Why Break With Tradition?!

It's time for the annual First Day of School post. And for the "First Time In Forever," you all get the added treat of updated peeks at my gorgeous gang. I know, it's been a while since you've seen their faces 'round these parts o' the blogosphere!

{You are more than welcome for THAT ear-worm... 

it's blasting in the kitchen right now and I succumbed. 

I am weak. I admit it. And now I'm laughing at you

because you are hearing Ana in your head just like I am.}

Anyhoo.

Our "bonus daughter" had a VERY momentous First Day yesterday. She returned to us late Friday night from summer at home with her family in Beijing. She's still a bit jet-lagged and trying not to be anxious about all the SAT prep work she has ahead of her and layered on top of her Honors course load. In spite of it all, she made it to the bus on time and is officially a SENIOR!!!!!!

Today, we sent our LadyBug back to the public school bright and early. For those not following me on F@cebook, she came home in January to do cyber-schooling after some health issues that made the public school pace and routine pretty hard to manage. It was a great season of refreshment and retreat for her and she is confident that she is ready to handle her JUNIOR year. Seriously, how did this sneak up on me like this?

Next to head out the door was Li'l Empress. This girly of ours was so ready for her new school year to start. She's super excited to be in the upstairs of her building - it's a milestone that all the rising third graders wildly anticipate in our little school community. Yes, I said it. THIRD. GRADE.

After Li'l Empress climbed happily on her bus, Mei Mei and I ran inside to finish getting ready for the morning. Then we were OFF to the elementary school for their annual Back To School Celebration. It's always so fun to meet the new teachers, say hi! to the old teachers, and catch up with friends after the long summer apart. I'm particularly thrilled that Li'l Empress is going to be with her sweet little buddy "S" again this year. She's a sweet friend and so very encouraging and kind to all her classmates. It goes a LOOOOONG way for my girl to have that security and confidence in her friendships.

As soon as Li'l Empress' class was escorted into the building to start the day, my little Mei Mei fell apart in a puddle of tears. She kept saying over and over, "I miss my sissen" and wiping her tears with her Beebee. She was a soggy mess by the time we got to the van. It was decided that a little pit stop at the local Chick-Fil-A was in order, to cheer our spirits and distract both of us from missing our Li'l Empress.

Then, suddenly, it was time. Yes, that's right, the day has arrived. Mei Mei began her first day of PRE-SCHOOL today. Oh, my heart. This girl was a STITCH to listen to once I told her it was time to get ready for her drive to school. Giggling to herself while I dressed her. Wiggling in her seat trying to eat lunch. Covering her mouth in "OH!'s" of anticipation and looking over my shoulder on the 5 minute drive to see if we were "dere yet?"

Until we walked into the building. Upon which time she started muttering under her breath, "I not want go pee-kool, Momma" over and over like some tribal chant. I exercised HERCULEAN effort to not crack up and to take her anxiety as seriously as she wanted me to, but man, it was hard. SUCH a HOOT.

Oh, and yes, Yes, that IS in fact the very same dress that Li'l Empress wore on her very first day of pre-school. I'm totally a sap like that and I am so excited that she chose it from the line-up. And that I'm still smarter than my kids most of the time to make her THINK she chose it. Yeah. I still got it, baby!

I hung out with her for about 20 minutes, chatting with the teachers and helping her feel comfortable. It was fun to point out to her all the things that Li'l Empress enjoyed when she was a student there. Once she was sufficiently distracted and feeling comfortable, I headed out and the teachers reported that she only cried for about five minutes. And I didn't cry at all. :)

It sure helped to have her little buddy in the classroom - he's the youngest son of the director from our adoption agency AND LadyBug babysat for him and his big brother all summer long. Here she is watching for his car to pull up to the drop-off door. Both his mom and I got the story later that they held hands when they walked together and that he is her new "bess fren." So cute!!!!!

When we headed back to pick her up at the end of the afternoon, her very first words to us were "I had SUPER! FUN! today! Mom!" She had all kinds of great stories to share and pretty much was wiped out and ready for bed by 6:30.

You might have noticed that BBE has no First Day pictures. That's because the poor kid got hit with a a nasty tummy bug that kept him up most of last night. Prayers that no one else gets it here would be so appreciated. We have BIG family plans for the holiday weekend and we've been looking forward to them for the whole summer long!

