What the hell kind of crappy Mommy blog am I running around here? School started 3 days ago, and have any of you seen first day of school pics? Nope. I’m too focused on the fact that my house now has a floor and a ceiling.

Stacia is in 3rd grade this year, and I am already highly impressed with her new teacher. About 2 weeks before school started, she received a letter in the mail from her teacher introducing herself and including pictures of the classroom. At the ice cream social a week before school began, her teacher was there and new every kid by face. (Someone studied the yearbook!) The room was ready, supplies were laid out, seating arrangements were already marked so the kids could get a good feel for how 3rd grade would start.

Third grade is a big deal—she’s now in the top half of her school. In only 2 years, she’ll be moving on to bigger and better things at the intermediate school. Third grade is so big, in fact, that she is now too mature for first day of school pictures. I was forced to stay up on the shadowy porch lest other kids see the embarrassment of having a mom with a camera. She’s got about 9 more years to get over it. I will have a first day of school picture every year until she graduates. And then I am sure I will follow her to college and take plenty of cheesy pictures there, too. She has her grandma to thank for that.

Thus, I present to you the first day of school pictures I was allowed to take (and 1 more she didn’t see me sneak in!)