Today was Art’s first day of first grade at Barton. Jess and I can’t stop smiling about the thing, mostly because we just love his teacher. Last year, as some of you might know, we went through bouts of real discontent over Art’s half day kindergarten, his perfectly fine but sorta uninspired teacher, just the whole situation. It was a bummer for a long time. 

But this year he of course has all day school and teacher who has a wonderful energy and enthusiasm, you can tell the instant you meet her. Here’s what I wrote Jessica after dropping Arthur off this morning, an email she said she reread many times and kept smiling: 
——
subject: all went brilliantly
I could immediately tell that Patrice is a wonderful teacher. She greeted him bent over and then put her hand on his shoulder and walked him into the room to his cubby hole. That small gesture was so telling to me. She is very organized and open and available to the children. I think it is going to be a wonderful year for our little boy!
——

Actually, a wonderful TWO years, since at Barton they combine fist and second grades, so he’ll have the same teacher in the same room next year. His teacher ‘co-teaches’ with a teacher in the next door room, and a few years ago they made a ‘hole’ in the wall that connects the two rooms. Someone mentioned to me that it’s great cause Arthur will end up knowing 60 kids instead of 30. 

Art reported having a good day. Except for recess, when he was apparently confusued and scared for a bit when he didn’t know where teacher went. Here’s a photo he brought home of his table-mates, three second graders:

and a couple other photos I took today during droppoff:

Applying his name tag.

First grade!

Try sleeping in at the cottage and soon enough your bed fills up with little people. However Jessica loves snuggling and, as you can see, this makes her quite happy.

Lewis- It's just pretend.
Arthur- Yeah, but there are zombies coming out of the ground.

We’re headed to the cottage for a bit before summer departs. We’ll be off the grid!

I photographed a pretty meaningless Vikings preseason game and  witnessed something pretty extraordinary. Bored fans began doing the wave, and I was thinking to myself, man, this is an impressive wave. Lots of screaming and everyone on their feet. And then a few fans started throwing their programs, and shortly after EVERYONE started throwing them. Thousands and thousands of people tossing their programs skyward and eventually ripping them up into confetti, showering their neighbors. It was a ridiculous and wonderful moment of a sort of joyous group-think. Literally everyone tossing ripped up paper into the air and laughing uproariously about it. It was so fun to watch!