So there you have it. The Traditional First Day wrap up. Thanks for hanging in there for it all. Hopefully soon I will have something incredibly wise and deep and important to write about. Till then, all these cute pictures of my kids make me happy. And it's my blog, so that's all that really matters, right?

Hope your First Days were momentous and memorable too. Here's to a GREAT 2015~2016 school year!!!!!

First Day of School!!

There's been a LOT of firsts for this Gang this summer. And today marks what we hope is the last of the firsts for a little while. It will be nice to settle in to a familiar routine for all of us, but particularly for Li'l Empress and Mei Mei who seem to be having the hardest time (not surprisingly) with all the new stuff going on in our lives.

Last night, Shaggy and Miss A showed up to wish the Gang well on their respective first days. And to meet the newest member of our Gang. Yes, we have a new Gang member. We are welcoming a Chinese exchange student into our home. She came by last night with her parents to meet us and drop off some of her belongings. She moves in today with the rest of her stuff. She's a junior at the local Christian high school and we are all excited about what this relationship will hold for our families. Please pray with us for her transition. It's her first time in an American school, living with an American family, and a big one at that. We want this to be a great positive experience for us all! I'll share more about her as we get her settled, after I ask her permission to do so.

Without further ado, here's all the Gang that headed out the door. ALL three of them by 8 a.m. I might add. Sheesh, that feels really stinkin' early, for all of us!

Today is LadyBug's first day of HIGH SCHOOL!

Yes, my baby girl is a 10th grader.

She was very nervous about the HUGE building

she has to navigate but super excited to see all her

BFF's again. I'm so glad she has so many friends

who will muddle through it with her.

Baby BlueEyes starts middle school today.

I am positive he's going to shock his friends

with how much he's grown over the last three months.

He wasn't nervous at all that I could tell.

I love his confidence!

He was, however, very sad about saying good-bye to these two munchkins.

He kept telling them how much he'd miss them today.

I got a little choked up. He's such a great big brother!

Li'l Empress has been worrying and nervous for three days

about going to school without her big brother.

She did great all morning long, even saying good-bye to him

without tears. Until the bus pulled up.

There's no picture of her waving as she climbed up

because I was peeling her off of me and strongly

encouraging her that she would be safe

with the new driver on the new bus without her brother there.

By the time I met her over at the school for their Welcome Back

festival, she was working on her smile and feeling more settled.

This part of the "first day" is familiar to her now so she was able

to enjoy the hugs from friends that she hadn't seen all summer long.

Her teacher is new to us as a family but has been at their school

for a very long time. And every report I've heard has been a positive one.

We are excited to have her on our "team" for Li'l Empress's journey this year!

And thank you, Jesus, for this precious friend.

This is her little BFF from church and though they aren't

in the same class this year, she's absolutely still a gift from God

for our Li'l Empress. SUCH an encourager - seriously, it chokes me up

how sweet and compassionate she is.

When they were heading into the building in their separate lines,

"Little Miss I" gave Li'l Empress a "thumbs up" and

shouted, "Good luck today!"

How cute is that?

So now The Boss and I are hanging out with Mei Mei and trying to decide what to tackle first. No surprise, after our long holiday weekend with friends, I've got lots of daily tasks on which I should catch up. And tons of pool towels to wash and fold. Hopefully that will keep my mind busy so I don't think about how ridiculously short this summer felt. And how crazy quiet it is in this house right now.

Share your first day links in the comments. With my slower paced day (cuz gosh, when's the last time I only had one kid to take care of?!) I'll come by and say hi!

And They're OFF!

Wow, what a crazy, busy, erratic and irregular summer it has been around here.... in case you couldn't tell by my abject disregard for my little corner of the blogosphere, this summer kicked Momma's hiney. Transitioning to life as a gang of 8. Significant life-stage changes for a couple of the kids. Entering new developmental stages for a couple of the kids. Understanding and uncovering medical issues, with the added weight of an unexpected diagnoses. All these things combined together to make this a summer to which I am only too happy to wave the bye-bye.

I told my sister the other day, I think this might be the first school year in a long, long time (if ever?) to which I was looking forward with anticipation and gratitude. The exertion of external forces on our routine, our productivity, and our attitudes will be good for all of us. HEH. NOT that I will ever convince a certain 17-year old of that fact, but really, it's time. About 2 weeks past time, if I'm being totally honest.

