For I know the thoughts I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11
This is the story of our start back to school, after five years of homeschooling.
First of all, our little Caleb didn’t know how to tie his shoes quite yet. Papa bought him snazzy new shoes with laces and Mama groaned, so Papa went right to work teaching the little guy how to tie.
He got it figured out in about 10-15 minutes.
Rich made him practice over and over as I watched.
The thing is, it takes a beginner a V E R Y L O N G T I M E to get the ties done.
So I started making up some silly songs about how it takes a long time to make those loops. And Rich said to stop, “You’re distracting Caleb. Go away.” I said, “Caleb! Do I really have to go away?” He laughed, “No, you don’t.”
So I started singing again and Caleb said, “If you’re going to keep singing that, than you do have to go away.”
Right after he said that, and I was pretending to be shocked, just a fraction of a second later, I took this picture.
Aches on Monday evening. Mama-heart aches, small ones…just thinking and praying, “Dear Lord, keep us close even though the children will be all on their own (separated), at school, beginning tomorrow.” Watching them play, trying not to think negatively, but positively, knowing it is for their very best interest to go and grow their wings. They play so well together, our happy gang. Sarah is way too little for the trampoline and was in her red car, busily peeling the stickers off it. The new kittens were out with us, too, frolicking about.
We had an “end of life as we know it” & “end of summer vacation” hot dog roast.
Seth absolutely insisted on roasting his own hot dog, but only lasted about 15 seconds because the fire was so hot.
Rich was on his back, resting, when Sarah toddled over and got right on him for a snuggle, it just melted his heart and the children said, “Take a picture, MOM!”
On Monday night we had baths, packed up the lunches, gathered up the five different outfits, shoes and socks, lined up the backpacks.
We woke up the three older children on Tuesday morning, at 5:30. They ate breakfast, the boys showered, they got dressed. I barely got to take this picture before the bus showed up, in the rain, to take them to school. All three on the same bus. It arrived at 6:30. They left, I cried…..
They’ve grown and matured so much in the last five years. They are such good children. I asked Rich, “How did we end up with such wonderful children?” I know all parents feel this way, but I truly am just so humbled and thankful to God for the way they are. I would not change a thing about any of them. They surprise and delight me on a daily basis.
David and Caleb woke up while the older ones were still home. They were all ready for school by about 7.
Look at the shoes! He’s big!
David was seriously ready for his third grade responsibilities.
They love their snazzy backpacks from potterybarn kids.
David and Caleb rode different busses, and they arrived at the house at the same time. They were picked up and gone so fast. You saw the one picture I got, of Caleb, that I posted yesterday. It makes Rich and I both sad to look at it, a happy and proud sort of sad. 
They were gone, and then Rich took a picture with the ones I was left with.
I look amazingly happy, but after Rich left for work, I sat on the couch to read “Little Red Caboose” to the little ones, thought of David and Caleb, Jacob, Ethan, and Grace, and the very many times I’ve read that story through the years to each one of them. Seth and Sarah were snuggled up close, but the rest of the house was too quiet and still. I cried through half the book. Remembering. Yet, so very thankful for the opportunity to single mindedly mother these two precious small children while the others are at school.
We got through half the book before Seth lost interest (didn’t like the sad version?) and wandered off to get into mischief and I was very soon back to normal. LOL
I had to go out for Sarah’s doctor’s check up, there was nothing to note except that she is dropping off her curve in weight. So, I need to give her full fat yogurt, full fat milk, lots of buttery sandwiches, peanut butter, egg yolks, and so on. I will do this as I whisper, “Please enjoy this, you lucky baby, because when you are 30-something you will miss this rich kind of eating!”
We made cookies without a hundred interruptions from 6 other children.
Me and my little friend Seth, as Sarah quietly played at our feet.
And later on, I got the table ready for the children to return.
I put the little ones to bed for naps, sat on the couch to enjoy my book, and then got a call from the High School from Jacob cheerfully telling me he “missed the bus, would you come get me, please?”
I had to leave a note on the door for Ethan and Grace! They came home to an empty house!
Jacob’s first day of school: Had trouble figuring out how to work the combination on his locker. Asked for help three times from students and teacher alike. Noted the crowds of students that he had to get through to get anywhere. Saw friends from baseball. Ate lunch at any ol’ place but had one boy sit and talk to him. Had a mass of rules and papers for me to look at, read, and sign. Apparently had no problems talking to people, but admitted he had some nervous feelings and wasn’t able to eat much of his lunch. (wow, I thought, he must’ve been excited to not be able to EAT.) And, he missed the bus home. Had homework, writing about a memorable childhood experience.
Ethan: He paced around the house as he told me about his locker woes. He locked his combination right in and spent the first half of the day carrying his things everywhere. “Just bending down to pick up the pen cap that I dropped made me drop my books!” Had to find a teacher to help him get his locker open. “She made me do it myself so I would learn.” Missed the majority of lunch just trying to get his lunch out of his locker. He ate by himself cheerfully. “Earlier in the day some boys had asked me to sit with them, and they said later ‘why didn’t you eat with us?’ and I told them I was too busy and I would sit with them tomorrow.” Ethan forgot his assignment book at school, right on his desk. He seems to be the most undisciplined about his thoughts/belongings/responsibilities. Absentminded professor? He’ll figure it out. He’s so cheerful about it all, absolutely not bothered about a thing. Makes me laugh. He had to write his English teacher a letter for homework, telling him about himself. I read it, and it was great. He even put it in an envelope, because it was a letter, after all.
Grace: Nervous about science, the teacher made her nervous. Found out she has to dissect a frog this year (could this be part of it?!) The tall lab tables made her nervous. The music teacher singled her out, “You have the last name of one of my favorite composers AND my daughter’s first name!” She liked her Math teacher, who said her goal was to make math fun for her students. Sat with some friendly girls at lunch who invited her. Grace is calm and mature about it all but I get the feeling that the pointless busy work of the first day made her feel impatient. Also, she spoke with Jacob and told him that he had to memorize their bus number. (so he doesn’t miss it again).
David: Noted that his MAN teacher (a first) is a Red Sox fan. Said school was awesome. David is the one child that already went to public for K, and 1st. I taught him for 2nd. “I washed my hands with soap and it was the same soap from when I went to school before and I smelled my hands and said, ‘this sure brings back memories!'” As an aside, “I’m going to have to wash my hands every day again, ” he informed me. (!!)
Caleb: He didn’t say much about it but that he loved it and it was great. Last night when I was tucking him in, I said, “Well, Caleb, do you have any nice stories to tell me about your first day of school?” He said, “They didn’t read me any stories. Could you read me a story?” So, I snuggled up next to him and we read a book about a gingerbread man, and he touched my arm as I read and I could smell his little boy Caleb smell and we relaxed as I read and read and………
…….and everything felt right again.
Good to be Home 