It's All Over

The summer has officially come to an end here in Idaho. We sent the summer off with a bang, well actually a splash. We spent one of the hottest days of the summer at the water park, sliding, floating, sucking in way too much chemical water, and in general having a blast! On Monday, the kids picked out their favorite new outfits, packed up their new back packs with a small fortune in school supplies, and headed to their individual places of education. We have reached a milestone in our family. All three of our children have embarked on their own individual quest for knowledge.

Micah started Kindergarten. Much to his dismay he has discovered that kindergarten is a five day adventure. Yes, Micah you have to go to school every day now! "Oh, okay", he says with head hung and shoulders slumped in great disappointment. I am excited for him. Really I am, but also a little sad. He is after all the baby. I am entitled to feel sad, nostalgic and any of those other sappy feelings I reserve for only very special occasions. In nine months he will change from being read his bedtimes stories, to reading his bedtime stories to his parents. He will learn how to count really high, add numbers together, take numbers apart, and write whole sentences! He will see the world around him in a whole new way. He came home yesterday with a picture of himself and at the bottom he wrote, "I am a thinker!" It is true . .he comes from a long line of thinkers and he still loves the question why. He will start his journey from being a little man to being a big man!

Myranda has started fifth grade. She seems to have a great teacher. By the end of this year she will be introduced to the concepts of algebra, make her first public speech, write her own reports, and continue to out read her entire class. She will learn hard lessons like how to be personally responsible for her own education, how to navigate the raging sea of pre-adolescent girl stuff. She will also learn what it means to move from a child to a young lady (or so I hope). She will likely give up her baby dolls and barbies for 'tween CD's, hair gel, and dreams of being the lead singer in a girl band. She will discover that while her mother understands mood swings and irritability, her room is the only place these traits will be tolerated. In nine months she will emerge from the familiarity of grade school ready to face the uncertainty of middle school.

Mikayla has moved up the middle school ladder one notch. She appears to feel very comfortable in her new found status as a seventh grader. She LOVES school. Every day this weeks when asked how school went she has said "awesome." This year she gets to move from concrete to abstract math (aka pre-algebra), she will utilize her natural musical talent to increase her proficiency on the flute, and she will learn important life skills like how to play golf, ping pong, and tennis (thus the class appropriately entitled "life skills". She will delve into the great writers and stories of the past, and learn about the complexities of biology. In nine short months from now she will have finally made the transition from pre-teen to full fledged card carrying teenager! I believe she will exit this school year with a head full of knowledge, a heart full of love, and more confident in herself then ever. She is an amazing kid!

So it has begun, yet I must mention that after four long, heard grueling days of education our weary students apparently are in need of an extended break. Their first no school day is FRIDAY!!! Whatever. I must add that the girls who attend public school have Friday off. Micah who attends private school, must endure one extra day of knowledge gathering.