I just couldn't resist putting the "first day of school" pictures in here from 2005, our first year here. Only two in school then and Carlie was just a baby. How quickly time flies and how fast they grow!! Unbelievable!
Well, we're off and running! What a change in the schedule this will be! Hallie has gotten us a little used to it because she has been practicing with the middle school cross country team each morning for the past week and a half, but that was just one person and we could go back to bed afterwards! Thankfully, though, everyone was very excited to be back in school. Carlie and Ollie are taking it in stride and kind of enjoying the house to themselves, at least for a little while. It's definitely challenging to have one child starting school at 8:00 and the other two at 9:00, but because Paul is able to take Hallie and I can take the boys, it works out just fine. Hallie is thrilled to be in middle school and she has a lot of great opportunities academic-related and sports-related this year (not to mention being able to have her own locker stocked full of cool stuff from Aunt Liz!). Zack is already full swing into the football season and he is thrilled to back in it. Brock is excited to be back in school with a classroom full of friends. Hopefully he doesn't notice this morning that he went to school without any breakfast!! (I'll accept my mother-of-the-year award later). He was too busy trying on his new shoes and he's not a big breakfast eater anyway...I didn't realize it until I got home from dropping him off! Yikes! At least he's got a big lunch to make up for it.
Liz left yesterday afternoon and we miss her already! It was so great to have her here for a few days...come back soon, Liz!! Meanwhile, I'd better get busy on this house as we are happy that Michelle, Miranda and Patrick are driving down from Michigan to spend the weekend with us. They don't start school for a little while and we haven't seen each other in nine months so it's definitely time for a visit!
Hope everyone else has a successful "first day of school", whenever it is.
