First Full Week

We're building up the endurance to handle a full schedule as this was our first full week back. I can tell the girls are a little more tired, but they are doing well. I started classed on Monday and they went well this week. One thing I am most proud of is implementing Mental Health Moments. I start the first 5 minutes of class with a tool or resource to help students with mental health. After introducing it on the first day, at least a dozen students either came up to me or emailed me to say how glad they were that I was talking about it. I really hope I am able to help some students. 

Meanwhile, the girls are busy bees. Anna is feeling the full brunt of high school homework. She gets home from practice, eats dinner and then dives right in. On Wednesday that lasted for three hours! Yikes! I can also tell we are navigating independence and needing/wanting help. It's difficult to know which she wants and when (for both of us really!), but we're getting there. A little bumpy this week so I'm hoping it smooths out next week. 

Paige is hitting her stride perfectly. I've been impressed with her study skills, time management and organization. We also had her Open House last night and it was great to meet her teachers. I liked what I heard from each of them. It seems like she is in great care and will learn a lot! I might have even volunteered to help with the gardening and bee keeping. :) I think I get to suit up!

On Friday night, we went to the high school football game. Paige had the opportunity to sleepover with friends so off she went after school. That left Anna, me and Patrick although to be clear, Anna did NOT want to sit or be near us at the game. No problem. I was going so I could spend time with my friends! At one point in the afternoon she texted to see if she could hang out with the students in the parking lot before the game to "get hype." I needed more details and after confirming what this would entail and who would be there, I only had two rules: you cannot take off your shirt and just wear your sports bra to paint up AND you cannot put your hands on naked boys to help them paint up. I mean for somebody who just learned that there was a place to get hype, I thought this was pretty quick thinking on my part! Fortunately, she agreed and said she would never have done these things to begin with. Well, the communication was clear and I'm glad I put it out the expectations. We all had a good time at the game. 

Anna's cross country team will have their first race on Tuesday. I'm looking forward to that. Resumes are coming in for my class and it seems like the regular homework load it pretty steady. Patrick is busy leading press conferences and trying not to step in the middle of political feuds...you know the usual. All that to say, they are full but fun days!

Youth Sunday

I'll back it up to the end of last week. First, school for both girls went GREAT! They reported good things each day and are slowly getting their groove. Paige seems super excited about her science teacher, Mr. Mann and even said on Friday that she was bummed that it was the weekend because she couldn't go to school over the weekend. Anna is enjoying being at the high school, loves her Spanish and AP Human Geography teachers. She seems to be getting a lot of work done in her study hall, but is realizing it's a much bigger load. One step at a time! These are much longer days for her as she leaves the house around 7:45 (thanks traffic) and doesn't get home until 6. She'll build some endurance. She also had her first pep rally!

Meanwhile, Teddy got groomed and I went to the dentist. I had to get a filling replaced because it was cracked and had decay underneath. I am not a fan of going to the dentist, but a close friend of ours happens to be our dentist and his office is pretty fancy. It didn't take long. The only part I really didn't enjoy was half of my face being numb for several hours. I even had to pick Teddy up from the groomer while trying not to drool! 

I'm a pirate....arg

Back to normal!

On Saturday, I took the girls shopping to find some more school shorts. Oh they crack me up when shopping. It's an olympic sport. After that, I went to a baby shower for our sweet Allie! We've known Allie forever and she loved on my babies when they were babies. We were excited to celebrate her new baby boy, River, and her journey to motherhood through adoption. I got to hold sweet River for a bit and pray over him while we walked. What a precious boy!

After the baby shower, we met our friends for a dinner and pool party to celebrate back to school. Nothing like some delicious food and fun fellowship to mark the end of our first week!

Sunday was YOUTH SUNDAY! Both girls were involved in special ways. Paige volunteered to run the slides which proved to be a challenge because it was also Vision Sunday and there was lots of information to go through. She did great! Anna volunteered to give her testimony about her journey through anxiety and I could not have been more proud. She had been praying for a while that God would use her suffering and He has in so many ways. This journey has not been easy, but God has been faithful and He has been with us all the way. 

Sweet Ashley praying for Anna as she has been for so long. 

On top of the girls participating, the youth in general did a phenomenal job. I teared up a few times as these kids led all of our worship elements with their time and talents. We are also blessed to have Ashley who has led these kids for years. She's currently filling in as the youth leader while we search for youth pastor. 

It's been a great week and weekend. Now we're prepping for our first full week of school and I go back to teaching. Here we go!

First Day of School

This year the girls had two first days of school. On Tuesday because they were both going to new schools, they participated in Step Up to Sixth and Freshmen First. This is a great way for them to check out where their classes are and get a feel for school before all the students are on campus. It's only for half the day so Patrick and I divided and conquered taking one girl to their respective schools. 

I dropped off an apprehensive Paige but assured her it would be great. Fortunately, she came home all smiles and had a great time. She made a new friend, likes all her teachers, met the class pets, figured out where she was going and generally had a good time. It seems like they made it fun and interactive. She also learned that at least one of her classrooms is freezing so a jacket would be key. I was so relieved it was a great experience for her!

