Back to School '08 - '09

The silence is almost deafening in our home. Except for the occasional squeak, coo, or gurgle from Shaw (o.k., he does sometimes whimper if he's hungry), the house is quiet, calm, and almost eerie. It makes me realize how loud and active of a family we are. The kids returned to school yesterday. We had a fantastic summer that kept us busy and entertained, but we're all ready for regular, structured schedules that will assure us earlier bedtimes, healthier eating habits, and fewer chances for the kids to get on each other's last nerve. When a simple discussion, between the kiddos, about the proper way to pour a bowl of cereal becomes a full blown battle that involves tears, accusations, and someone getting sent to their room, we all know the fun is over and it's time to head back to the public school system.

Brittan is now a proud 1st grader and has Miss Tueller for a teacher (he has been practicing, very carefully, the Miss not Mrs.). He came home with sheer delight yesterday telling me about how cool it was to eat school lunch. Mac-n-cheese and chocolate milk. He seemed to bypass the healthy salad and fruit bar so we'll have to work on that. He was happy that Adam was in his class and even happier when Adam invited him over to play after school. Sweet day for Britt! He did receive a minor scolding from Taiden for not staying at the designated meeting place after school. He says he'll try harder today.



Let me mention here that I am not a huge fan of licensed character t-shirts or other clothing. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with them...I just haven't ever been overly enthusiastic about them. Let's just say that I would never be caught dead in a Hannah Montana shirt! :) Anyway, I have to pat myself on the back for the fact that a) I actually bought my son a character t-shirt and b) I let him wear it on the first day of school. If he had been my first child he would have had to wear an outfit more suited, in my mind, for the first day of school. (Poor Kennedy! She was my trial and error child and had to put up with a lot.) I have, in my older and kinda wiser age, mellowed out and have eased up on the reins by quite a bit. Thank goodness! We've had this shirt since mid summer and it's been driving him nuts that he had to wait for school to wear it. He is a MAJOR Lego Star Wars fan...constantly talking about it.



Taiden, now the responsible oldest sibling at the elementary school, has Mrs. Gundry for 4th grade. He was a little nervous in the morning with first day of school jitters and for the fact that his hand was blown up like a small balloon from a wasp sting. I told him he had a good reason to have sloppy handwriting for a day or two, but after that there were no valid excuses. He was glad to see his friends again and play their traditional game of basketball at each recess.




With the start of the school year comes my boys' favorite thing...new shoes. Like their father before them, Taiden and Britt think that these special, new, clean shoes have some sort of supernatural powers that can make them run faster and somehow improve their life in general. I'll go along with the mystique of it all, but I'm just glad they were on sale. Thanks to Jeff for cluing us in that the new slang term (for what I would have called tennis shoes or what Jeff would have called runners) is "KICKS". So I heard lots of, "Mom, I love my new kicks", or "Check out these new kicks" around the house yesterday.




Kennedy made the big transition into junior high. She broke down after Jeff gave her a father's blessing the night before, and cried that she didn't think she was ready. She's as ready as they come and we have every bit of confidence that she will survive the bumpy road ahead with determination and a smile on her face. She came home relieved that the day went well and that no 9th graders tripped her on her way to lunch. According to FJH folklore, that's what happens to little sevies. She managed to get her locker undone, get to her classes on time, and meet some really cool teachers who let you bring treats to class. Oh, the joy of getting older. She did misplace her schedule and realized this minor fact as she was heading out the door. Does anyone else still have nightmares about this happening? I know I do! She was able to quickly write down her schedule from memory and have it with her in case her mind went blank.




Finally, look who I get to spend my time with each day. I couldn't be happier! I am so glad that I still have one left at home. He may get bored with just mom and lonely for the other kids these next 5 years, but I'm glad that he's here to be my little buddy and keep me company. As a side note, he seems to be going through "constant holding, kissing, and playing" withdrawal since the kids have started back in school. I do my best to give him the love and attention he needs but loading the dishwasher one handed is not an easy task.