Tide in Texas

It's football season. So you know what that means.....

The Tide will continue to roll....

....in the Big D.

Watch out world, here they come.

Since I am currently curled up in a heaping ball of mush, I will only post pictures of my kids first days of school. And then I will cry some more and wish we were going to a playground with their sippy cups before their naptime. And then I will start diligently working on a machine that will prevent Lainey from ever growing another inch.

We'll start with Bennett and pictures from her first day of 1st grade. Let me start by saying that I am so incredibly proud of this little girl. She is one of the bravest kids that I have ever known. We had only lived in Texas 4 weeks when she started school and she didn't know one single person in her class. She loved her school in Alabama and having to leave her magnet school was one of the toughest things about our move. I know she was scared and it hurt my heart to just send her into a building without me and without the assurance and comfort of having other kids that she knew. And I'm not going to lie. The first few days were rough. She definitely felt overwhelmed and alone. Even now, three weeks in, I think she is struggling to find her place. I wish I could rescue her and make it all better, but God is already teaching both of us lessons in trust.

First day of school donuts. A tradition that began in pre-school and one that I am very happy to continue.

Gearing up for the first day.

Sibling love.

Walking to school on the first day. I absolutely love the fact that there is a school in every subdivision in our city. Walking to school every morning, and then home again in the afternoons, has been such a treat. I don't have to fight carpool lines and Bennett and I have the best talks. I love this.

Lainey looks a bit unsure about her morning walk.

Trying to keep it together. Both of us.

Our awesome principal was there to greet all of the kids. We love her already.

Two peas in a pod.

Ready to take first grade by storm. 

It was a hard summer. A really hard summer, but we stuck together through the whole thing. Leaving her for 7 hours was a bit hard on me and Rob. But it felt like the beginning of our life here in Texas. And that is a very good thing.

I'm so proud of my baby big girl.

Whew! Okay, so if that wasn't emotional enough, I had to do it all over the next week when we took Will to Kindergarten. Will has a summer birthday so we really prayed over whether or not we should send him on to Kindergarten. I've never been one of those moms who decided when their baby was born that I would hold them back. Every child is different and unique and I personally feel like that decision should be made right before the child enters school. Rob and I prayed about it for months on end and we talked and talked to Will's pre-school teachers about it. They felt, and we ultimately agreed, that he was more than ready to go on to Kindergarten. They strongly felt that there was no reason to send him to pre-school another year. He tested for Bennett's magnet school in the spring and a teacher there told me he had one of the highest scores. So, that settled it. He was going to be a young 5 in Kindergarten. But then, with the move across the country, we decided not to send him to our neighborhood school. He had been through so much transition that I really did not want to throw him into a new school with a large class. Our wonderful church had a Kindergarten that would give him a much smaller class to teacher ratio. Plus the days were a bit shorter and he would be in the same building with Rob. We knew that was the right situation for Will. Plus it gives us options at the end of the year. If it really was too soon and he needs more time, he can always go to Kindergarten at our neighborhood school next year. And if not, he will be more than ready to go on to first grade.

The night before his first day we read this book to him. He couldn't sleep because he was so excited.

The special folder he chose for his reading assignments. Yeah, I cried.

I thought this was the cutest idea. His teacher gave all of the students this confetti to put by their beds the night before school started. So adorable.

And he's up. And whadayaknow? He requested donuts too. 

Lainey's really enjoying this first day of school business. Too bad she won't be getting donuts again for a long time.

Another sibling picture on the front lawn. But this time with a bonus Webster. Rob had to be in it to keep Lainey from running down the street. She does not look to pleased about this.

Oh my goodness. Look at this handsome little buddy. Where does the time go? Seriously. Where does it go? I was just holding this little thing in the hospital and then building a cardboard train for his 2nd birthday. Sigh.....

Two really great kids.

With his wonderful teacher.

Smiling on the outside, crying on the inside. Me. Not Will. He could not have been more excited.

 Oh, how I love this boy.

That's it. Go get 'em, Will.  Show this world what an incredibly loving, smart and kind kid you are.

And I am happy to say that Will is thriving in Kindergarten. I think he is having a much easier time than Bennett. He loves every single thing about it and he asks at night how much longer until he can go back. His music teacher stopped Rob at church and told him that Will was one of the sweetest boys she had ever met and that her only regret was that he hadn't been there in pre-school because she wanted more than a year with him. I am really happy for him and I hope this is laying the foundation for a love of school and a love for education that stays with him his whole life.

And now it's just me and Lainey at home. I did not put her in any mother's day out program this year, because I really want to take this year and pour into her and play with her and pretend like she will never be eating donuts on her first day of Kindergarten.

Heavenly Father, turn Bennett and Will's ears toward wisdom and their hearts toward understanding. Give them a teachable spirit, one that calls out for insight and searches for it as for hidden treasure.

Proverbs 2:2-4