First Week of School Traditions (Third Grade)

Little Lewie officially started third grade last Monday.  There was some sighing and whimpering as this kid got out of bed, but no tears.  I reminded him that he needed to give his new teacher a chance. Miracles do happen.  Maybe he would love third grade.

I was a little out of practice with the morning routine, so Lewie almost missed the bus!  For some reason, I thought the time went by slower in the mornings--my bad!  I had exactly three minutes for pictures before the bus showed up at our driveway.  It didn't give us the chance for long, tearful goodbyes, which definitely was a good thing.

He grabbed his backpack and jacket and to the bus he went.  Once he found a seat, he even waved back to my mom and me with a big smile.  "Good," I thought.  "Now I can finish getting ready for work."

Since I had a long day of work ahead--almost a 12 hour day--I called my mom around 4ish to find out about Lewie's first day.  She put him on the phone, and he told me "it was the best day ever."  He wanted to keep me in suspense until I came home, but my mom told me a few things she learned when she picked him up..."Lewie said his teacher at school was having trouble with the computer, so he helped her.  He also said his teacher was really nice and was not going to assign too much homework."   Yes, all it takes for Lewie to have a good day is to demonstrate his computer knowledge and to not get much homework; his new teacher knew exactly the way to his heart.

At the end of the week, on Friday, I promised Lewie I would take him out at noon, so that he, Daddy, and I could spend one last summer day together.  Starting as early as three (2011), our family made it a tradition to go to Lake Quassy Amusement Park on the last Friday of the season--the Friday before Labor Day.  Since most kids are in school, we get easy access to all the rides and arcade games without having to wait in lines.  This Friday was a little cooler (68 degrees and windy), but we still enjoyed the day.  It was what Lewie needed to congratulate him on being so positive about school, and it was what I needed to congratulate me on being positive about work.  I needed this special day with my son, especially when I know that work takes me away from him at least two to three nights per week.

We started our day at Quassy the same way we always do...with the train ride.  Then, Lewie ventured to his favorite ride--the Pirate Ship.  Daddy and I went on it three times with him.  Then, thankfully, he made a friend who was willing to go on it an additional four times.

Then we went on the Quassy Queen (our usual boat ride) followed by the Carousel, a few more spinning rides, and the bumper cars.

Who wouldn't enjoy playing with a life-size version of PacMan?

Our day at Quassy ended the usual way too...with an ice-cream treat.  (It's never too cold for ice-cream!)  It was definitely the way we needed to spend our day to get us pumped for the new school year.  School is important but so is family time.  Every once in a while, we need to make time for activities like this, so we can enjoy the time, the age, and the memories without feeling rushed.

Lewie has a half day scheduled at school on September 27th.  You know I'm taking that day off to be with him!  Let the planning begin!