First Day of School

Tuesday, September 8th was our first day of the 2015/2016 school year!

Noelle is in 4th grade this year!  She is growing gracefully into a kind young lady.  Tween attitude is just beginning to creep in, but her kindness is her strongest trait.  She is also a very responsible child.  Over the summer I began to leave her home alone (no siblings stayed with her) for longer stretches of time.  She loves it!  I leave her a small list of things to do to keep her busy.  Noelle helps around the house with every chore and goes above and beyond what I ask her to do almost every time.

This year she will be in Mrs. Ayre's 4th grade class.  Already, after two weeks of school she is enjoying a good portion of school, and has a great attitude about going each day.  She does still ask to be home schooled, but that topic is something we are not touching...yet.  She needs the interaction of friends!  She is a bit of a loner, but I see her breaking out of her shell a lot over the past year.  Taking initiative is starting to come easier.

She is amazing.

Max has entered 2nd grade this year.  His teacher is Mrs. McCallum.  Noelle had a different second grade teacher, so we're all in for some changes this year!  Max is, well, Max.  He will always be my child that pushes each and every button available, yet has the biggest heart and can be sweet beyond words.  Mornings have been his strongest period of the day.  He is getting up and completing all his morning tasks with very minimal complaints and helping out Violette without me asking.  He will jump on my lap and ask to be snuggled before heading out to the bus.  After school has been a bit of a battle.  Max wants to just play, play, and play.  The evening tasks, such a chores, homework, and reading are rarely completed without a scream fest.  He'll get back into the grove, it's just taking him a little longer.  

I do miss him though.  I miss the way he always wants to be outside playing hardcore.  Hitting balls, playing basketball, hitting jumps on his bike, and basically doing every "boy" thing that their is to do. 

He is amazing. 

Sweet little Violette is now in 1st grade.  She does not have the same teacher that Noelle and Max had, but a new one, Mrs. Piper.  She was very apprehensive the days leading up to school.  Frequently, she would come up to me and ask to go snuggle in bed together.  Once curled up together, her arms gripping my neck, she would start to cry.  I hugged her closely and she would tell me how she didn't want to go to school because she would miss me too much.  Yep, a complete heart melting moment.  School has been great for her though, she goes in with a smile and comes home with that angelic smile still planted on her face! 

She is amazing.  

We had plenty of time that first day of school to play outside before the bus came:

Zane had fun waiting outside too:

So far it's been a good beginning to the school year.

Zane also started Thursday School on September 10th.  He was very excited and loves going! There were no nerves present, in fact, he wanted to leave so early, we had time to grab breakfast and visit the park!  

The days are much different with the three older ones gone.  This is it for me.  This year is the last one that I will have one of my babies home.  Zane and I will be taking advantage of that.  Going on adventures, lots of snuggles, lots of just me and him.  It's too hard to imagine him at Kindergarten next year, so I am not.  Noelle will attend the middle school as well.  Yep, those forward thinking thoughts are being shoved way down.  Suppression is going to be the theme of this year, ha!  

They are all pretty amazing children.  I yell.  They yell. We disagree.  They push boundaries and buttons.  I push back.  Nothing is perfect, but everyday is a blessing.  

It's funny I just typed that.  It kind of came out of nowhere.  The days have actually been very difficult lately.  I cry.  A lot.  I miss them, then once they are home they drive me up the wall.  My house is constantly a disaster and I can't find the motivation to get it cleaned.  I have this inner desire to do so much decorating and crafting, but I can't find the drive. 

Once I finally sit down to blog about the first day of school I end up finding myself typing the aforementioned comment that everyday is a blessing.  I guess it's a sign.  I need to let go of the little things, focus on the good, and appreciate what I have, daily.  

Going, Going, Gone

The temperature seems to be soaring, but the summer is fading fast.  The darkness is creeping in quicker, capturing the last whispers of the day, proving that Fall is just around the corner.  So many mixed emotions are stirring inside.  Sadness that my babies are entering the next grade.  Joy that I finally get a break as this summer had many overwhelming Momma Meltdowns.  Anxiety, worrying about how they will adjust to their new grade and the new changes around here.

Each and every feeling a mother goes through spans the emotional spectrum.  The best we can do, is love them, listen to them, teach them, and lead by example.

We are about to go through a bit of change around here.  Tom will be handling a new project out of town.  This will mean I will be husbandless during the week for awhile.  Awhile, meaning well over a year.  Lots of discussion went into this decision.  Lots of sleepless nights, late conversations, and tears.  Ultimately, we decided it was a good career move and something we could handle.

My Dad was gone during the week when I was growing up and I thought about that a lot while deciding if this was right for our family.  You know what struck out the most?  It didn't affect me at all.  I remember him being gone, but I remember the time spent on the weekends more.  I remember the quality of the time we did have together.  Looking back it wasn't that big of a deal that he was gone during the week because when he was home, he was 100% present and 100% engaged with us. Streaming through childhood memories, I was not lacking on affection or attention and I barely recognize my Dad's absence.  Quality vs. quantity, my Mom mentioned to me, and she's right.

This is not an immediate change, but it is predicted to fully take affect in October.  I consider it a blessing to be able to fully get into the swing of the 2015/2016 school year before this new way of life becomes our new norm. 

Noelle will enter her last year of elementary school, in 4th grade.  Max will become 2nd grader, and Violette will be a 1st grader.  Zane will once again, do Thursday School.  Next year he will enter Kindergarten.  

Already, I have been thrown a few curve balls.  Teacher assignments were not what I expected and not what I necessarily wanted, but I have ceased the crying and am ready to accept this new adventure.  My teeth are grinding and snarky comments are flying through my head at a rapid pace, but my face will exude excitement and a smile will be planted.  My apprehension and annoyance at the situation will not show to the children, at least that is what I'm working on.  

The countdown to school is basically ignored.  They are all in denial.  Mornings have been slow and easy, without much of a plan.  They wake, relax, chose breakfast slowly, play, then eventually get dressed.  I am letting them soak up the ease of a summer schedule.  Why rush the inevitable?  It will come, and they will swing into their school schedule without too many complaints.  Bedtime has stayed consistent all summer, so that will not be a problem.  

For now we play, play, and play some more.  The sun is out, the temperature up.  There will come a day when play is something they have forgotten how to do.  The thousands of Lego's will be ignored.  The action figures will sit, unmoved, in the drawers.  The Barbie's will never find clothes and lay in the bin, naked.  I will miss yelling at them to pick up the toys.  I will miss sitting in the next room listening to their voices create voices and pretend games.  I will miss the time where all the bandages are gone, as another animal underwent a life saving operation.  I will miss it.  So, I am letting them play these last days.  I am choosing not to jam a bunch of last minute summer fun.  They are creating their own fun.  The blank patio/deck space has become a large hole littered with dump trucks and shovels and every child that comes over is drawn to that hole.  It gets bigger and deeper and their smile grow larger and the laughs louder.  I'm letting them go.

Pictures have nothing to do with this post, just things we have done over the past month, visiting good friends, the Feyes', a impromptu Zoo trip, and more swimming lessons.