School starts early here in Hawaii

That's right! It really is paradise.....

No seriously, school started this week and I for one am excited about it. (The kids, not so much...)

This year I've got five kids in school every day at four different schools. This is super great while they are all gone, but not a great when it's time to drop them all off (at the same time) and pick them all up (at different times.)

I envision spending a lot of time in the car again this year.

Why are they not riding the school bus, (photo from wikipedia) you may ask? Well, I admit that was my plan.

I even paid for the bus to pick up my oldest two daughters. (Yes, in Hawaii you have to PAY for the school bus. Paradise ain't cheap, folks!)

But...due to contsruction in my neighborhood, the bus can't get up the hill, and the stop has been moved to like a mile from my house.

Yes, I found that out AFTER I had paid. Grrrr....

Anyways, since all my facebook friends were posting First Day of School photos of their smiling offspring, I made my older three kids line up outside with their backpacks and take a picture.

Apparently they didn't get the memo about the SMILING part.

But we did get a nice picture when preschool started a few days later. The twins were excited about school starting.

As my older kids say, "Of COURSE they like school! In preschool all they do is color and play outside!" Then they predict darkly, "They'll figure it out later."

But who is happiest about the first day of school?

THIS GIRL!!!