After a FUN weekend spent playing as a family, the anticipated first day of school arrived. We had a big meeting Monday evening to discuss the schedule and the expectations. I wondered if my big plan would freak them all out, but they actually all really liked it. Tyler loves that he knows exactly what he can help with. Jack loves it because it helps him stay on task. Sam loves it because he can know what we are eating for dinner every night, and Logan has no idea what is going on :)
Here are the big successes. The house stayed clean all week. We did not eat out even one night. There was not a lot of screaming or nagging going on in the mornings to get everyone ready and out the door. We were able to pray and read scriptures, and the overall feeling in our home was just better. Other than Logan, we hardly watched any television, and no one complained about that at all.
The only downside. I was exhausted. I was so anxious the first few nights, that I didn't sleep, but by Wednesday evening I was too tired to stay awake. I slept, but it was hard to get up again at 5:30. I will adjust as I get more used to the early morning.
It will be another busy week, but I think we are getting into the groove of things. Here are our first day of school pics and some comments about each of their first week adventures.
Jack and Sam wore matching uniforms on purpose. That was weird, but I decided not to comment. Sam announced the next day that Jack could not wear the same color as him, and they have been checking in each morning to make sure they are not matching. Logan chose his FAVORITE shirt with the hood, and some "clean, tight pants". On my long list of things to get done before school started, haircuts never made it to the top. They were a little shaggy. Logan was in a brace for the first week of school, but it is off now (hooray).
They were really only interested in taking silly pictures, so I had to promise them that they could if they would take a few serious ones.
Jack is in the 7th grade. He has new teachers for homeroom and math. He is doing great. He announced on the way home that, "All of my teachers already really like me." He was also excited about some new students that he made friends with. He made sure to introduce Sam to teachers and administrators. He is already tired of math homework. He wanted to change from trumpet to French horn, but mean old mom said no. He is not taking a high school class this semester, but will next semester.
Photo bomb by Logan. He was pretty much doing this throughout the process which is why the big boys are pulling funny faces instead of natural smiles. I gave up.
Sam is in 3rd grade. He likes his teacher, and has class with several friends from church. He sat with Amanda and Rosalyn and they got a treat on the first day for being the most well behaved kids in the class. So far, he has done all his homework at school, and has not had long nights. He tells me he does not want to go to school almost every morning, and that it is too hard, then promptly remembers that he gets to build things with Legos and happily gets himself ready to go. I think it just takes him a few extra minutes to wake up and stop being grumpy. He really likes packing snacks and a water bottle. We have many discussions about the water bottle! He also has made friends and has lot of people to eat lunch with and play with.
Logan's first day was orientation, so I got to go with him. He learned all the rules, and got to meet his teacher who was also Jack and Sam's kindergarten teacher. She was so excited to have Wirick #3 - hopefully that lasts. Logan did great! He listen to everything she said, answered questions, and participated. He did get up and circle his chair a few times, and listening to the playground rules without getting to play just about killed him. He was excited to get home and eat his lunch out of his lunch box, and ready to go back the next day. On the second day he got to ride the bus and go all by himself. He loved it. He is really cute about the clothes he picks out each day, and is great about sharing what he did in class. He says he has lots of friends, but he can't remember all of their names.
We had our family meeting last night to discuss what went well, what we needed to change, etc. This week we are going to work on Jack not complaining about homework on Friday (he thinks he should have the day off), and Sam not saying that he doesn't want to go to school. I am excited that a friend is picking Logan up from now on, so I don't have to leave work at lunch to grab him. That is going to help me out a lot.
Overall a successful week, a crazy week, and an exhausting week. We did it!
