First Day of Third Grade!

(Ok, my girl's first day of school was really last Friday, but things have been hectic, so I'm just posting this now!) Just wanted to show off my cute new third grader! My girl was very excited picking out school clothes this year, and getting to create her own style. Hot pink and lime green are her "signature colors" (her words) this year... She's 8. Wait until she's a teenager -- heaven help us! Anyway, we're looking forward to a great year in the third grade, and she's excited to be one of the oldest kids in the school (it's a K - 3). "Today," she said, "I talked to a kindergartener like I was an adult!" This is the big time! :)

The night before her first day we laid out her outfit, packed her lunch, packed her bag, and had a special "last day of summer vacation" dinner. We also worked on our annual end of summer memory project -- the last couple of years we did big collage posters, but those are so bulky and hard to keep. This year I suggested that we do a little memory book -- this worked out great and we will definitely tuck it into her special keepsake box to reminisce about all of the fun things we did this past summer! This year, my mother was up right before school started, so I got a cute card that we all signed (including Nana) and I tucked that into my girl's lunchbox for a fun surprise on her first day.

Tomorrow my husband and I will be taking our little one to "Meet the Teacher Day" at preschool -- slightly devastated that she is old enough to BE in preschool, but excited about all that she will learn and all the fun that she will have!

How was the first day of school for your children? Do you have any special first day of school traditions?