First Day of School

Here we are again...first day of school.  I was so excited for school to start.  I'm not one of those "kids are off to school and I'm going to cry" type moms.  I dare not say how happy I am to have them back in school...someone might get mad at me! 

My one complaint about school time is the bedtime homework surprises.  And three of my four kids have me stumped in math.  Hallelujah for my math/science/chemistry degree'd husband!  Best part...I have my mornings alone again.

And I Loooove it!!  But Willie doesn't know what to do with himself.  He spends all morning looking out the window waiting for the kids and barking at joggers and bikers.  

This year the kids are divided up into 3 different schools, two different times and two different car pools.  Thank heavens for wonderful neighbors who split the driving with me.  I seem to be in the same boat as a lot of my neighbors.

Jay had his first week of high school.  HIGH SCHOOL!  I remember my first day of high school and here is my son.  There.  Can't believe it.  He could ask a girl to the homecoming dance if he wanted to! (you wouldn't do that to me yet, would you Jay?? and he'd have to have me or Will drive, but....)  FREAKING OUT!

Jay had his first football game last Thursday.  He did great...the team won the game 33 to zip, and of course it rained.  And the wind blew.  Of course.  I took some pics but then looked at my lens which was covered in rain drops so who knows how they turned out.  Jay's days are go-go-go.  Leaves at 7:25 am, has practice right after school until I pick him up at 7:00pm.

The stink of football seems to be ever present in my life.  The literal stink.  peeeeeyeeeeww!

Lauren started Jr. High!  There's no middle school any more like there was when I was her age.  Some kids just need that transition between elementary and Jr. High...Lauren is one of them, I think.  She's done well so far and I think that at this time in her (any girls, for that matter) life, she will change and mature so fast that I won't even remember how anxious I was for her to be going to Jr. High, and I'll be wishing for that who-cares-if-I-wear-makeup-today girl again!

She was really nervous about school after we went to back to school night.  She was almost in tears when she read that she had Spanish.  That lasted until after the first day and all last week I've been listening to her say spanish words and she's been quizzing me on what they mean.  She loves it.

Stay tuned to see if that changes...could happen.

Lauren's getting more and more beautiful every day!

Katie Jane is running with the big fish now at the Jr. High.  She's the expert 9th grader.  Her last year in Jr. High...I'll have 2 kids in high school next year!  

Dog-gonit, Jay better be watching her like a hawk for me next year!

We talked her into taking dance instead of cooking...I wish I could join in her dance class!  Old mom alert!!!  I'm so excited for her.  I wish she was excited for herself.  

Emma.  My little 3rd grader.  We get an extra hour to hang out after all the other kids leave.  She walks to school by herself, because she wants to, and walks home by herself too.

No big deal.  She's little miss independent.  

I still scout out the play ground when I drive by the school so that if I see her I can honk and wave.  I think she's still young enough that she'd wave back, but I'm not sure!

Emma's learning cursive, and writes her name beautifully after only one week of school.  She has used about 30 pieces of paper practicing her name and any other name she can think of.  Emma is a fun name to write in cursive...if you can remember to give both 'm's' 3 bumps instead of 2.  I never have liked the cursive 'J'...'E' is so much prettier to write.

And I think both Lauren and Emma were more concerned with what decorations they were going to put in their lockers, than what school supplies they needed!  I've had to say no to many, many things...but I conceded and let Emma take a stuffed lizard.  Better there or stolen than lying around my house anyway!

I measured the kids yesterday on our height door, and they all grew almost an inch, EACH, since July 18th, on Jay's birthday when I measured them last.  (Um, that's 6'4" for Jay!)

No wonder none of their school clothes fit anymore.  If anyone needs any school clothes, I have a stack of awesome clothes by my door...waiting for a good home, or for DI.

I wonder what's for school lunch tomorrow?