Times...They are a Changin'....And FAST!!!

Time for a little catch up post. I'll do my best to remember all the details.

Our school year started in shifts around here. Since Will is a teacher, he had to go back on August 11. Kayla had to be registered for High School (I cannot believe I just typed those words) on August 13. On August 14 she had to get her 2nd Gardisil shot (no HPV/Cervical Cancer for her), and then we went out to do some girle things. I made the mistake of promising she could wear some make-up and get her eyebrows waxed when she started high school. Of course, she was not about to let me forget my words. The funny part about the day was the scene she made about getting a shot, even though she hardly flinched when the lady ripped the hair off her face. What a goofball!! The following day (August 15) Daniel and Tyler got registered for 7th and 8th grades respectively, and Justin got to go over to the school later in the day to meet his 1st grade teacher and check out his new classroom. Not to be outdone, Grace insisted that she needed to meet her teacher too. I explained that she would be going to school at home with Mom. She was satisfied when I reached out my right hand to shake hers' and said, "Hi Gracie. I'm Mommy, and I will be your teacher this year." Her grin could not have been any bigger, and she has told everyone that would listen all about it ever since.

The weekend was a great time of hanging out with old friends and just spending time relaxing at our house. Saturday was a super fun birthday party for our freinds' son. The food was yummy, and the kids had a ton of fun playing in the water and on the trampoline. The theme of the party was "games and puzles", so once it got dark the kids played together for hours. All of us grown-ups, some I hadn't seen for years, hung out talking and watching the Olympics. I think our cheers raised the roof when Michael Phelps, and the US relay team, made history by winning his 8th gold medal. What an exciting moment and perfect atmosphere to experience it in. Thanks Lee and Val. After being up VERY late, Sunday was a sleep in late and lay around in jammies kind of day. That seemed like a perfect way to wrap up the summer.

Monday was the beginning of a seriously chaotic week. I was up until 3:00am filling in paperwork for the 4 kids that started school. Of course, I probably would have been up anyway since it was Kyle's last night with us. He left early Tuesday morning for Colorado. The story is long and twisted, but the gist is that the recruiter here would not do the work necessary to get Kyle into the Army. Kyle has been trying to make it work through every channel he could think of for the last 6 months. Fortunately, my brother-in-law Joe (who is active Army) has some connections in Colorado that have basically guaranteed Kyle they can get him signed up. They are even pursuing some much better job and education options in the service than had ever been presented to him in the past. Obviously none of this is official until the papers are signed and Kyle is off to Basic Training, but we are prayerful that he will be able to pursue the path that he feels God is calling him on.

The rest of our week was full of getting settled in for the new school year. I wrote about 15 different checks for this fee or that yearbook. Will and I had a marathon school supply shopping trip (it took 3 HOURS). The kids and I sorted through our bounty the next day, and I think we got everyone set up with all the things they need for now. I am amazed by how much stuff is required to go to school now-a-days. I just don't remember needing anywhere near this amount. I guess it's just one more thing that proves I'm getting older. The week was wrapped up with Kayla's first High School dance on Friday evening. She went with her friend Emmeli that she met on the water polo team this summer. She had a lot of fun, and heeded her Dad's advice to "stay away from those creepy boys". If ever there was a case of TGIF, we had it by the end of that week. The weekend has been relaxing, so I guess I'm ready to start a new week in the morning. We'll see how I feel when my alarm clock goes off. 8^)