Firsts

 

I was the first one gone this morning. 

I got to school early and was ready for all the craziness of the first morning at my school. 

That was a first.

But I missed dropping a kid off a school.

Because now they go the same High School. 

Just one year of togetherness. 

One year of Katie driving her to school (and some friends that tagged along). 

I texted Katie to see if she had seen Kellie during the day.  The answer, "yea, I had lunch with her".  It made me tear up. 

A year of them in the same school for some reason makes my heart happy. 

They fuss about the "first day of schoool" picture every year but I made them promise to let dad take one.  I can't believe they even smiled.

 

 

 

When I asked Kellie if she was excited or scared she said "NO... it's just another day of school" and when I asked Katie if she was excited it's her senior year she said "NO...I'm just ready for it to be over..."

Well, I was scared and excited for them.  And as I could have predicted, Kellie had "just another day at school".  She is so easy going it was just no big deal to her.  And Katie called me as soon as she got out to talk a little more about where she wants to go to college.   She is really ready for it to be over.


A first day of high school and a first day of the last year of high school.
 I think I'm really not that crazy about either of those.
It's going too fast.
That thought or sentence is really NOT a first...
But it sure is fun.

Can a full moon last 2 weeks?

After all these years of working in a school I am still surprised by a few things...

• How crazy the first week or two is... and not only in a busy way but in a "is it a full moon" kind of way...
• How many parents want you to do more than whats expected for their child but they won't get the papers, shots, dr's orders etc. that we need at the school...
• How many parents get a new cell phone number almost weekly
• How little the new Kindergarteners are.
• How many kids can share their germs the first week of school.
• How many kids can share their germs with my own kids the first week of school...
• That my kid can still get strep the first week of school even after having the tonsils out a year or two ago...
• That I can get pink eye if a kid in a 10 mile radius has it...
• That now 2 weeks into it I have the sore throat...we will be keeping the clinic in business this year it seems...
• Did I mention how "full moon-ish" it has been???

That's just a few of the observations two weeks into the year...

Another observation (that I should probably not be saying out loud yet) of the last few weeks is that my girls seem to treating each other a little better... not as much fighting... more talking to each other, watching t.v. together, tolerating each other just a little more, less hitting, less screaming, wanting to be with each others friends when they are over.  As we speak they are in the kitchen talking about school and teachers...see even at home it's freakishly full moonish!
I pray this is a trend of things to come and not just a quiet spell!

Well, I'm off to make a year's worth of spices with a friend's ladies group from her church...
Call me if you need taco seasoning or season salt and other assorted spices or have any explanation for the crazy at my house or school...

Day one... how many more?

The first day of school...
One 7th grader and one 10th grader... and the first thing I noticed is that they seem to get harder to wake up every year!
I left before everyone else and asked Mike to take a picture...

I meant with the camera but the picture off his phone is all I got...

I loved looking at facebook this afternoon at all the back to school pics of friends kids.

It seems that my school year may look a little a diffent this year... it started off crazy...
I won't go into details but by 9 I felt like I had done a weeks worth of nursing!
I'm praying it calms down for day #2...

How many school open houses should I have to go to?

I still am wondering where the summer went...

I am back at work and it seems that first week back is always crazy...

Three open houses, school clothes and supplies shopping, church meetings, a lot of fast food meals later....I'm ready for all of us to get back in the routine on Monday...

But today, I'm just glad it's Friday!  Katie is at her musical, Mike and I went to dinner and I'm spending some quality time with a magazine, the dog beside me and the t.v. for the first time in ages!

Here is the one creative change I've done at my school office...

The banner says 'blessed'... it didn't show up good in the picture.

As busy as we've been and as crazy as life has seemed the last few weeks, I am constantly reminded of how blessed I am...

tired... but very blessed!

Cell phones, it's like having an intercom...

Well, we are off and running in the school area. Kellie has decided 5th grade is do-able and the large number of school supplies weren't an indicator of the difficulty of this year. I've really never seen school supplies upset someone so!
Katie was up the first day of school before me! She was curling her hair. The high dollar straightener wasn't enough for her, she recently discovered the curling iron....next thing I know she'll be asking for Hot Rollers and Auqa Net and it will be my high school days all over again.
Eighth grade seems to be all about looking cute... oh, I remember those days. She is even liking all her classes. Tonight at dinner she asked me about an algebra question... I quickly told her that algebra makes me a little queasy, she needed to wait for dad for that conversation.