So. This morning, I sent off my SENIOR, my FRESHMAN, my 6TH GRADER, and my all-day-for-the-first-time-ever FIRST GRADER!

  I realized after the first two pics that there was a big

fingerprint on my lens. Ugh.

She was so excited to get on the bus and see her friends,

that she almost forgot to stop for the picture!

After the bus pulled away, I ran in to brush my teeth and The Boss helped finish dressing Mei Mei. We drove quickly over to the elementary building for the "Welcome Back" party on the lawn.

It was so fun to see BBE's friend, V, and introduce her to Mei Mei.

She's becoming quite a lovely young lady.

BBE is pretty excited that they'll be in the same homeroom this year.

I finally found Li'l Empress through the massive crowd, where I discovered that she'd already hooked up with her VERY! BEST! FRIEND! from church. These girls have been buddies for a while now and the fact that they are now in the same school and the same class every day was cause for MUCH! EXCITEMENT! and JOY! on Li'l E's part. And cause for much relief and gratitude on Momma's part. The transition to full-day, no naps, no break from the hearing aid, and so on has been a bit of a prayer concern of mine for a few weeks now and I'm so grateful that God answered the prayer for both Li'l E and for me in this way. I sure hope that teacher is ready for TWO! LITTLE! GIRLS! on DAILY! DOSES! OF! EXCLAMATION! POINTS!

How cute are these two?!

I'm so excited to watch their friendship grow!

Mei Mei is currently hosting a little tea party at her table next to my computer, talking to her teapot and her dolly while I type this out. So far, so good. She hasn't totally noticed that she's all alone with me yet. She's pretty good at keeping herself occupied with books and puzzles and toys most mornings, so I'm pretty sure the reality of the quiet house won't hit for a few days. And with three teens in the house, she's gotten pretty used to hugs adn kisses good-bye around here. I'm hoping that the busy pace of our kids' lives has set her up for a smoother transition than I prepared for.... I'd like to be over-prepared for once in my life for something big and meaningful!

So, that's our first morning - they're OFF and I'm ready for a second cup of coffee. How was your first morning?! Leave a comment and tell me all about it!

Shaggy's God Adventure - Part II

So, where were we? Oh, yes. Shaggy is in Colorado. {Sigh. Sob. I miss my boy. Sigh.} He's attending a Musician's DTS (Discipleship Training School) through YWAM (Youth With A Mission). We brought him out at the end of September and he's currently in the "Lecture Phase" of the training time there in the suburbs of Denver.

Musician's DTS

During this Lecture Phase, there is a lot of classroom time, guest speakers, studying The Word, and reading books surrounding the issues and topics covered in the classes and lectures. In addition to the very typical classroom environment, they spend a good bit of time in prayer and they have work duties and small group accountability to fulfill. Shaggy pulled kitchen duty - a task I'm quite confident he's MORE than capable of conquering after all the "on the job training" he received here at home and at Chik-Fil-@ while he was in high school. Their small groups are broken down by gender and each day they eat lunch together to share their experiences and talk about what they are learning. They also use this group as their first line of support if and when they are struggling or have prayer needs to cover. We're hearing great things about the connections they are making together.

Lecture Phase also affords weekly opportunities to do outreach, working closely with food banks, shelters, and other ministries in the area. This affords the DTS students a lot of hands-on time in the local community while learning essential team-building skills and gives them a great place to practice all they are learning in class. They also participate in local conferences and concerts events. Last week, all of the YWAM bases in  the whole state of Colorado met for three days of teaching, prayer and worship together. He thoroughly enjoyed the whole event.

Once the Lecture Phase is complete, the teams move to Outreach Phase. This particular DTS will be breaking up into three different outreach trips. One team is going to Mexico, one is heading off to Kenya, and the third team will go to Thailand/Cambodia. This phase lasts about 2 1/2 months and is the REAL hands-on of all that the DTS has been working toward from the beginning. Shaggy has chosen to work with the Thailand/Cambodia trip. They will be supporting and working alongside of the existing YWAM staff at those bases. The goal is to put into practice all the ministry lessons they learned in the Lecture Phase. It's a very tough part of the world he's heading into and we are aware that there are some really hard things to which Shaggy will be exposed. The nature of what those bases do is hard to think about; it's hard to be "okay" about Shaggy experiencing and connecting with these parts of this very broken world. But we are so proud of the conviction he has felt about choosing this team. We knew when he told us of his decision that it was right for him.  We are fully expecting that Shaggy will be forever changed and set on fire by the love of Jesus, both at the state-side portion of the DTS and even more deeply and fully in the Outreach experience. And we are fully "okay" with that, even if it means hardship in the winning of it.

