First Days of School and Last Days of Summer

First things first! In the past week, all the grandkids have had a first day of school. Last week, after being gone for the summer, she rejoined her friends at her Polish daycare.

Next up was Owen. On Monday he was excited to go to his very first day of daycare ever, on his mom's first day back at work after spending five months at home with him. 

Tummy time is great place to meet new friends. Owen wasted no time in meeting other babies at daycare.

Not to be outdone, Lloyd and Freddie headed back in style to the first day of their new daycare school year. They've both moved up to a new class. But there are changes ahead. By the first of October, these two will be on their way to Minneapolis and a brand new daycare. 

But wait! There's been more happening than just the first day of school. You've heard of plus ones? Well here we have a plus two. Owen took his mom and dad to his very first wedding. He wore a vintage 1989 outfit, compliments of his Uncle Peter.

It's 1989 vs. 2025. Who wore it best? (Answer: it's a tie!)

Owen also got to spend a week at the Maryland shore and experience his first time "in" the Atlantic Ocean. 

Meanwhile, Lloyd and Freddie wound down their summer by catching up on their reading.

Over in Warsaw, Chef Rosie celebrated being back home in her two kitchens. (She has a kitchen in her bedroom and she shares her parents' kitchen with them.) Her dad got her a made-in-Elkader apron.

A few days later, Coach Rosie went to a small town in Poland with her mom and dad and a contingent of their American friends for the Mölkky World Championships. They competed and I'm told had an absolute blast. Sounds like a great finale to the summer.
 

Some Favorite Smiles

Mary and Andy spent last weekend in Dallas where Mary was maid of honor at her friend Veronica's wedding. It was a mini-Stanford reunion and everyone had a great time.

Speaking of college friends, John and Troy's Tufts friend Andrew came to Denver for a visit, and that gave them all an excuse to go for a hike in the mountains.

Years of parental training paid off, as I was treated to a "first day of work" picture of John. (Shout out to whoever had the excellent idea to take all those "first day of school" pictures.) He started his new job with Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher in Denver on Monday, and we are super excited for him!

 

Flashback Friday

It's first day of school season—a hopeful time of year—which is ever so much more important these days. Looking back to a simpler time, this was the first day of school in 2004 and the kids were at St. Maur International School in Yokohama. Mary was in middle school and the boys were in high school. Fast forward to present day: John had his first day of his third year of law school this past Monday, while Mary and Peter will start their first day of school as teachers on Monday. Luckily everybody is vaccinated and they wear masks, but it's obviously a challenging time so I'm thinking of my student and two teachers as they embark on another school year. For everybody's sakes I hope it will be a fully in-person school year, but first and foremost it needs to be a safe year. 

 

Flashback Friday

Last week was the first day of school for John and Mary. In 2005, another first day of school had the kids ready to start their very first year of school in Shorewood (in grades 11, 10, and 7). Kia (not her most flattering pose) saw them off.

Flashback Friday

It's that time of year for the first day of school! Peter and Jessa had their first day of school in Morocco last week, as did Mary at her new elementary school in DC. Peter has a new assignment this year, which is that he's creating and overseeing a special education program at Casablanca American School. Jessa completed her teacher certification over the summer so she's returning to her ELL job at CAS with an important new credential. And Mary changed jobs and is now teaching second grade at Truesdell Education Campus, which is an elementary school in the DC public school system. Today I'm flashing back to another first day of school—this one was in Racine 22 years ago (otherwise known as 1996). Peter was starting second grade; John was starting first grade; and Mary was starting JK3—all at Prairie School. In a big moment for two working parents, with Mary's move from daycare to Prairie this was the first time they were all at the same school. Needless to say, Brad and I were very excited to have our dropoffs and pickups consolidated. In writing this post I realized that because they all went to a K-12 school for so many years, beginning the year this picture was taken, and for the next nine school years, all three would continue to attend the same school. (First Prairie, then ASW in Warsaw, then St. Maur in Yokohama.) I think going to the same school building together for so many years was definitely a bonus for our kids. On this particular first day of school, Grandma and Grandpa Harrison were visiting (as they are right now, here in Long Beach) so we took this picture before taking the kids to start their first day. Happy new school year!