A few months ago Mike got a Blackberry from his company and since his phone still had a contract on it, we let Kellie take. This was completely going against my theory that she did not need one...but now that she has one she wanted new one. One her Dad hadn't worn out. It was the only thing she asked for this year for her birthday. We went today and she got a new phone.

She has been quite since we got it... she is trying out all the game demo's, texting the few phone numbers in her phone and playing all the ring tones over and over trying to decide on one.
I just realized that I like the girls having phones. I just called each of them in their room to tell them to finish up homework and get in the shower...

Back to school...

Well, I've been back at work for a few days now. I really love my job and I know how fortunate I am to have a great job that I love and that lets me be off when the girls are off.

I never dread going back to work. I don't mind it at all. Now, I really hate to give up the summer life and all the days off but I still don't mind going back...

I've spent the last few days in meetings and every year it makes me wonder, why? Why do some people have to ask a million questions, some that have already been answered, why do they make unnecessary comments while speakers are presenting? I think they should be limited to a certain number of comments per week. And if it's a personal comment about something someone in your family has or did, it will take away all of your comments for the week. I'm happy to police this at meetings...

Friday, while listening to a speaker talk about high school, I realized that after this year Katie will be in high school and I will only have her for 4 more years. I teared up. I have no idea what she talked about the rest of the time....

4 years, I can't even think about it without feeling sick.

I know I talk about feeling like time is flying and my kids are getting too big but really, I just can't tell you how fast I feel it is going. Then that makes me feel old, then I get sad... it's crazy.

Oh, but just then, as I sit sobbing worrying about my babies leaving me, I hear a fight in the hall where the girls are about to kill each other over a shirt and I think, ok, maybe it won't be bad when they are gone. NO, NO, NO, not really. Then I'm just here with Mike....ahhhh...

Speaking of tearing up, watch the video linked below about the mission trip Jennifer just returned from...It makes me so thankful for what we have, what my children have. It makes me want to go get all of these children.

Really, watch it....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWUU_1ymhmU

and we all survived

Last night there was much girly stress at our house. We talked and talked and talked about the worries of the first day of school. Both girls had to sleep in my room, I'm not sure how this helped the stress but what ever works...
We got up early and had breakfast together and prayed together before we started our school day. Now the first day of school has come and gone and everyone survived. I had a very quiet, uneventful first day. Hope that the second day goes as well!
The big girl had a great first day. Had friends in her classes, wasn't late to school which is her constant worry for some reason (she has never been late), and she came home with a 'boyfriend'. I liked it better when we just came home on the first day with a new friend instead of a BOYfriend!!! I'm glad I heard all about the day before the new boyfriend started texting her...we may never see her again...
The little girl even survived. She liked her teacher "but not as good as Mrs. ________" I guess last years teacher will never be topped! She let them bring drinks into class in the morning and call their parents if they wanted to make a play date...
She has even asked if she could ride the bus in the morning...yesterday crying, not wanting to ride the bus, today asking if she can... go figure...
I'm glad they had a good day but I am still sad that they started 4th and 7th grade, I just don't know how they got this big!!!!

School starts Mon., ready or not

Today the Home Sanctuary post was written just for me I think. I didn't realize it but I really needed someone to send me an email to remind me to take a deep breath. To remind me that "He has guided you, picked you up when you've fallen and sent you angels in disguise when you've needed them." I needed to hear: Psalm 32:8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.

I read this at the end of a long week, a long day at the school, a day of feeling very much like the new person at my job, and a day of having several stresses constantly on my mind. It was amazing, I read this and felt a weight lift. I said no to an invitation we had for tonight and decided we needed a family night. I took her advice and took 10+ min. out and relaxed and spent it focusing on God. What a difference a few minutes can make in your attitude.

Just last night I discussed really letting God handle our worries with the little girl, funny how quickly I forgot it today.

The little girl is very nervous about 4th grade. Usually she is so easy going but since open house she has been so worried about not having friends and riding the bus. She will rarely have to ride the bus to school but ride home almost every day, but she is only worried about riding it to school. I'm not sure why the ride to school would be more stressful but for whatever reason it makes her cry to think about it. I have tried to talk her into transferring to my school so there would be no bus riding but she doesn't want to change schools again and I can't blame her...other than her worrying I think we are almost ready...58 trips to Walmart and various stores later I think the girls are set...we have every possible school supply, the new outfits are picked out, no one is riding the bus the first day and everyone has a lunch request to be packed...

I think I've done the most I can do to be prepared for a new year at a new school. The new office is decorated and organized. Guess Mon. will tell....