Even if it means he's leaving right around Christmas.

{Sigh... Again, we will all really need your prayers

at the holiday season, my friends!}

It's still daunting to think of the things that Shaggy is committing himself to in these coming months. When I'm particularly concerned or missing him and worrying for his future, I make myself go back to the things that I know God has spoken to us over the years about our kids and I speak them out over and over. I am confident that God has some very unique and creative plans for my boy. We know that He has equipped and provided us all thus far, so we truly cannot wait to see what He has for the rest of Shaggy's experiences this year. If you think of it, please pray for safety and protection for Shaggy, as well as continued financial provision. He has the Lecture Phase completely paid for, thankfully. But the Outreach trip to Thailand/Cambodia is not fully funded yet and we are seeking the Lord's favor for that.

Finally, I want to take this opportunity to give a small word of encouragement to the mommas out there who feel as if they will be wiping noses and changing diapers for.EV.AH.  Please, hear my heart when I tell you that THESE MOMENTS of diligence and repetitive training that you are doing now are all pointing you and your little treasures toward the launching into God's plans such as Shaggy is experiencing now. It's not easy, this raising of our little ones to serve Jesus and love others. And it will look different along the way for every family. Likely even for every one of your individual little treasures. But it's worth it. 

And it CAN be done. It is BEING DONE even now in the spirits of your children. Make no mistake, this man of God that Shaggy is becoming did not happen by our own strength or great understanding. NOT BY A LONG SHOT!!!! It won't happen for you that way either. Not by your own efforts. But by His grace and His equipping. And your choice to stay the course. To be diligent to keep wiping noses while you are speaking life and love. THIS MOMENT of launching like we got to do with Shaggy last month is what the hard moments of some drudgery and endless repetition are for. And you can do it. He makes you able. 

Thank You Jesus, for that. Truly.

If you feel prompted to invest

in Shaggy's God Adventure,

click on the YWAM links above.

There is a tab on the 

top right of the YWAM Denver 

home page where you can

donate specifically to a student

in residence there by choosing
the Student Payment option.

Shaggy's God Adventure! - Part I

Most of you know by now that our oldest son, known around here as Shaggy, recently left home for a 6 month missions training program with Youth With A Mission (YWAM).  I thought you might want to know a little bit more about the program and what he's doing there for this season of his life.

Back when he was cyber-schooling at home and the "college push" of his junior year was upon him, he really felt unsettled by the huge variety in types of schools, locations of schools, and thousands of different majors to pursue. We didn't push any of it on him, rather, encouraged him to start looking around and investigating all the options that sounded interesting to him. Apparently, that wasn't enough "relief" of the pressure - he was overwhelmed with calls, mail, websites, and the like. And when Shaggy has lots of options in front of him, he feels incredible pressure and responsibility to check out ALL the options. To research extensively. To analyze deeply and thoughtfully. It's how he's wired.

At about the same time that he was feeling all this pressure to check out school, he was spending time with a close friend who was a year ahead of him in school. She was in much the same boat, but was researching another kind of option entirely. Her parents had introduced the concept of a "gap" year to her and encouraged her to give a year of ministry to the Lord, to grow and to seek His plan for her life. She was heading to a ministry training program called YWAM. The program was unfamiliar to him, so he immediately dug in and started checking it out. He was quite intrigued by the idea. And shocked when we offered him the same option. He had always assumed that we were only willing to consider the "straight to college" plan, mostly because we have always made it very clear to the kids that our plan and expectation is for them to get a college degree. Which, is our plan and expectation. But, what I guess we didn't think to communicate was that we were open to and excited about the idea of our kids taking some time to figure out what that looked like for them. That we were open to the path having a bit of a round-about on the way.

That conversation began a season of thoughtful conversations, intentional prayer, and again, more research. Shaggy is nothing if not thorough when presented with his options. Early last winter, The Boss and I  felt sure that we knew what the plan was to be. But we also knew that Shaggy needed a deadline enforced to help him STOP researching and start trusting that what he was thinking and feeling was, in fact, God leading him to a decision. So we gave him till February 28th to let us know what he felt was the plan he wanted to pursue.

