Back to School 2012 or Rexburg LOVES its kids!!

Back to school is a huge deal around here.  I can't help but feel emotional about just how much the youth are loved by this great little city!  The kids went to school in Madison County for the first time today.  Our morning started with a "bus stop breakfast" hosted by some neighbors who have been doing this for years.  Everyone brings there favorite breakfast item and everyone eats, buffet style!  It was a neat experience, EVERYONE was there, even people from outside the neighborhood came to help celebrate the first day of school!  We then piled the little people into the car and off we went. First to Adams elementary to drop off Joseph and then to the middle school for Annalina.  We got to meet both teachers and neither child was crying when we left, so it was a good morning.  A neat thing the city does is to park ambulances with their lights going at the entrance to each grade school with a police officer reminding people to drive safely! 

The back to school celebration really started yesterday.  The city of Rexburg hosts a big FREE party at Porter Park called "celebrate youth".  They had booths set up with free books and back packs for the kiddos.  Tons of game and prizes, lots of bouncy structures, a rock climbing wall, free ice cream, cotton candy and popcorn and they even served dinner.  The kids had a great time collecting goodies and playing games.  When we needed some down time, we went to the splash park in the back corner of the park and the kids got wet while Jacob and I had our fill of popcorn!  After dinner there was a raffle for tons of cool prizes, even a 3DS and a XBOX Kinnect.  There was a fire truck with its ladder extended all the way spraying water on the big open field. Tons of little people had fun playing in the "rain".  It was a fun but exhausting day!  Maybe they do it so the kids won't have trouble sleeping!  Maybe they do it because our kids are important to them as well!