Back to School

Sadly our home schooling adventures have come to an end.

With Abbie going into 7th grade this year, she really wanted to attend the Junior High and take theater and art.  I did not want to keep Ellie home by herself.  That would not be fair to me or her.  So everyone is attending a public school this year and they couldn't be happier.

I have to admit, it is nice to have my day back, but I still really do not like the rigidity of the school schedule.  I also do not love it when they send home notes with a huge paragraph trying to guilt you into making sure your kids don't miss too much school.  I totally understand why they have to send those home.  I know there are people who do not take education seriously and keep their kids out of school way too much.  But, being the parent of A/B students who know how to do their homework and do what is required of them, I don't love having the guilt laid on me when I want to occasionally have some family time during the school year.  

Okay...off the soap box now and onto the cute first day of school pictures!

My baby boy is a Senior in high school this year.  A SENIOR!?!?!  Can you believe it?  I truly feel like I just graduated myself, even though it has been 20 years.  I am so excited for him to be a senior though.  I remember my senior year as being one of the best years of my life- school wise- and so I am very excited for him to have a ton of fun this year.  He definitely will be keeping busy.

4 AP classes

1 concurrent enrollment college English class

Madrigal choir

School orchestra

Lyceum Philharmonic

part time job

MOS presidency (Men of Sparta)

National Honor Society President

Seminary Council Member

Oh ya, and he graces us with his presence once in a while and tries to spend some time with his friends as well.

This adorable young lady is now in high school as well, although she still goes to the junior high (thankfully.)  I cannot imagine her roaming the halls with Senior guys.  I would have to follow her around with a bat.  Emma loves to be with her friends, especially her besties.  She can never have enough time with them and she can never have enough Takis.  (Don't ask.  They are gross and disgusting "chips" but she loves them.)  She made the volleyball team and currently plays on the Sophomore and JV teams.  She is trying to balance time with ice skating and is finding out that it is hard to spread your time evenly between two sports that you love so much.  But it is a good lesson for her to learn how to prioritize and sacrifice.  She spends most of her down time in her room either sleeping, listening to music, or braiding her long locks.  

My beautiful young Abbie Dabbie is now officially a junior high schooler.  She was so excited to go to the junior high and was especially excited for her first day.  In our district, they have the 7th graders begin school a day earlier than everyone else so that they can have the school all to themselves.  This way they can figure out the whole going to different classes thing without having to be bothered by 8th and 9th graders.  Our school also has a fun tradition of rolling out the red carpet for them to walk down as they enter the school.

She had a very successful first day and then had a party with some of her 7th grade friends on the following Monday when everyone else in the district had their first days.

Now this little cutie pie is all grown up and in the 4th grade!  That means that now that she is back in the elementary school she is in the "big kid hall."  She gets to have a turn working in the lunch room and she gets to play on the big playground.  She was SO excited to go back to school.  I think that we were all a little burned out from online schooling and the girls were definitely ready to get back to their friends and away from their crazy mother. ;)  Ellie had her outfit picked out 2 weeks before school started.  After I did her hair on the morning of the first day she said, "Oh, it's perfect.  I look just how I imagined I would."

**Sigh**  These kiddos are all so grown up and amazing.  I cannot believe that I am lucky enough to be their mother.