The long and short of it is that he finally settled in his heart that YWAM was an adventure he wanted to pursue. And the Musician's Discipleship Training School (MDTS) offered just outside of Denver completely captivated him with its scope, its purpose, and its location. He's our "cold weather dude" and just loves snow, mountains, and the idea of the ruggedness of the Colorado landscape.  However, mid-way into the planning, he discovered that if he chose this location, he would be unable to come home for the Christmas holiday.

THAT was a set-back that we needed to consider and pray over. Because Shaggy is also our "Christmas kid." He's the one begging for the Christmas music by the first week in November. He's the one that gets the "twitches" on the morning that we cut our tree, and again on Christmas Eve. He gets positively huggy and silly when we begin our baking. He's really a big, sappy, traditions-wallowing marshmallow from early November till early January. It's adorable. Anyway, he needed to figure out if he was willing to give that up for this first year out of school. We gave him permission to do whatever he felt was the right thing to do, with no pressure from us.

I'll be frank. Those couple days of praying and considering were harder than even thinking about him going all the way to Denver in general. To sit back and think of the holidays without him and figure out how to be okay with that if that was his decision. I'm still not thrilled with it, but knowing that he feels strongly that THIS particular DTS is where he is supposed to be balances my momma-dread. For now.

Get back to me in December. And pray for me, ya'll....

But I digress.

Come back tomorrow and I'll share with you a little bit about the program and what Shaggy gets to do for these coming months. He could really use your support and prayer - he's already feeling stretched and pressed and changed by the Truths that God is pouring in to him.

The Twinge.

This week was the first of three Back To School Nights for The Gang.  The Boss and I went to Li'l Empress' kindergarten class, sat in her little chair, wrote her a love note, and learned all about the exciting things she'll get to do this year. I couldn't help but feel The Twinge as I sat there, remembering all the years I got to teach kindergarten to the older kids. Sigh.

I really loved home-schooling in the early years - watching my kids blossom as their confidence and love for learning took root. I know that the public school setting is the best choice for our girl. The services and therapies that are available to her in that setting are invaluable toward setting her on the best path possible for developing a love for learning and meeting her needs in light of her hearing loss.

I know all that, yet I still feel a teensy bit of mourning that I have to share that place in Li'l Empress' first experience with school and learning with her teacher. I am terribly grateful for this teacher - she is so in love with her kids, you can just see it. She has a true teacher's heart. I know that Li'l Empress will bloom under her care and teaching. And our hearing and speech support team is amazing. I can't wait to see what progress they make together. But I still feel The Twinge.

After our kindergarten session, we headed upstairs to the 5th grade class for Baby BlueEyes' session. Already, I can tell that this kid is going to have a phenomenal year. His teacher is so keen on getting to know each kid as unique and respected individuals. In fact, she had each parent fill out a little survey asking us particular questions about our student's strengths, weaknesses, fears, skills, hobbies and so on. She talked a lot about personal responsibility, giving the kids a voice and letting them learn in their own creative ways. And get this! She's known in the building for NOT giving a lot of homework and for NOT giving standard end of the unit tests!

As she was talking, I felt The Twinge again. Sheesh, I've never home-schooled for 5th grade but all the excitement that she was sharing and the creative ideas that she has for helping kids really know the material were just getting me all tingly. I don't even really WANT to home-school, let alone home-school for 5th grade, which requires a much higher level of math than I would ever feel comfortable doing, let alone teaching. But there it was. The Twinge.

I should be well familiar with The Twinge by now.... As I was telling a friend the other day, I seriously spend much of August every.single.year. questioning the plans that The Boss and I have previously agreed upon (usually around March or April during my "yearly evaluation" of the coming year) regarding The Gang's educational plans for the coming school year. Seriously. The Twinge almost ruins my August almost every year.  If we didn't have a ton of family birthdays, a pool, and a bottomless iced tea jug, it WOULD ruin my August. (Yes, it really IS that easy to redeem my summer. I'm a simple gal, what can I say?)

But then I came home. All The Gang members were already settling in to bed, backpacks were lined up neatly in the laundry room and lunchboxes were stacked on the counter. Laundry was humming along. Dr. D was overseeing the night-time routine from the couch and the house was hunkering down for a quiet night. I started my To Do list for Friday - big yard sale on the agenda, followed by laundry and dinner planning.

