First Days of School

Well, my kids have started school! It seems my house is very quiet right about now ...

I always look forward to the kids starting school because of the structure it provides, but I wish the school day weren't so long! :) Anyway, the kids were very excited to start, and of course we have to take pics of them on the first day of school.

Becca is starting her first year of high school. Crazy! (We won't even discuss that in a year she's eligible for a learner's permit ...) I am very nervous about this year. Becca is very smart and does all her homework, but sometimes she forgets to hand it in. It stresses ME out! I hope I don't get this stressed with all my kids. Anyway, she's taking two honors classes and is also involved in a Shakespeare competition team that meets three times per week after school. Let high school craziness begin ...

My little Tyler is already in second grade. Did I really become a mom that long ago? It seems sometimes like I've been a mom forever, and other times I can't believe it hasn't even been seven years. Tyler is doing great in his new classroom -- at least from what I can tell. The boy gives me no details about his school day, which is probably the main reason I needed to switch his teacher the first day of school. He was so excited to get this Power Ranger shirt from a cousin to wear his first day. It's even his favorite color:

And my baby boy Zachary has started kindergarten! He is generally an extremely shy boy (he'll glare at people instead of answering their questions), but he seems to be really braving it out. I put him in a class with his twin friends so that he would feel more at ease, and he sits at the same table as one of them. Hopefully this means he'll talk to the teacher before the first month of school is over. He was excited to go and is really ready to start reading. Here he is ready to go:

As for Shayla and me, well, we'll enjoy some time alone together. I thought it would be much easier to go to Walmart this morning without all the kids, and I was right. What I didn't expect was for Shayla to all of a sudden expect to be carried everywhere instead of riding in the cart or walking! What's up with that? I didn't oblige, so we spent some crying time in Walmart. (Good thing she's not a screamer!) I was still in and out in only 30 minutes, which may be a new record!

In any case, here's to a great school year!