First

 Ella's first day of 3rd grade was on Thursday, August 16.

 I took the morning off of work so I could walk Ella to school and say hello to her teacher, Mrs. Zamarripa. (That's a Basque/Northern Spain last name. I'm a librarian. I had to look it up.) When given the choice of where to sit, Ella chose the desk in the front row center, naturally.

This is Ella walking to school wearing her "Agent P" backpack. For those of you who don't have elementary school-aged children, he is from the TV show Phineas and Ferb on the Disney Channel.

 The obligatory annual photo of Ella in front of the Russell Blvd. Elementary School sign. I'm so glad she still gets so excited about school. I know that this will eventually wear off, but for now, I'm enjoying her enthusiasm while it lasts, even if a big percentage of that enthusiasm is for some boy named Jonathan, for whom she pined all summer. (He likes Star Wars. And climbing stuff. They are a good match.)

Go, Ella, go! And a big thanks to Terry "Pop" Thompson and Grandmother Linda who took care of all of us during the days leading up to Ella's first day of school. They did art, rehung and filled the bird feeder, replaced burnt-out light bulbs and broken things, and generally made the house a more pleasant place to be.

We really are rich in family, particularly grandparents! Thanks for your love and support of our sweet girls!