Bennett's Year of School

 Bennett finished school for the year last week (but he doesn't quite know that yet).

I love that he sat so still with his hands in his lap on the first day of school and the last.

 Who is this calm and quiet kid?

Orelia was home sick from school on Bennett's last day, so she was able to perch on the porch with him and pose for some photos.

 I have always found the best way to get sibling photos is to want to only take photos of ONE child, and then the other will surely appear all eager and willing to take some shots.

 Bennett likes to BE a truck these days, instead of just playing with them.  Here he is pretending to be an excavator outside of school.

I worked in his class on the second to last day of school, so I also took some photos that day (because we all know it isn't a given a child will want to take photos on any given day).

Here is Bennett on his last day of school last year posing in front of the same ferns.

 He is definitely my more willing photo subject (of the two kids).  He gets a bit reserved in his body language, and gives the sweetest smiles (while his sister is more likely to explode into a jump and spin and give me a goofy face).

 Bennett's love of trucks at school has not wavered.  He always noticed when a "new" truck appeared, and that became the favorite toy for at least a week.

He and his best bud often hid under the slides with a stockpile of trucks, and he would happily wave at me to go away (until of course he desperately needed my help for something).

 At Bennett's second school his love of trucks was a constant, though it was often with a bit more imaginative play.  Here he is as a firefighter on the first day of school.

And I happened to work in the class on the "red" themed day where the teachers set out pretend firetrucks complete with hoses, much to Bennett's delight.

 Bennett doesn't need a lot of friends, but he is very loyal to the ones he loves.

 First he is drawn to the boys who share his love of trucks and all things transportation. 

 He is also drawn to the more mature, verbal girls in his class whom he could do puzzles with or marbles.  They cold sit quietly together on their activities and never have a moment of dispute, and that always seemed to bring Bennett a sense of calm.

 He absolutely loves to be silly with his other friends, though, that bring out a funnier and more active side of him.

He and Orelia were separated by a fence on the two days a week they were on the same campus.  They didn't always see each other, but when they did, it was a fun two minute interlude for them to connect.

 Bennett will probably be a bit confused this upcoming week when he isn't at school for his three favorite days, but hopefully he will enjoy some warm weather outside at parks.

He will be going to both of his schools again next year, and he will be up to five mornings of school per week. 

 I think he will love going five mornings since that will be what his sister is doing and has been what he has wanted all year.

It's so funny to see his personality show in the school setting and to see the way he is perceived by others.  Because he is a September birthday, he is one of the oldest in class, which makes rules inherently easier for him to follow.  He's always known for being a big eater at snack time and one to give a loud laugh if the story being read is a silly one.

 I always stress about him at school since he can occasionally get aggressive and push or hit when upset, but most people never really noticed that side of him and saw him as a fun, talkative, truck-loving boy who had little interest in art or play doh tables and lots of interest in books and blocks and vehicles. 

I am so glad Bennett loves school and has such a great year in two wonderful preschool programs.