She's Baaaaaaack...to School, That Is

I'm pairing this Back to (Pre)School post with Kimba's DIY party over at A Soft Place to Land.

Natalie, my 3 1/2 year old, headed back to preschool on Monday morning. She started two days a week last year, and it was the best thing either of us has ever done, so she'll be joining the Young 4s class two days a week this Fall.

I've been counting the minutes this past month.

It was a long, hot summer, people. Except there was no Paul Newman.

When I wasn't counting the minutes, I searched Natalie's closet for a cute back to school outfit that wouldn't scorch the poor child in this late summer Virginia heat. I found a cute short sleeved, light-weight corduroy dress in brown, but there were no off-white socks to be found in the 'Burg. I settled on bright pink socks ('cause I love how it looks with brown!), and decided that she would certainly need a matching hair accessory.

I raided my growing stash of ribbon and found an adorable bear made of ribbon that I bought in a package of 2 at JoAnn fabric.

Doesn't he look cute perched on those pink and brown bows?

I am not pleased with the way the actual bows turned out (I have a HARD time figuring out how to fashion a good bow from looking at printed directions and pictures on paper), but I love the bear and the way he pops out from the pink ribbon.

To start, I just hot glued some thin brown ribbon to the outside of an alligator clip. To see how to line one so it doesn't slip, click here.

After tying the brown and pink bows together with some thin floral wire, I hot glued them to the alligator clip and then hot glued Mr. Bear to the top of those. Easy peasy.

Not professional looking by any means, but cute enough. I was in a pinch to find something to work with the pink socks.

Here are some more back to (pre)school photos.
"When are you going to school so I can stay here and play with all of your toys?"

I like this one!

Had to get a shot outside the school with her good friend, B. They were so excited to see each other! B's mom and I planned to take the kids to Burger King for lunch, but only if they were good girls at school.

I can't tell if this look says "I'm so excited for school to start" OR "wait til they see what sort of havoc I can wreak on this classroom in five minutes flat."

Little sissy wanted a photo shoot outside the school too. I was only too happy to oblige. (Then she threw a fit because I wouldn't let her go in the church's side door)

I like this one too.

Natalie and one of her teachers, Miss A, outside the classroom door. Miss B was inside corralling all the other kids.

She got an A+ for her first day. No complaints from anyone, and she keeps saying "I love school."

So do I...so do I.

This would be me if I was a man in the 1990s:

(I remember seeing this commercial when it first came out and thinking it was pretty funny. Now that I have children of my own, I totally get it!)

FYI:
If you didn't have a chance to stop by the first two times, this is a party for bloggers to link up with any challenges they have in or around their homes (decorating, crafts, organizing, gardening, construction). Your dilemma can be anything from "Help! My son drew on my walls in permanent marker and I don't know how to cover it up" to "What color should I paint my coffee table?" I also love it when people have great solutions to share. This party is all about being real and helping out our bloggy friends. We're going to have a blast. Anyone planning on coming?

You can click here and here to see the entries from the last two parties. Hope to see you there!