More of the First Day!!

This morning was busy in our neighbourhood... three small boys started school... Here are two of the small boys with their older siblings (going into second class!)... Sounds better than saying 'with their second class siblings!!!! Knew something didn't sound right there!!!:)

Two excited kiddos!

...Being silly...

...and again:)

Back to school 2010....

...Me and my girl!!!

Doing chauffeur for Muireann this morning....

Declan had rang from work earlier in the morning to say that he couldn't get away... it was too busy at the airport... However when I was dropping the bigger girls off at their school he rang to say that he had managed to come back into town and was waiting at the school to see Alex off... but not to tell him...

Alex was so happy to see his Dad.....I love this picture below of 'his first day at school'!

Put me down Elena... you are damaging my 'street cred'!!!

Put me down Dad... I have an image to uphold....

Elena was horrified when Declan tried to pick her up to hug her and struggled to get away.... which was puzzling because she is still usually ok to give a hug 'Goodbye' at the school gate...

However she returned a few minutes later to say.... 'Sorry Dad... I could not give you a hug then... Did you not see who was watching?  (Insert....Name of particular girl...)...followed by ....'And you know what she is like...).. 'I will give you two hugs when I get home...'  ...In other words when ...she is not looking!!!!

Alex had no such qualms but was enjoying every moment...

...Declan was happy to meet up with one of his golfing buddies in the school yard....Tom saying Hi to Alex also...

Alex being marched in by the principal on his first day???!!.....The principal decided to start bringing in the little ones to their classroom and took Alex by the hand as he knows him quite well and then proceeded to lead all the other little 'new recruits' in also....followed by the Mommies (aka ..the paparazzi!!!...)

I guess he felt as Alex knew him he was not likely to protest....

Lead on.... A whole new world....

Happily ensconced in his new classroom...

...Funnily.. they found the table down at the back.. furthest away from the teacher...!!!

I had to drop Alex, and race back to my own school to my own new infants who had only started the previous day... such is the life of  a 'no-longer job-sharing Mom'  sigh:(... How I would have loved to have been able to go into the hall for the customary 'cup of tea for new parents' and the chat.... No more leisurely chatting to other parents at the school gate of a morning... I wistfully told them 'See ye at Hallowe'en break'... and headed off quite envious of all those I have got to know so well over the last few years since Elena started....  but then 'Isn't that why they invented 'Parental Leave'?!!!!! And so I have that to look forward to....

When my job-sharing did not work out for this year I decided to play the sympathy vote while they (my Board of Management were still feeling sorry for me!! and said I would like to take my Parental Leave this coming year....) And they have granted it to me... so I will at various times during the year have some time off from all the rushing and racing....Thinking I had two weeks left of the 14 weeks granted for Elena I was pleasantly surprised, on ringing the DES (Dept of Education & Science) to find that I have 5 weeks still left of Elena's leave and 14 of Alex's leave so I am happy... so what if it is unpaid.... It's what life is all about...

And just for the record... fulltime is going okay for me... as long as I continue to rise at 6.30am in the mornings...No rush.... No stress!!!!