First Day of School 2011

School started on Monday, August 22 this year. Cannon is a Freshman at Stansbury High School. He gets to take Seminary, Weights for Football, Algebra, Geography and Food Science as well as English and Computer Tech. They have 4 classes per day alternating blue and black days for the school colors. He leaves the house at 7 am and I pick him up from football practice at 6 pm. It is so strange having him gone for that long everyday. Today if Friday and since there is a Varsity game there wasn't practice so he came home on the bus at 2:45 pm. He doesn't know this but Leah and I were very excited to have him home. She waited outside and we also made a special treat for him. He is going to tonights' game to be a water boy.
Rachel is in 5th grade and has a great teacher named Ms. Bowman at Excelsior Academy. She and Devon leave the house at 7:45 am and get home at 4 pm. It sure makes the evenings fly with all the homework and chores and squeezing in play time. Rachel is a great student who loves to read and enjoys writing stories. She is learning how to be a great speller but it sometimes is hard for her to remember the words. She loves school and makes friends easily. As a mother it is so rewarding to see her treating others with kindness and respect unlike some of the girls her age who are beginning to be catty and rude to each other. Leah also misses Rachel terribly during the day and sometimes I will hear Leah in Rachel's room with the music on and when I check on her, she is dancing like she used to do with Rachel. So cute!
Devon is a champion. He talked all summer about how he didn't like Excelsior and wanted to go to the neighborhood school. But the first day of school he came home happy and excited and loves his teacher, Ms. VanWeerd (for a 7 year old to have a teacher with such a cool name). I'm looking forward to being in his classroom again this year and seeing his love for learning and friendliness to others. He's already talked about several boys in his class that are his friends and like last year, the discipling system already has him on yellow for talking at an inappropriate time. But honestly I love that Devon loves to be social and interact with his peers. I hope he can use some of that passion for reading and doing homework!!!! The best part about Devon is that it is always fun to be around him. He is funny and quirky and has a silly side that always gets us laughing. My favorite is when he is laughing so hard that he can't stop and all of us are laughing. I just have to remember that when we're trying to have family prayer before bed and he can't sit still!
I have to admit it is very nice to be back into the routine and having a little more time to get projects (like blogging) done more regularly. I made up a chore chart for myself which certainly helps when I feel that sense of what to do??!!