Third Grade ... Summer Fades... we're back at this place again

Layla started 3rd grade.

I want her back. I don't want her to go away every day. She's nine and learning a lot about herself and others. She's full of wit and wonder, she's fabulously smart, and she's nearing that glorious stage where she's a young lady but also a kid. She likes jump-roping, play dough, Lalaloopsies, Legos, and dolls --just the way she should. She's playing Batman and Robin with her baby brother Everett (almost 3) right now. She dressed him in a skirt of hers and a hair bow and told him he was Batman. When I asked her why she dressed him like that she said, "Because he doesn't know any better." They are running and playing all over the house. It's great. Imagination is awesome.

All week we talked about how excited she was for school, but sad too because she'll miss me. She hardly ever tells me things like that. I just hug her and tell her I understand that feeling. I'm excited for her but I'll miss her too. Sometimes we have to do things we like and don't like, or that we are excited about but have mixed feelings about.

It's hard knowing we have so many things we'll be doing without her. We have a lot of homeschool fun planned this fall. 

This summer we played, laughed, and made new routines. We danced in the backyard; we sang songs in the car. We added a new baby to our family and got lost in the magic of a newborn and the wonder of life. Layla learned to change a diaper. I can’t fully explain it but just her smile makes me a better mom.

She graduated from little kid to big kid all in one expeditious summer.

We also had tiffs and squabbles, she'd roll her eyes and I'd say, "oh you did not just do that!" She had her birthday party taken away five times. Turns out it was an empty threat, but she was being so "bad" so "defiant" and she....*sarcastic gasp* rolled her eyes at us. The desire to have an "obedient" child didn't override a birthday party. We can find common ground, we can learn many lessons together, and we can all cool off and talk about things later. And we all did.

 In the thicket of various problems, bad attitudes, and complaining I'd ask myself if I was glad she was going back to school in August. I said no every time.

 And here we are the first day; smiles, giggles, tummy butterflies and all. The sisters say goodbye after a summer together, and pieces of my heart tried to hold it together. A stuffed brand new backpack is ready to endure nine months of being tossed around and carried back and forth. We waited for Mr. Dan to pull the bus up to our house (and hoped so much he'd be our bus driver again). Layla and Penelope laughed and giggled and wrestled like little girls while we waited. (Little girl wrestling = grabbing and hanging on each other, giggling and being goofy)

  I love when Layla tells me the things Mr. Dan says. He thinks we are funny... he finds it hilarious when Sebastian and Everett fight. One day they rolled out the front door in a pile screeching at each other as Layla got on the bus. Mr. Dan got the biggest kick out of it.

 So, the first day of 3^rd grade the bus pulled up and Everett jumped onto the fence wearing his batman costume, Sebastian waved manically and yelled bye to Layla over and over, Penelope and I shouted HAVE A GOOD DAY!! We made an enthusiastic ruckus at 8am. A man of few expressions, Mr. Dan waved at us and cracked a smile. And off they went.