Ch...ch..changes.

There is a new crispness in the 95+ degree air here. And that can only mean one thing...

The first day of school! Here's Henry on his. Henry has started at a 3-morning a week preschool called Amazing Life Games. http://www.amazinglifegames.org/ It's a hippie parent co-op that's been around for 30 years. Todd and I are thrilled to be a part of their community. We went to a parent workshop this past weekend and learned a lot about helping a toddler-type person grow and flourish. Todd and I will each volunteer a morning a month there.
Here's the kids heading to their respective vehicles in the courtyard.
And teacher Natasha showing the kids how it's done.
Eating their lunches.Learning to take turns. (very very hard)
And of course, jumping onto mattresses. (heaven!)Most of the kids got tired of this activity after a half dozen times. Not Henry. He leapt and rolled, leapt and rolled for 15 minutes until I dragged him to the next activity.
Enjoying the backyard sandbox.

But of course, starting something new sometimes means ending something else. As many of the kids started preschool, this past week marked the end of our Thursday morning playgroup -- the one Henry and I have been in since he was 3 months old.

Here's some of the gang in a tree at Walter Pierce Park, our usual stomping grounds. Since we are all good friends, I have no doubt that we will all play with each other frequently, either on some other day or in some other way. But I did get a bit weepy thinking about all that we'd been through and that my Thursday mornings would be different from now on.

Peter and Miles reach new heights.

Yay playgroup!

And yay to enduring friendships! (Henry and Miles)