Back to School

And in a flash, summer is over. Or so it seems as school has resumed today. The kids were a bit saddened as we drove down the sunset lit roads and pulled into the driveway last night, signalling Summer's official end. However, this morning, they were all smiles as they eagerly anticipated what this brand new school year will have in store for each of them.

Alex has been taking college classes for two weeks already, and is doing quite well despite the long drives and busy schedule. Now he will be adding his daily morning dose of high school band before heading south each day. Michael is heading back to school himself, after nearly three years of being at home. He is starting at the high school today, and I think he is pretty stoked about going with his big brother.....in big brother's car, and not driven to school by his loony mother still in her jammies.

These guys? Yes, they are all excited. Melissa is nervous about being pulled out of classes for adaptive PE and speech, and has actually been begging not to have to do special PE this year. She is finally getting self-conscious about being "different", and we are on an intensive mission to accentuate her positives. Once the schedules and routines get ironed out, I am sure she will be fine. Unknowns are always a bit anxiety-producing for a few of these kids. Laura actually does not start until Thursday, but we let her be in the picture anyway.

After a quiet summer for Jonny(um, except for his 4 theater camps and baseball twice per week), he is excited to be back together with his friends. He is one of those kids who is just as happy in social situations as he is sitting alone at home. It is now time for him to feed his Social Butterfly side.

Crispy was so excited that he could barely get out of the truck fast enough. Boy, this kid has more enthusiasm for school than I have EVER seen in one kid before. Ever since Kindergarten Day 1, his daily response to "How was school today?", is always "AWESOME!" Well, good for him! This year, he will be having the same teacher that Melissa had for second grade....we loved her then, so he is excited about that, too!

Of course, one of the best things about starting school again is Back-to-School Ice Cream! This is one tradition that we have been faithful about keeping since Alex's first day of Kindergarten eleven years ago. As much as the kids look forward to the treat, I think it also helps me feel a little less sad about sending them off each year.

Isn't he just the sweetest boy EVER??? I AM looking forward to spending some nice quality time with this little buddy of mine in our quiet afternoons together.

This picture pretty much tells all about how today went for everyone. Here's to looking forward to another great year!