Back to School

Jeff took a road trip in August to get Hannah settled back into dorm life.  Having her here for the summer was wonderful.  We slipped right into our old routine.  I wasn't sure how it would feel having a college student return home, and I wondered if she would feel like a visitor.  It was a relief to find that having our family reassembled was just like old times.  I loved having she and her friends prowl around here once again, but it made the goodbye in August that much more bitter sweet.

Now her sophomore year is underway. She is happily reunited with her roommate, and has two new suite-mates as well.  Her classes are off to a good start, and routine has once again resumed.  I'm adjusting to daily phone conversations instead of the face to face kind.  Her chair at the supper table still feels very empty.  I've learned that it is much easier to adjust to having her home than it is to having her leave again!  :-)

But just as life got going in Tennessee we worked to get our own year off and running.  Emma and I went to meet the teacher day at big girl school.  Emma saw no reason for a new teacher OR a new classroom.  As far as she was concerned, three year old preschool was a great place and she was happy to go back every single year.  I was kind of with her on that, but we're moving on up in this world, and it was time to branch out to the four year old wing.

Her preschool built a new children's building last year, and we are blessed to have a brand new facility to enjoy this fall.  It is lovely!!.....as is her brand new teacher, and the other nine kids in her class.  Turns out, four year old big-girl-school isn't such a bad thing, and after meet the teacher our reservations were transformed into excitement!

We picked out some pretty flowers to take our new teacher.  The doodle wanted oh-so-badly to taste test them.

One week later we were out the door for the official first day.  Some lucky kids have moms who actually posted photos to facebook and their blogs that very day, marking the milestone and hailing the arrival of a new season.

Certain other kids don't have those kinds of moms.

Some kids have to wait a week to get public recognition.

We're getting there.

We may not spring off the starting line immediately around here, but we're settling in, and I'm starting to come around with the documentation.  :-)