That First School Day

It sure was a big day. Big enough for Grandma and Grandma to traverse the length of the country to be with us!

Which made it an even bigger blast...

...even though the weather wasn't all that festive in the beginning.

Nonetheless it was quite grand, all the new first classers assembled under large banners of the class numbers with lots of parents and grand parents looking on.

Karl, who had been secretly nervous for a while was really thrilled to find out that two of his best buddies - Tom (to his left) and Oliver (to his right) - are in his class.

When you're a big boy in school now being really excited of course means being really cool about it. Bye now early childhood and cuddly attachment to mom and dad! At least that's how we read that nonchalant gesture of telling us to cool it down there in the audience.

Parents were briefly allowed into the class room. Karl's teacher Miss Koyer (the lady in the white sweater and colorful scarf to the right) seems very sweet and competent and he said he really likes her.

She seemed to hit the right notes. Big smiles after school.

And more grandparental attention.

Then of course came the second important part of the day - the emptying of the Schultüte. That's a kind of paper mache cornucopia that Karl made himself, filled with sweets and little presents (like a pistol shaped ruler and a pair of goalie gloves - how cool is that?!).

And finally - lunch with mom and dad and grandma and two grandpas, including a cocktail. Because it's not a party if there aren't cocktails!

PS: Second school day update - still fun and exciting!