And The Twinge was gone. Just like that.

The peace of knowing that this year's plan is the right plan for us blankets The Twinge once again, settling any twitching and twinging with its weight. Its rightness.

Until about March. When I begin the examining and observing and analyzing of educational plans for The Gang all over again. And then? Well, then The Boss starts The Twitch. But that's a whole different post, isn't it?

Where Have I Been?

We've had a great start to the school year! Li'l Empress gets up (mostly) happily every day, and practically skips her way through the morning routine. She's so pleasant and even the bus driver, Miss Lynne, commented on how she is enjoying Li'l E's sweet joyful demeanor. 

As far as we can tell, her adjustment to the bone-conduction hearing aide in the classroom setting has also gone well. Our hearing support teacher had me take pictures of the device and send them to her. She used the pictures to make a "cheat sheet" for all of Li'l Empress's teachers to reference. What a great idea, right?!  Li'l Empress also uses the portable FM system for in-class teaching time and is getting used to that along with her teachers. I get the impression that she doesn't love leaving her home classroom for specials (she told me yesterday that she cried in Art class because she likes Mrs. S's class room best) but I would expect that from most any Kindergartner and especially from MY kiddo - she's always more content with the familiar places that she knows Daddy or I have deemed "safe."  Both The Boss and I have been very pleasantly surprised by the easy acclimation to the new environment and routine. Compared to how she transitioned into last year at pre-school and then again this summer (to the new hearing aide) we were really expecting much more of a battle and a longer adjustment.

The older kids are all settling into their regular school routine pretty well. I think that having both Baby BlueEyes AND Li'l Empress on the same routine this year is really helpful this fall. I've seen a new level of maturity in BBE since school started, like he's growing into his role as Li'l E's primary touch point for both the morning routine and the bus ride. She calls him her "breakfast buddy" and her "bus buddy" and it's like he's preening in the attention. Tooo cute :)  Dr. D has turned into a serious morning person - up and moving and out the door almost before I can even get my stumbling self down the stairs. Must be all those early football camp days that formed a new habit!  And LadyBug gets herself up in time to perfectly coordinate her hair, make-up, and outfit for each day. Somehow in there she almost always finds time to eat and give the "big sister okay" to Li'l E's outfit, too. I have taken to keeping my bedroom door shut until my alarm goes off, to avoid the lights on in the hallway at the ridiculous hour she gets up to accomplish all that!

Shaggy has been working hard to organize his belongings and ready himself for his departure to Denver. When he's not working like a dog at Chick-Fil-A, he's sorting clothes, making lists, and cleaning his room. We've had some nice mornings here at the house together and it's going to be all.too.quiet. every morning once he's off to Colorado. There's a post about that coming but not now. I'm happy in my river of De Nial. :)

This week, he had a big chunk of time between shifts at work so he helped me sort over 14 bags and boxes of all kinds of baby paraphernalia, clothing, toys, and lots of other stuff for our fundraising efforts. So much stuff that I am actually doing another yard sale event.  I've been doing the F@cebook sales diligently all summer but the inventory was getting a tad stale. And in God's timing and provision, I got not one but TWO huge loads of donations that are almost all sure to be great sellers. (Both loads came from folks I barely know. How cool is that?!) Also in God's perfect timing, my new friend contacted me and offered to let me set up a bunch of stuff in her front yard at their neighborhood yard sale event.  I continue to be amazed at this gal's generosity, as well as the compassion and generosity of virtual strangers who just hear about our efforts and want to come alongside us and join in our purpose.  It's quite humbling.

 14 or 15 bins of clothing, most of them overflowing, 

from newborn sizes up through adult apparel.

Toys, strollers, bedding, home decor

We've got it all!

Join us in praying that it ALL goes, too!

The load of "Back to School" paperwork, before school even began, was overwhelming this year. I don't even want to look at Li'l Empress's IEP binder - it's a mess and totally unorganized after the scramble to close out her time with the Intermediate Unit, request a transfer from P.M. kindergarten to A.M., and amend her IEP for the coming school year. After all the phone calls and emails that the transition generated, I didn't want to touch the phone for a week! (Again, that stuff is a post in and of itself...)

