First day of School!

It's the first day of school and the look on Maggie's face was just how I was feeling!  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE having my kids home but by the end of August, all they do is fight and complain about being bored.  So, this mom was VERY happy to watch my kids trot off to school last week.

So, we'll start with Allison.  She is in the 4th grade now and she LOVES her new teacher.  Here she is on her first day:

Next, there is Maggie.  Maggie is in sixth grade and is experiencing her first year as a middle schooler.  She is beyond excited about it as 5th grade, by the end of the year, gets tedious.  She loves the new freedom of being able to manage herself getting to class, not having to stand in lines or have recess.  The first day of school was reserved for sixth graders only.  So, Jillian, being an eight grader, got another day of summer.

Next up, Charlotte.  This was big moment for our family...a major transition.  Charlotte is in High School!  Ughh!  I can't believe it.  She is so thrilled for the new experiences she is bound to have.  She is also excited to leave the immaturity that is middle school behind.

Doesn't she look  like a Freshman?  She also started seminary last week.  Her teacher is Sister Lewis (her piano teacher) and probably one of her favorite people in our Stake.  She is having a blast in seminary...despite the early hours.  We decided to start learning the mastery scriptures as a family so this last August, we have been working on this one...and all seven of us memorized it.  On to the next one!

 Charlotte also decided (after spending a few days in the school's beginning choir) to take a chance and audition for a higher choir.  Most Freshman don't make it into higher choirs (or so she was told.)  Well, after one audition (that took about five minutes) her teacher Mr. Huisenga...(who also had Casey and aunt Charlotte, and uncle Niel) moved her immediately up to the acapella choir.  Charlotte was over the moon!  She is a little nervous because she is the youngest person there but thanks to her amazing Aunt Charlotte and her dad, she has TONS of experience singing acapella.  She is quite passionate about it...especially barbershop.  She takes after her dad and her Uncle Niel.  Anyway, so far so good on our journey into the world of high school.

Now, you might be wondering what happened to Lydia.  Well, she was dressed and ready to go for her first day of First grade when suddenly she started throwing up.  I thought perhaps that it was just nerves but 20 minutes later, she threw up again.  So, poor Lydia had to stay home with the stomach flu on her first day of school.  What a bummer!

Thankfully, the next day she was feeling much better so I went ahead and sent her.

(Sadly, by Thursday, Allison was throwing up so she got to stay home from school.)

Finally, Jillian got to attend her first day of eighth grade the next day.  She was much more confident this time with her new haircut and contact lenses.  She gets her braces off in two months so that should add to her confidence!  Isn't she a beauty?

Well, that's about it.  We are now back into our hectic schedule of homework, piano practice, band/orchestra practice and the rest!  But, the kids are much happier and I am enjoying spending many more hours at the office helping Casey with the business.  Life is good!