This will have to do as a first day of school photo this year; though it was not actually taken on the first day.  By the middle of the second week of school, The Dormouse had had approximately nine hours of actual instruction (and let's all remember that the first day is pretty much a throwaway anyhow).  Her school was closed to assess earthquake damage halfway through the second day.  On Friday afternoon at about 5:00 pm, the school was cleared to open on Monday with only cosmetic damage to one of the buildings.  But then Irene had other thoughts about that and the school was without power at the beginning of the second week along with the rest of us.  She was finally able to go back yesterday, but before that I had started to joke that if she had to come to work with me one more time, they'd have to start paying her.  She started to wonder aloud whether THE MAN even wanted her to go back to school.
 

The Caterpillar appears ready to go to school as well, with a backpack full of supplies she packed herself.  Sadly, she's not going to kindergarten for at least another year.  So her little people toys, straws, one extra shoe, umbrella and the tomatillo she stole off the counter for her "lunch" will have to go unused.

It's hard to be the little one.