Back to School

Just two days after we got home from vacation, it was Back to School night.  What a tough reality to deal with!  Brevan is done at the Middle School and will spend the next two years at Kearney Junior High in 8th grade.  I walked around the school with him on Back to School night and we looked like total nerds, holding a map and trying to maneuver our way around the crowds of people.  His locker is in a good location, and he seems to be adjusting alright to the change in environment.  He doesn't like school, which just means he is a typical teenager, but he is determined to keep up with his classes and get 4.0 GPA's all year.  He started Spanish 1, which will be fun for he and Ryan to work on together.  He is in an applied technology class which he loves, has a good Algebra teacher, is still involved in Beyond Basics with his friend Clayton, and thinks an all-boy PE class is the worst invention ever.  When he got home on the first day of school, he told me the best and worst parts of 8th grade so far:

Best:  Coolest English teacher ever!  He is a geek like me, loves sci-fi books, reads comics and is hilarious!

Another best:  The girls somehow got ultra hot over the summer. 

Worst:  Getting up early, I have almost no time to eat lunch because the 9th graders push me out of the way, and my PE teachers just sit around and talk while all the boys try to kill each other by throwing balls around.

The day before school started, we had some end-of-summer fun.  Brevan invited his friends, Tanner, Clayton and Will to go to Five Guys for lunch with us before we met a bunch more friends at the pool and swam for many hours.  One super funny moment I have to share:

While all the kids were swimming at the pool, these two 7th grade twin girls showed up.  The boys couldn't stop staring at the cute girls, and after a while they sent Brynlie over to tell the girls that "those boys think you are both hot."  The girls looked embarrassed and me, Christine and Brenda busted up laughing.  After a few more minutes, Brynlie wandered over again and said, "Now they're wondering if you have a message for them?"  Haha!  Having a teenager is super entertaining.

Lindsey's teacher this year is Mrs. Paul, who is not the teacher she was hoping to get.  Most of Lindsey's friends are in her class this year, though, so I'm sure it will be just fine.  Besides the fact that Lindsey is just about the most enjoyable, bubbly personality in the world, so I'm sure her teacher will find her very enjoyable!

Brynlie has Mrs. Thomas, who is not who she was wanting either, because Math is such a focus of her teaching.  Brynlie struggles to get A's in Math and is so hard on herself when she doesn't do well.  The first few days of school were rather emotional and many tears have been shed.  Brynlie is also struggling with the fact that her two friends are in Middle School this year, so she feels very lonely.  Ryan and I have challenged her to actually try speaking to her peers this year, since she is so intensely shy at school.  We cheered her on when she spoke to a new girl during recess on the first day.  Brynlie is such a generous and sweet girl, so I hope she learns how to show her personality to everyone around her!

First day of school pictures in the same spot I take them every year.  It's Brynlie's last year standing by the Kearney Elementary sign!  Next year my baby boy will be standing there as he begins Kindergarten.  But no one is allowed to talk to me about that, because I'm in denial that this is my last year having a daytime buddy. 

Lindsey begged me all summer to take her to the Liberty Jail again, and somehow we never squeezed it into the schedule.  I picked up the kids after the first day of school and took them to the church historic site, where we enjoyed a tour of the jail while being spiritually uplifted.  It was a great way to ease some of the anxiety of starting a new school year.

I found this note on the counter the other day after Brynlie realized she lost my iPod.  She has been falling apart a lot lately, and it usually just makes me smile.  I can remember being this dramatic and emotional at her age, and thinking that I cried more than anyone else in the whole world.  I try to tell her that we females are just an emotional bunch and as we (hopefully) mature, we learn to reign in some of the craziness we feel.