1st Day of School

Another school has arrived and we have all had mixed feelings about it.  Brianna couldn't wait to start and counted down the days.  Ryan was pretty impartial about the whole thing.  And Alyssa has been dreading it.  I think it was more nervousness than anything and she will come to realize that she will enjoy High School a lot more than Jr. High.

I barely had time to take a picture of Alyssa this morning.  In her typical teenage style she slept in as long as possible and barely cracked a smile let alone made it to the bus stop on time.

 The new Freshman:  Alyssa, Makayla and Sadie.  They were a little dismayed that their mothers insisted on pictures now that they are High Schoolers.  But it is tradition after all.

Yes Ryan is a grown-up 6th grader.  Such a handsome and good kid.  Mrs. Gurr is lucky to have him this year.

This was Ryan's favorite part about starting school.  His new shoes.  He is now in men sizes so the sticker shock hit hard but he was thrilled with his purchase.  He is just like his dad when it comes to cool running shoes.

Brianna hasn't been feeling well these last few days.  She was so worried that she wouldn't make it to the first day of school.  But she put on her brave face, said a prayer and was on her way to the 2nd grade.

Too bad I don't have a picture of the 3 of them together.  Like I said,  Alyssa does her own thing now.

Here is looking ahead to a fabulous school year!!

Another School Year

Well "it" happened.  Yep, no matter how much I fought, it still came.  No matter that I did everything in my power to make time stand still, the day arrived.  Even though I crammed every possible moment with things to do, the inevitable happened. . . .

The first day of school!

Normally this is a cause for celebration.  Usually at this point in the year, moms are counting down to the time when they can have that wonderful peace and freedom that school affords.  Kids are anxiously assembling their school supplies and dreaming of recess, friends and even learning.  But this year, it just came way too fast.

I don't know why I have been dreading the end of summer.  Maybe it is loss of carefree days of sleeping in, playing and reading in the sun, having no set schedule and hours of conversations with my kids.  Maybe it is the thought of colder days to come.  Maybe it the frantic pace of carpools, soccer games, early morning scripture study, homework, chores, and school functions.  Perhaps it is the knowledge that someone else now has more time in influencing my children's lives each and every day.  Who knows.  I even wonder if deep down inside,  the fact that my youngest child is gone for the whole day makes me a little melancholy.

I find myself in a weird position.  It doesn't feel like that long ago when I dreamed of having just an hour to myself.  When I was in the thick of diapers, nap times, car seats, tantrums and all that comes with it.  The idea of doing errands by myself seemed so elusive and yet enticing.  And here I am at the other end, with a quiet house and endless possibilities.  I realize that once again I must reinvent myself as a mother of all school children.

Don't get me wrong.  I am excited in many ways.  I have 13 years of projects to catch up on.  I hope to even have a completely clean and organized house at some point.  There is a list a mile long of things to do.  I am sure I can keep myself busy.  I just hope that I feel that all my productivity is meaningful.

Needless to say, the kids went to school whether they were ready or not.  Brianna was thrilled.  She has been counting down the days,  She loves to learn and couldn't wait to be a 1st grader.  Ryan was okay with going back.  He had an activity in the summer with his teacher and I think it got him a little excited for the fun things ahead.

Alyssa has been dreading it.  Well at least she acts like it.  Deep down I know that she truly enjoys school and couldn't wait to get back to see her friends.  She is 13 after all and has to act like it is uncool.

So I got some neat pictures to start the day.  My children have grown so much and I am so proud of them.  I wouldn't trade them if I could (now you know I am being a little nostalgic :)  Anyway I love them and I hope their day is as wonderful as mine.  (Roger took me to breakfast and then I got a pedicure).

Last Day of School

Today was the last day of school.  The kids were excited, a little sad and a little unsure of how to kick of the fun.  So I decided it would be great to go and do a photo shoot at an old abandoned house.  I have been wanting to take them there for awhile but just haven't been able to find the time.

Well the kids were thrilled to go (not really) and I had to bribe them.  We first went to Applebees for lunch and had an enjoyable time reminiscing about the year.  Then it was off to take the pictures.  Of course, they still weren't thrilled, but after an offered bribe of shakes from JCWs they complied.

I was pretty pleased with the outcome of the photos in spite of the terrible, windy, cloudy weather and mismatched clothes.  The kids don't realize how lucky they are to be able to have such nice quality photos (if I do say so myself).  Maybe someday they will appreciate it.  I have really started to master my camera and maximize the many options that is has available to use.  Plus I received some good help and tips from Katie Price, a lady in our ward, that takes excellent photos.  I am feeling pretty good about my skills.  Now if I could just have willing models :)

Anyway, it was a nice day and the kids loved their huge shakes.  Afterwards we went and visited Grandpa's new kitten which is so exciting in their opinion. 

I enjoyed this day with my children and I hope that it is a glimpse of things to come this summer.  I anticipate having a lot of fun going to new places and doing fun and creative activities.  I value this time with my children and realize that it won't last forever.  As much as I love school, I am looking forward to summer. 

A monumental day . . Brianna heads to Kindergarten

Yes, the day has finally arrived when my last child, my baby, my Brianna, sets out down the road of independence. I couldn't fathom this day ever arriving and yet here I am in the middle of it. People would always say to me to enjoy your little ones because the time goes by so fast. And like most people I politely nodded while inside I believed that it just couldn't be true. Well I am here to say that they were right. And though there were days when I looked forward to some time by myself, now that it is here I am having very mixed feelings. Although I feel a little blue I am also happy about the success we have had so far and the many adventures that still lie ahead. I may miss those cute little squishy baby feet or giggles and yet I find great pride when my kids come home after learning something new or making a choosing the right in a difficult situation. So though I silently mourn on this day, I will also wear a smile knowing that the best is yet to come.

Brianna on the other hand was soooo excited. She has been counting the days and I thought for sure she would never be able to go to sleep last night. It was like Christmas Eve.

She jumped out of bed this morning wearing a smile, put on her clothes and joined us for scripture study. She is a grown-up little person now.

I was a little nervous putting her on the bus today with no other sibling to look out for her. But she quickly found some friends and off she went.

I was even more nervous about the bus ride home since she is stop #10 of 11. She was a little worried that she might get off on the wrong stop so she asked me to follow the bus home which I did. It turned out fine since both the principle and another helper rode along with all the kindergartners and checked each one at the door. I could see Brianna with her friend Brianna in the back of the bus having the time of her life.

Once she finally got off the bus (after the 45 minute trip) she told me that she was just fine and that I shouldn't have followed her. In fact she was upset that she couldn't walk home from the bus stop since I had my car. At least there is 150 more days or so to be able to do that.

All in all the first day was a success and she loved it. She is already looking forward until tomorrow and so am I because maybe I will actually use my time to do something productive.