes (and yes, Jack WILL in fact have a lunch with him tomorrow) and more than nice to know they are heading to a wonderful public school and into the classrooms of some great teachers.
I'll try to post first-day of school photos tomorrow. They all have their outfits all picked out!
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In other news -- we enjoyed a great visit with my parents last week, including a party to celebrate the 20th anniversary of my 18th birthday on Wednesday night with friends young and old. My parents are such great party-throwers... and it was so fun to have them meet or see again some of the most important people in our lives here. They are on their way on another incredible driving adventure (with stops in California and Las Vegas, which aren't exactly on the direct path from Colorado to Alberta!) and we miss them already.
When I get caught up on photos, I also want to post photos from our outing Friday to pick fresh strawberries at a nearby farm. The strawberries felt so French to me -- small, full of flavor, and best consumed immediately. The kids loved it (and probably should have been weighed going in and coming out, as they helped themselves to many of the ripest berries!). We have also been indulging in another local delicacy -- Taber corn. It's "late" this year -- usually you can find it earlier in August -- but all of the rain has put off its arrival until now. And yes, it was worth the wait!
The university classes start a bit later -- September 8 -- so hopefully we'll have a chance to get the kids settled into their new school routines and organize our classes before actually teaching them. As we said so often in France... on verra!
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