Back to School.

Back to School: Anderson

This kid is in official school-1st grade! I forgot to take a picture of him with his teacher, so I made him pose at Kroger. Some people have Pinterest poses, we have lunchables. You know, just keeping it real. 

I love how grown up he looks here, yet he is still willing to pose for me. Also, his socks are clear evidence that, while he humored me and wore a "fancy"shirt on the first day, he is still keeping true to himself when it comes to getting dressed. 

He is most excited about:

-not going to the church camp anymore (whatever. It was actually amazing)

-finally getting to do Science

-getting to do real math (he was so excited about how many pages the math book has-it was the only detail that I could get out of him the first day)

-checking out 2 books at a time at the library

And, most of all

-1st graders get to do the monkey bars!!!!  I am so glad that there is a purpose to school now. 

These are the items that Anderson chose for his "All About Me" bag. This clears up any confusion over whether or not he likes animals. 

Brandon goes to work before we leave, so he left Anderson a note for his first day. 

Noni & Bop picked him on his first 1/2 day & took him to lunch at Texas Roadhouse to celebrate being in 1st grade!

I have been LIKE A BOSS so far this year and we have left our house no later than 6:50 everyday INCLUDING the 10 day period where Chloe kept getting sick all over the house, every morning. . The secret to this is my incredible OCD gene that REQUIRES me to have everything ready the night before, a ridiculously early alarm clock time and my ability to yell at my kids enough to get them moving. Also, and perhaps the strongest reason of all, is the fact that I do actually want to keep my job, which not only requires me to be there at a certain time but is literally across the county. When you really have no choice but to get a move on, you do just that.  We are often in the car line before the school opens, which not only allows me to actually make it to work on time, but lends itself to amazing selfies. 

Also, the eyepatch is still, very much a part of our lives. This should be it's own post, really. 

Clare & I have continued our tradition of hanging out at Open House! Jack & Anderson are not in the same class, but they are right across the hall from each other, so we will take it!

Back to Still at School: Max

Because I did not have consistent time off over, Max didn't actually leave school over the summer (much to the disappointment of our bank account.) He is still going strong and I am so happy that he truly loves his school. He struggles a bit in the morning on the first day of the week, but he loves his friends, his teachers and all of the fun stuff that he gets to do. 

And, I love that I get pics of him every day! 

He insists on carrying his backpack by himself everyday. He also helps me sort out all of his lunch box (some in the fridge/some in the room.)* When I get there to pick him up in the afternoon, he gets so excited & runs over to get his stuff and show me his art work in his bag. 

*Y'all. I love my kids and love doing things for them, but the lunches...For the love. WHY DOES HE NEED A LUNCH EVERYDAY? Sigh. 

His teachers told me: Max always has such good days. He makes such good choices & he inspires his friends to make better choices.

I love that he is good at school because if he has to choose home or public, I like that I have tricked other people into thinking he is well behaved. Also, I know that what they love about him is his straight up silliness. I just love that Fergus. 

Back to School: Me

Here is the thing about this year: I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT IT! This is the first time in 5 years that I am not starting a new job, a new position, having a baby or starting a new school! I am comfortable enough with where I am/who I am/who I work with that I have really good feelings about rocking the year. This does not mean that I will not stressed out, overwhelmed and basically a frantic hot mess every day, BUT it does mean that there will at least be an occasional break from the spas time.
 Also, Denise is at AE again, so I should  never, ever complain about anything again. 

Also, my office is now complete with a giant inflatable ring toss. 

I hate that I did not do a better job of documenting my classrooms/work life throughout my career so I am going to try & make up for it now. Just keeping it real, work is actually a big part of who I am and I want to remember these stops along my path.

I work with some pretty amazing people.

Leaving my comfort zone 5 years ago was, without a doubt, one of the greatest challenges of my life, but I am SO grateful that it happened because having the chance to learn from so many different people over the past 5 years has permanently changed me personally and professionally in so many positive ways. 

All in all, it is a good time. 

And...it is also an exhausting time. The real life of my job is that it is just a lot of hours. We leave at 6:45am and are usually not home until after 6 on a GOOD day. There are a few "Easy" late nights like Open House/parent nights/ meetings and then there are the really long night that usually involve sporting events or travel. This will be my 11th year spending my Friday evenings in the fall on a high school football track and I can say without any hesitation that there really is just no tired like "football season-Friday night" tired. An intense 15 hour day at the of a really long work week will make you feel like you've run a marathon, BUT it will also make you the winner on your FitBit Friends board, so it is not a total loss.  And, to be fair, I love everything about being a part of the entirety of a high school experience and am pretty accustomed to some sporting events. 

Also, what about that sunset at our first game??

One of my former students/good friends, Saasha, is going to be a teacher and I have entrusted her with my amazing podium that was built by Pops & Uncle Frank. I know she is going to be amazing and I feel so honored that to have been a part of her journey!

Because she is amazing and knows where I need the most help, my mom brought me dinner a few nights when the school year started up. There is nothing like a giant container of spaghetti to bring you back to your childhood and make you appreciate your parents.