And They're Off!

I still have a couple of entries to write about our end of summer marathon trip, but the kids all have started back to school now, and I thought I'd better post while the posting was good.

In other news, the peaches in our trees have started dropping onto the ground so it's back to Canning Season. So, yeah, I'm getting 4 kids back to school in the middle of a sticky peachy mess...I don't really recommend it.

Zachary started junior high last Wednesday.

He has to get up pretty early in the morning so that Dad can drive him at 7:00. This worked out fine for 3 days, and then the novelty wore off. This morning, his alarm went off at 6:30. At 6:45 I came in from my run and it was still going off...he slept right through. Still, he feels like pretty big stuff. It's a new school and he doesn't know a single person, but it hasn't fazed him. Hopefully he'll make some friends and figure out the ropes quickly.

Noah has a brand new teacher in her very first year of teaching. After meeting her at Meet the Teacher Night, I think this will prove to be both good and bad. Boundless enthusiasm...zero experience...you do the math.

Isaac started school 2 days before the rest of the kids. He and Anna both got into a Charter School, so it's a new school for him this year as well. Luckily, he's such a cheerful, easy-going kid that he has blended right into his classroom already. Although he misses his old friends, for now he says he likes this school better. I know many people have very strong feelings about public school/charter school debates so I choose not to address the hot-button topic for now. Anyway, it's only been a week, so I don't have a long enough experience to weigh in yet.

Anna is heading to her 3rd day of Kindergarten this afternoon. She lo-o-o-oves it! She has a hard time waiting all the long hours until after lunch when she can go. As for me. I have been strangely stoic about the whole thing. This has been the only time I have not cried after dropping off a Kindergartner on the first day. I think I've been anticipating this adjustment for so long that it doesn't seem that hard now that it's here. It helps that she's home with me half the day still. Cory called the first afternoon and asked if I was lonely. I told him she's so independent and quiet while she's at home with me, that it really didn't seem any different while she is gone. Maybe that's just because I'm so busy with peaches. And coming straight from vacation to back to school has made the whole experience a little surreal this year. Anyway, it's hard to feel very sad when she is so happy.