I've been sorting, cleaning, purging, and organizing my way through bags and boxes and bins of STUFF. Lots and lots of stuff. It's always a huge chore to re-claim my home from the lazy hazy days of summer and this year the yard saling has added a huge new dimension to that. Somewhere in there we got to sneak away Labor Day with our friends, but that seriously feels like mooooonths ago already. We also had a big family wedding to prep for and sheesh, I forgot how much I hate school supply shopping. I sheepishly admit, we did not do one stitch of back-to-school clothing shopping this year. I just couldn't add one more thing in and really, except for sneakers that BBE seems to always need, the kids' wardrobes are fine for now.

And so, that's where I've been. August and now early September has been spent. Literally spent. Wrung out and hung to dry....  Which might explain why my blogging mojo feels like a wet dishrag.

First Day, Round Two

The first day of Kindergarten got off to a great start here at home. She picked her own outfit out, specifically designed to  match the pretty new bow she found at the store last week.

Sigh. I can't believe how grown up she looks!

She did it. While we were waiting, she was hopping up and down in her little canvas Keds, giggling under her breath and chanting her little mantra, "I so excited! I so excited!"  She made it onto the bus, giddy with excitement and joy. Not a tear in sight. And only a teensy momentary hesitation when the bus actually stopped in front of her. A tiny quick look of panic until she saw "Miss Lynne (whom she had met yesterday) beckoning her on and realized Baby BlueEyes was already on his way to the stairs. Just a moment and then she was determined to catch up to BBE. So glad he will be there for her each morning!

"I so excited!"

I swear that back pack is bigger than she is!

Our awesome driver, Miss Lynne,

reminded her to turn around for a picture and a wave!

"Bye Momma! Bye Daddy!"

"Sit down, Li'l Empress!"

:)

We all got so caught up in the fun that there were

almost no tears at all on the part of this quaking Momma and mushy Daddy.

Well, until the bus pulled away, that is.

Then, all bets were off. And Shaggy threw his arm around me and told me I'd be okay. She'd be great. Which made me cry more. Which made Shaggy laugh at his momma. Thank goodness Shaggy was here to lighten the moment...

I'm okay now. Hopefully, she is too. That bus is a really, really noisy place. And she's the only kindergartner for most of the route, because we had to switch placements. I'm really hoping for a great report from both Li'l Empress and Baby BlueEyes at the end of the day.

Poor Daddy, he drove off to work still a little teary.

Sigh.

1st Day, Round One

Ooooh, dreary, cloudy first day of school for The Gang this morning. And sheesh, a wierd vibe to the day, all day, too.

For starters, this is the official first day for everyone BUT kindergartners in our district. So Li'l Empress was a little put out pretty much as soon as she got up, at the idea of everyone else getting to ride the big yellow bus this morning.

Then, we realized that this is the very first time EVER that Dr. D is starting a school year without Shaggy at his side. EVER. So strange to see him head out the door all alone. Stranger still to have Shaggy sitting on the couch with bleary eyes, wishing everyone well and folding his work clothes.

First day of Junior Year for Dr. D

(can you tell he is so.over. this tradition?!)

LadyBug is now an 8th grader!!! 

Baby BlueEyes is in 5th grade this year.

And so very excited to be "the big sibling"

on duty for Li'l Empress! Isn't that cute?

Even stranger, will be tomorrow when it's just me and Shaggy home alone all morning long. For a month of mornings, it'll just be me and my Shaggy. And no, we WON'T be talking about what it will be like when this month is over. Not yet, anyway.

Cuz De Nial ain't just a river in Egypt, my friends. Heh.

Li'l Empress' mood was slightly improved by the "Meet the Teacher" event in her new classroom, later in thes morning. She enjoyed sitting at her new space, checking out the classroom, and coloring the "I'm a New Wildcat" posters for her new teacher.

Round Two is bright and early tomorrow morning, with Li'l Empress FI.NUH.LEEEE! getting to head off to school with Baby BlueEyes on the big yellow bus. We had to have her original placement changed from p.m. to a.m. (that's another whole story that would require its own post!). So I will be driving her home every morning when her session is done. When she found that out this morning, she informed me with a very serious face that she's a big 5 year old now and doesn't really need me to drive her home. That she would be "just fine, Mommy" to ride the big yellow bus home all by herself.

(Yeah. Well, tough cookies, cookie. Take THAT up

with the district if you'd like. And good luck if you do!)

