Throwback Thursday (School Days)

My summer of Throwback Thursdays is quickly coming to an end. Next week I'll wrap up the series with a slightly different throwback-themed post: I plan to link to the piece I wrote - as a high school senior - that began me on the path to becoming a writer. And since that post will be text heavy, today's post revolves around the photos. Back-to-school photos.

I wish I had yearly back-to-school pictures of myself and my little sister, if for no other reason than to laugh at what we wore on those oh-so-important first days of school (planning for, shopping for, and assembling those first-day-of-school outfits took weeks, am I right?), but unfortunately very few exist. I do, however, still have the dress - which my mom made and I adored - that I wore on my first day of kindergarten. Here's my gal Hal, modeling it.

Hallie apparently adores my kindergarten dress as well - she put it on this
morning for the picture, and she's still wearing it now, seven hours later.

A close-up of the fabric, the pleats, and the flower buttons.

Someday I'll convince my mom to let me take all of my official school pictures out (for scanning purposes) of the framed arrangement in which they're displayed in my parents' living room. When this finally goes down - crossing my fingers for summer 2014 - I'll bring back Throwback Thursday for one final missing teeth + braces + glasses + miles of bangs extravaganza.

All of the pictures below were taken the night before or on Will and Hallie's first days of school. I hope they someday appreciate the virtual scrapbook their daddy (who for the first four years of Will's life and the first two years of Hallie's life took 90% of the responsibility for photo taking, video filming, and blog writing) and I have compiled for them. 

In 2007, "back to school" meant "tailgate with 

my parents at University of Michigan football games".

In 2008, "back to school" meant "continue going to daycare".

In 2009, Will officially started preschool and Hallie 

continued "supervising" her fellow babies at daycare.

In 2010, Will attended his second year of preschool and Hallie, well, 

Hallie convinced her Daddy to let her wear her swimming suit tutu to daycare.

(Back then, Tom was responsible for getting the kids out the door in the morning.)

In 2011, Will started his final year and Hallie started her first year of preschool.

And lastly, in 2012, Will started kindergarten and 

Hallie embarked on her second year of preschool.

I can't wait to add to this series in just over a week - 1st grade and preschool (again), here we come!