First Day of School 2012

8.6.12

Sunny ... no clouds whatsoever. The breeze was so faint and the morning was already hot that it felt like it was going on noon instead of 7:15 am.
I set my alarm for 6:00 am but fell back to sleep and didn't wake up again until 6:25 am. I finally peeled myself off the bed and headed first to Sydna's bedroom. She has to be at school by 8:10 am but since she straightens her hair she needs to get up at least an hour and a half earlier because her hair is so long. She is so slow that sometimes she doesn't have time to eat breakfast. After waking her up I then woke up Nathan. His alarm was set to go off in five minutes so he stayed in bed 'til his wake up song came on.

In Tucson, elementary goes all the way to 6 grade so this is Nathan's last year in elementary school. When it comes to getting ready he's pretty speedy. I really don't have to be after him making sure he gets ready on time.

{Nathan - 11 years old}

This year is also the very first time that he rides the school bus. I've always taken him to school. Dropping him off right infront of the school in the mornings and arriving at the carpool lane 15-20 minutes early in order to be one of the first ones in the carpool lane. I think this is the right time for him to experience more independence. In my opinion when it comes to boys it's ok to be a little lax on certain things that I wouldn't be lax with Sydna. That's just the way it is. I still don't let him walk to school because although his school is only four blocks away those blocks are long and I just don't trust people. Simple as that. There's a lot of crazy people everywhere.

While I waited for the school bus to arrive with Riley attached to my hip I was already sweating. It was so humid this morning. Reminds me of Texas summers. Dreadfully humid! Yuck. Good thing I was outside for about two minutes and once I saw the bus drive up, stop, and saw Nathan walking towards it I took a picture and immediately went back inside the house. Nathan is the one wearing the red shirt.

It is such a relief not having to leave the house twice in an hour to drop off the kids. I'll still drop him off if it's raining in the morning or way cold but that wont be too often. For Sydna, we try to leave the house at 7:50 am. If you leave any later you risk being stuck in traffic. So given that she's so slow in doing things I have to be after her about every 5 -10 minutes. Yelling out the time, hurrying her up if it's ten minutes before we leave and she still hasn't eaten breakfast. Some mornings are definitely more stressful than others. When it comes to Sydna I am not a lax mom. She's sometimes not happy about that but I stick to my way of parenting and remain consistent no matter how draining it can be. I'm strict but fair even if she sometimes doesn't think so. There's a lot of communication going on between us and I'm hoping I always accomplish to have her see my point of view. I often have her see herself from a third person that way she sees things in a clearer light. It does work even though she may have an annoyed look on her face but that's my responsibility as her mom. To teach and guide her.

Sydna is starting the 10th grade, a sophomore. Yikes!

{Sydna - 15 years old}

Thankfully they both had a good day. They were a little nervous but according to their first day of school stories they did great. They both liked their teachers ... at least for now but they both had plenty  to talk about when it came to who they got in each class ... boy oh boy! I know there will be a lot of days they each will mention a certain someone telling me how that person irritated them, or how rude they were. All I can do is listen attentively and offer advise if it is required. Gotta love the school years.

I love my kids. They are my world and I pray they both have a great school year, work hard in their studies and always strive to be the best they can be. This is when it'll get more challenging for Sydna ... now until she graduates and we will be there for her through the highs and lows supporting her every step of the way.

I do get sad and at times teary eyed when I think of how our lives will change {are changing} as Sydna gets older. Nothing ever stays the same but I am looking to the future with optimism and can't wait to see the bright young woman I know she will become. She's got a bright future ahead of her. I just pray she always keeps God close to her heart.

With God on her side she will accomplish anything she sets her mind to.