First Day of School!

I have not blogged since July 6th? For the one or two people who read this blog faithfully I apologize. As I have said in the last couple of posts, we have been having way too much summer fun! Laundry has piled up, the house is in need of some serious tlc, and we have all been going to bed far too late and sleeping in way too long. Sadly summer fun is no more as of yesterday. Rachel started first grade yesterday, and my little Lilly began her first day of kindergarten this morning. Kuna school district, the fate of my little children is now in your hands. At least Monday through Friday from 8am until 2:30. Treat them well, they are special little beings!

I only get slightly choked up when I think about Lilly going off into the world where I cannot protect her, but despite the absence of tears, I am emotionally affected. Last night I had a dream that I sent my three oldest children to Disneyland with a large group of strangers. It didn't occur to me that it was a bad idea until they were already gone. When they got back I asked if everyone was nice to them and they told me no. The deeper meaning is not hard to see.

You have never met two children who were this excited to start school. Lilly was visibly giddy. She is a giggly thing anyway, but last night after Shelby took her to buy a new Dora the Explorer backpack she came back beside herself. She had a hard time settling down for bed, but got up this morning very willingly and got ready in record time.

As is Rachel's nature, her excitement was a bit more subtle. When asked if she is excited for first grade, her eyes light up and she does her trademark coy smile and answers with a quiet "yes". Her teacher told her on back-to-school night that her only homework was to get a good night's sleep. Rachel obeyed and was out by eight. This never happens in Rachel's world. She is a night owl who likes to sleep in. Since her bus picks her up at the unreasonable hour of 6:50, hopefully she will be able to make a habit of going to sleep early.

Carson is quite enjoying this day without his sisters. Emilia is asleep, so he and I have the rare treat of being each other's sole companions. Still, it was almost ten o'clock before he realized the girls were missing. He asked were they were, and was not at all upset when I told them they would be gone for the day.

As sad as I am to see summer fun end, and as much as I dread having to once again wake up before the crack of dawn, it has been apparent over these past few weeks how very restless we were all becoming. There have been a lot of little fights, and even a few knock-down drag-outs. Most of the fights involved Rachel "just playing" with Carson or Lilly, who would in turn screech and squeal and cry, since neither of them thought of Rachel's man-handling as playing. As my tolerance waned, I found myself sending them downstairs to watch movies way more than I should have. This all made it easier to send them back to school.

For the record, Emmy had her 12-month check-up a couple of weeks ago. Yes it is true, my little baby is now a 1-year-old! The doctor says everything looks good, although she is excessively small. She weighed in at 17lbs, which puts her once again in the 1st percentile. No worries though. Dr. Hanks is unconcerned, and so am I. The kid eats like crazy, and is very happy and healthy. She can now say mom (although she almost never does), dad (her favorite word), uh-oh, and I swear she occasionally says "cat". She also has "tricks" that she will do, but not usually on command. She gives big slobbery kisses, waves, and claps. But my favorite thing is when she dances. I am always amazed at how innate the need to move to music is, and how young babies are when they start grooving to the beat.