Anna went to Freshmen First which is always a big deal at the high school. They start off with a huge dance party led by upperclassman. I asked Patrick if he would sneak a picture of her and apparently, he made it a public show so we he got this and then a prompt text afterward from her. I died laughing. Of course, later when she returned home, I got the speech about putting dad up to it and now I was in trouble too. Ha!

She had a great time and was glad she went even if she accidentally skipped one of her classes because she got confused. They ended with a pep rally where she got to see her friend Katie play in the band as an 8th grader. I thought that was super cool. Of course, there are definitely some pranks on the freshmen. Anna seemed wise to the fact there is no pool on the roof. :) 

We gathered all our items for the first official day of school. Honestly, I think all of us were in a bit of denial. Oh yeah! We need to pack lunches and figure out who is dropping off who when! I did manage to make some egg cups for easy breakfast. 

It was nice having a later morning on the first day because the start times changed, and now middle and high school are the later schools to open. Whew! Anna in true teen form didn't pick out an outfit and was asking me to help her 20 minutes before she left. We managed to find something acceptable. What happened to all those things we shopped for?! She left with Madison who is now driving to school and graciously agreed to take Anna. That's a little bit of a time warp!

MOM, take the pictures already!

Meanwhile, Paige was up and ready with a positive attitude. She's my one that I worry about a bit more, but she seemed happy snappy. I took pictures of the girls and then Paige and drove to her school. I played some fun hype music in the car, not realizing there were a couple of cuss words in a song or two. Paige was mortified people at the school would hear it when I dropped her off. I'm thinking oh baby girl, you are going to hear that and more all day long! Oh, middle school. 

Teddy and I held down the fort during school. I got lots done, including making the famous first day of school giant cookie. What I wasn't planning was a trip to the grocery store for flour because the girls used all my flour during their weekend baking fun. What's funny about this? I also realized I hadn't put notes in the girls' lunchboxes AND we didn't do our traditional day before school measuring. It was like we were not really prepared for the first day. HA! 

I left early to pick up Paige. An hour later we were finally home. Ah, carline...I don't miss you. She was all smiles and lots of talking when I picked her up. She had a great day, loved all her teachers (except for her old school, curmudgeonly art teacher), only got lost once and made a new friend. The school overall seems to warm and welcoming. She didn't even hear any cuss words. Surprising!

Anna was still at school. I sure do miss her as she's gone from 8:00 to 6:00. It's a long day for both of us! Fortunately, she texted me from her study hall and I was so glad to hear she had a great day too. She loved her Spanish class and the funniest thing was her telling me that she couldn't see in Sports Psychology because a massive football player sat in front of her. I'm trying to get her to ask her teacher to move. 

With everybody home for dinner, we were able to share about our days, take our measurements, eat the cookie and then get out the door for youth. Whew! I know we'll have some tired people tonight and it will take a little while to build the endurance. There you have it. I would call it a success!

Our summer bucket list all checked off...til next summer!

all the school things and Boone

The last few days have been filled with prep for school which starts this Wednesday officially. Ok really they go back on Tuesday because they are each attending a program at their respective schools for new students. Let's just say they are not happy about their summers ending one day early. Ha! They've been packing in the fun with snuggling in my bed, painting and playing Legos.

We had a chance to go to a teacher meet and greet at the high school for Anna. That was so much fun. We walked her schedule while Patrick  and Paige manned his station as a teacher. (He's still teaching an early bird class this year.) I loved hugging all her teachers who we know and were so excited to see her. We saw several others in the hallway and they were amazed to know she was finally there. I think all of her classes sounded fun and interesting. She also got to see lots of friends, figure out where she might do study hall outside of the cafeteria with the masses and generally walk around like she owned the place. Ha!

That same night, we went to Paige's school for an orientation. We met the new program leader and got some general info. While it wasn't very exciting, I did get a good vibe from some of the things they said and just how welcoming they were. We picked up a t-shirt she will wear on her field studies and said hello to a few people we knew. Today, she was able to pick up her schedule and take her school ID picture. She still seems apprehensive and quiet, but I know she will find her footing. Plus, she has new Vans which seem to be giving her a boost of confidence. Ha!

On Friday night, Paige and I went on a little date to see her friend Sally in the Columbia Children's Theater production of Matilda. It was so great! We even grabbed some dinner at Panera beforehand. 

This past weekend we squeezed in one last summer trip to Boone, NC to see John, Jessi and their crew. We haven't been to their new home so it was nice to get the tour and see their awesome place. I loved touring a couple of sweet shops in their town with Jessi. We also got to hike their property which borders a greenway and creek. The kids decorated some back to school cookies, painted birdhouses, managed Teddy and played in the garden and hills. We got to go to a new church to check in out and even tried ice cream cookie sandwiches at a local joint. It was so much fun to spend just a little bit of time with them. I'm so glad they are closer!

Our summer is ending this week and it was a sweet one. I'll miss the slow pace, our adventures and the girls being home. On to new adventures!