First Day of School!

It's a new school year! For me, this time of year has almost always seemed like when the "new year" really starts ... I guess because as a student it indicated a "promotion" of sorts, , as a teacher it was the beginning of another year of work, and it also means that I'm about to turn another year older because my birthday is normally about a month after the new school year begins. I guess because of all those reasons, it's natural for me to want to celebrate the first day of school each fall. It has a holiday sort of feel to me ... well, as much as any other minor holiday anyway.

This year has an extra special feel to me, for we aren't just celebrating a regular first day of school but rather we are also celebrating the fact that we are fully settled into our new home in our new town. It means that my children are going to a new school and will be making new friends. It's an exciting time, even if we are all a little bit nervous.

I just dropped the kids off at school ... I didn't walk in with them, even though on the inside I wanted to walk in and hold their hands tight. The teachers greeted the kids with big smiles and hugs and took them right into the gym where the rest of the students were gathering before the school day began. Right now, as I'm typing, I see that it is exactly 8 am, and I'm guessing my children are being ushered into their new classrooms, finding their seats and preparing to start a brand-new year of learning ... and I'm praying that this is our best school year ever!

We have a little tradition of taking pictures in the yard on the first day of school each fall. So below you will find the pictures I took just this morning, as well as little about each child.





My 3rd Grade Baby ...

Joel's favorite color is green, just like his eyes. He loves weather. Joel keeps me up-to-date on all the latest weather news around the globe. He has recently taken up blogging .... it's a weather blog! (If you are interested in reading Joel's weather reports, please contact me and I'll send you a link.) Joel loves road maps and enjoys planning trips for our family to take someday soon. He still likes to talk about presidents and thinks that one day he might like to be one. Joel is exceptional at math. He thinks Brandon Heath is a pretty cool singer. Joel is known for being a picky-picky eater, who is never but even I can make him happy when I fix his favorite meal ... hamburgers (ketchup only, please!), french fries and vanilla ice cream for dessert.





My 2nd Grade Baby ...

Nathan loves blue, just like his eyes. He thinks Spiderman is the coolest of all cool superheroes. Nathan likes thinking deep thoughts and then debating about those thoughts with other people (usually me, and since I'm not a natural debater those are some interesting conversations). Nathan is a fantastic reader and an amazing artist. Nathan has far too many favorite foods to mention ... but he is particularly fond of fruits and veggies. His favorite place to eat out is Subway because he likes to get the Veggie Delight sandwich (with cheese, please!).




My 1st Grade Baby

Julia's favorite color has recently change to purple, though she is still very fond of pink and has a small passion for black as well. If Julia could have just one toy, she would want it to be her Littlest Pet Shop toys. She loves Aunt Brooke's dog, Pippin, and begs for him to come over and visit as often as possible. But mostly, Julia loves clothes. She likes to wear them, try on new ones (and buy new ones!), and look at pictures of clothes in magazines. She thinks it is lots of fun to dress up and create new outfits, and the more it looks like it might have come from the thrift shop grab bag, all the better! It wasn't until recently that I realized just exactly how well little miss Julia is reading, though her favorite part of school is definitely recess. Julia's favorite thing to eat is CoCo Puffs ... though she also loves carrot sticks with ranch dressing, tiny tomatoes, black olives and apples.



As I was typing up my descriptions of my children, I was reminded of just how quickly they grow and change. It's the joy of my life to watch them mature into the people God has created them to be. I'm fascinated to see talents and interests develop, and I can only say from a thankful heart how amazing it is that God has entrusted these precious little ones to my care!