lilod, Love it!! Would you explain a little more in detail about the packages they are each carrying? Were you able to get these pics out with you when you came to America or got them some other way?

As one who adopted a large, untrained dog I applaud you for doing the right thing with respect to training. Had we adopted Rex as a puppy we'd have been "in class" too. The window of opportunity with puppies is fleeting and to capitalize on it is wise, indeed! For us, it's been a struggle. A "jumbo" dog with a puppy's need to play is too often mistaken for a rogue, out of control, intact dog. Keep it up! Obedience work is the best way to socialize your dog. (what a face for ice cream!).

I taught kindergarten for 22 years and the first day of school was as unnerving for the teachers as it was for the kids! Well, maybe not as bad but I could never sleep the night before. If anyone has a child who is anxious about leaving Mommy - a great story to read with them is The Kissing Hand. I think the author is Audrey Penn - at least Penn is the last name. After I retired, I would go back to do the Parent Breakfast (timed right after school started so that it would get the parents out of the classroom) and I would always read it to the parents. Tissues would always be passed around as grown men cried! Then we would do the Tooty Ta, an embarrasing song with motions, to lightened things up. Now I am having to sit at home as my 3 year old Grandson goes off to Preschool for the first time on Friday. I would love to tag along to see how it goes but I won't interfer with DIL and DS's moment. He has never had to go to daycare or a sitters other than his Oma (DIL's mom) and Nana's (me).DIL has taken him to playgroups, kindermusic, gymnastics etc so he has been under someone else's directions but mom has always been in sight. Will see how it goes. Just as bad was taking our son off to college. DH didn't talk to me 2/3rds of the way back. Each time I would try to say something, he would raise his hand as if to say "STOP." The first words out of his mouth when he could compose himself were, "It will never be the same!" He was right.

I'm not sure it was my first day of school but it was definitely one of the first days of kindergarten. My cousin has just moved to my town and we were fast friends. We ruled the kindergarten classroom because we were the only ones that knew someone. Our mom's had to have the teachers put us in different classrooms after kindergarten because we wouldn't let anyone else play with us and we were very bossy. I'm not sure my mom did the right thing on that one. Both of us were very shy after that and didn't make friends easily until much later in school. My DH remembers his first days vividly. His mom walked him and his twin brother to school and they both followed her back home. They didn't want to stay there. This went on for several days and she'd walk them both back to school only to get home and find them back at home. Finally one day when they showed up yet again at home, she put them outside (it was a cold day) and wouldn't let them back in. They finally got cold and walked to school and stayed the rest of the time. I think that is the funniest thing ever. I can just imagine getting home after taking the little rascals to school only to find that they'd beat her home. Today they'd probably call social services or something.