School Begins

So the summer is over and the new school year is starting!  I think I was as excited as they were to start school again!  I think it's funny how they were counting the days till school was over in June and then they started counting the days till school started again.  I hope the excitement continues throughout the year!

In case you can't read the signs they are holding:
Anne 6th grade
Tommy 4th grade
Patrick 3rd grade
Eddie 1st grade
Bernadette Pre-K

Getting ready for school was a lot of work!  All those forms to fill out!  It gets a little crazy and frustrating when I keep writing a lot of the same information over and over again.  Then all the school supplies to buy (for 5 kids!), the sorting and packing and then hauling to school.  Luckily, uniforms were pretty easy this year.  Anne got the middle school uniform this year and the boys just kept what they had last year.

The kids have been sleeping in all summer but today they all jumped out of bed ready to go.  I found myself pretty chipper when I woke up but slowly started to remember the craziness of the morning routine and then started frowning and getting short tempered when I was packing snacks for the older kids (half day for them)  and a lunch for Bernie.  I was getting very discouraged when I thought about having to pack 5 lunches the next day, plus snacks.  I think I want to cry now.  This gives me the challenge of being extra efficient in the morning, yah right!  Here's hoping...

Soon enough, we were outside getting ready for pictures.  I start raising my voice to get everyone organized and then wondered if my neighbors could hear me screaming!  Joggers were  passing by witnessing my outdoor spectacle.  

This year, Bernadette is going to Pre-K!

She kept asking me all summer how many days till the first day of school.  Even after I counted the down the days visually on a calendar, she didn't have the concept of time before school starts.  I dropped her off this morning into her classroom.  She settled in right away just waiting for the experience!  She had no anxiety about me leaving her there.  I can't wait to hear how her day went.  She is there for the whole day - I can only imagine how tired she'll be.

After trying to get some good family photos this past summer, none of which Eddie had a great smile, he smiles perfectly here!  It's a beautiful one, isn't it?  With his oral apraxia - I'm hoping he'll keep progressing like he has been!  He gets homework this year.

Patrick will be getting a teacher that actually taught Joe when he was in 3rd grade!  She was also Anne's 3rd grade teacher.

Tommy is looking so much older.  He'll be turning 10 this year.  As I dropped them off in the packed gym this morning, I had to run after him because he forgot something.  I saw him in the 4th grade line right next to the tallest person in his class!  He looked so tiny!  I found it quite funny.  To me he is growing up, but next to his classmates he's my little boy again.

Anne has had a growth spurt this past year.  On her last birthday in May we measured her and she had grown 4 inches!  We talked about this spurt and this now makes her the second to last shortest girl in her class.

This girl was excited about the first day of school!  She kept talking about how many school supplies she had, how heavy they were, and if she would be able to haul it all the way to her classroom.  She is also excited about the changes that come when entering middle school.  She's hoping to be challenged academically, but is a bit nervous about by how much.  I don't think she'll have a problem.

The excitement was high this morning and it all came out in the form of noise in my already clouded head.  In the moment it feels overwhelming, but once I finished, what felt like a whirlwind of activity crushed into a few hours, I got home with my sweet boy and sighed a breath of relief that the kids are in school and I'm at home.  I may complain, but I also appreciate the routine it gives me and feel blessed to be able get my kids ready and off to school.  Hopefully, I can do it with more grace tomorrow =-p

Here's to a fantastic year!!