Flashback Friday

It's a long story, but I missed the Flashback last week. So here it is now, a couple of days late. This is the first day of school in Warsaw on September 1, 2001. (The first and only day we rode bikes to school; it wasn't a convenient ride!) This was still such an innocent time. So much would change in ten days.

Flashback Friday

Kids started school in Long Beach this week, and so did Peter and Jessa in Casablanca. (Mary's school has been in session for a few weeks.) So I thought I'd take a look back at the last first day when all the Harrison kids were still at home. We didn't get them all in a picture together, but at least we have three separate pictures of Peter starting his senior year, John starting his junior year, and Mary starting eighth grade. Peter's wearing the North Face backpack I never wanted him to buy because I didn't think it would last but it lasted forEVER. Mary's wearing the LL Bean backpack I thought would last and boy did it—all through middle school and high school. And John's wearing a fleece jacket from their school in Poland that, after all the purging we did this year, is still hanging in our closet. (But why is the kid who never gets cold the only one wearing a jacket, and a decently heavy one at that, on the first day of school?!)

First Day

This Monday was the first day of school for Peter and Jessa. I can't thank Jessa enough for getting me a picture of Mr. Harrison at his desk. One of these days I know he'll return the favor and I'll be ready and waiting to post it when he does!

Flashback Friday

It's been ten years since the kids (with Kia) started their first day of school in Shorewood on September 1, 2005 - Mary in grade 7, Peter in grade 11, and John in grade 10.

First Day

It's Mary's first day of school! Four short years ago she was the new kid starting her junior year in Connecticut. Now she's a veteran starting her junior year at Stanford. What a difference four years can make!

First Day!

Yay! It's Mary's first day of her sophomore year of college! (It was actually yesterday; I'm behind on my blogging.) Hooray for first-day-of-school pictures!!!!!

Flashback Friday

Only five years, and already it's a classic!  Here is Peter in 2006, on the first day of his senior year of high school, wearing his senior class t-shirt.  This year is Peter's first year that he doesn't have a first day of school as a student, so I thought I'd put him in the spotlight.         

Flashback Friday

It's the first day of school in 1994!  Peter was starting Kindergarten and John was starting Junior Kindergarten 4. 

Flashback Friday

Yesterday was Mary's first day of school in Connecticut . . . here's a photo from a different first day of school, in Wisconsin. Peter was in 3rd grade, John in 2nd, and Mary was in JK-4. Mary was still a couple of years away from wearing a uniform, so she wore a favorite dress instead. Notice the boys' super-durable lunch boxes. I had forgotten about those til just now.

First Day of School

School has started and other things .....

Mary has started school and I'll post a photo of her on the first day. Already she's off to a great start. Today she was elected Sophomore Class President! We are proud of our Ms. President!! She has also joined Model UN again this year and will be going to the Harvard Model UN in December. Mary didn't go to this one last year, but it's the event that John has gone to the last two years. Volleyball has started its season ... don't ask about the team's win/loss record so far, but the good news is that Mary has earned the job of starting setter and so she's getting to play almost every point of every game (... and doing a nice job). I will attach a photo of Mary and her friend Myra before a recent game, and another of Mary serving. In other news ... we enjoyed a visit from our friend John Vanderslice over the weekend. John and I were colleagues at the City Attorney's Office in San Diego. He went to law school after a career in the Navy, so we were both new lawyers at the same time, although he has since retired. John was in the Midwest for his 55th high school reunion in Iowa, and was kind enough to drive over here to see us for a couple of days. I will post a photo from his visit. Our weather has definitely turned to fall. It happens so quickly here. It has gotten me in the mood to do more knitting; I have almost finished a new hat for Mary, which will be ready for the first cold day (which I hope isn't TOO soon!). If the sun stays out it should be a nice fall. Well, the girls volleyball team is heading our way for a past dinner tonight, so time to finish the cooking! Love, Sue