To which I said, in my head, "I'm just fine, Li'l Empress with picking you up every morning at 11:30. It's a very small price to pay to make sure you start your first year off with the best possible advantages. Driving you home every day is the LEAST I can do to make this work for us all!"

Milestones

Last night, Shaggy graduated from high school. Sigh. I cannot believe he's finished with high school already. I know it's totally cliched and trite to say so, but really, wasn't it just yesterday I was sending him off on the big yellow bus for his first day of 2nd grade? (Heh, I delayed the trauma of the first day of Kindergarten by homeschooling him that year. And then again for first grade. Yes, I am a wimp. I know.)

The Boss and I are so over the top ridiculously proud of the man (sniff, sigh) that Shaggy has become. He is by far one of the most patient and considerate people I know. He is passionately in love with Jesus and desires to serve Him in all his ways. He is a very hard worker, unusually thoughtful and responsible. And he is smart. Like, crazy smart. This kid has maintained straight A's since the third grade. Yes, the third grade. And really, that's only because his school didn't give A's in 2nd grade. And in Kindergarten and first grade, I gave him stars and smileys. (sniff, sigh)

Lest my gushing sound obnoxious and unrealistic, I promise you that we are completely aware that Shaggy is not perfect. None of our sweet amazing kids are. But they are perfect for us. And we are proud of them all. On occasions like this, we are more proud than I can even begin to articulate here. Shaggy and I were talking last night about the varying levels of importance folks place on this milestone of high school graduation. Based upon some of what he witnessed in the students around him last night, he was wondering just what all the fuss and bother is about. And should it really be about all that much fuss and bother. He's quite cerebral, this boy of mine, and was asking himself some hard questions last night after the festivities of the evening died down. Despite his absolute discomfort with any of the fuss and bother of the upcoming big weekend party celebrating his accomplishment (and despite his unease with the fuss of a post like this), I assured him that it's really important that we celebrate the milestones of his life.

As I told him last night, this is just one important milestone in a long journey of many more to come. Granted, it's a relatively small one, in context of the many ahead of him, but no less worthy of celebrating. We join together as a family to celebrate all of the milestones of our life. Because the milestones are NOT about the diploma. The milestones are not about the changing of the tassel. The milestones are about the people in your life that were with you on that journey. The milestones are about the journey itself. And no matter how early in his journey he is, this journey will be fueled by love and relationship. Because that is who he is. That is who we are.

Here he is, our straight A, amazing graduate.

Congratulations, Shaggy. We celebrate YOU!

Wordless Wednesday {Last days}

In order of the morning's departures

Last day of sophomore year

...of 7th grade

...of senior year

...of fourth grade

...of pre-school

Last day of  high school...

ever...

Pray for me, ya'll..... It's a big day around here.

For more Wordless Wednesday fun,

head over to 5 Minutes for Mom.

Finals Week, The Gang's Way

LadyBug took her first-ever finals at the end

of last week and the beginning of this week.

Despite her casual surroundings and relaxed pose,

she studied hard and took them quite seriously.

Shaggy got exemptions for all of his finals,

major and minor. Senior privileges rock!

Dr. D had Monday off as he only had his four courses

of finals to do on Thursday and Friday.

The jury is still out on just how seriously he took the whole process.

Summer has been coming in by bits and pieces for over a week now.

Tomorrow, it hits full force at 12:10 p.m.

You'll hear the cheers (mainly mine) from where ever you are, I'm pretty sure.

I cannot, however, be responsible for the tears which are sure to flow

later that same night at graduation.

I'll just try to keep them quiet so as to avoid embarrassing

Shaggy with my emotional display.

Sigh.

Wordless Wednesday {my clever boy}

Today's Wordless Wednesday needs a bit of back-story....

Dr. D's student teacher for Honors English assigned the students to write a poem

by one of the characters from Cyrano de Bergerac to another character
in the play in the writing character's "voice."

My son turned this in.

I'm so everlastingly glad that the teacher had a sense of humor!

For more Wordless Wednesday fun,

head over to 5 Minutes for Mom.

Wordless Wednesday {love notes}

Someone has been writing love notes to The Boss

and leaving them around the house.

I'm a little chagrined to note that I did not know

that she knew how to write all those letters

all. by. her. self.

For more Wordless Wednesday fun,

head to 5 Minutes for Mom.

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