Hello, my friends!
Your eyes are not deceiving you: I really am truly back – at least I plan to be. School starts on Monday and we’ll be back in a routine again which – I hope! – means I’ll have a little more time to think my thoughts and mop my floors and type my words to share with you. I am absolutely, positively going to post on Thursday – lots of thoughts running around in my brain about the beginning of the school year and the facts that I can’t escape:
One child will start middle school.
The other child will start kindergarten.
I might just disintegrate into a puddle of mush around 8:00 am CT on Monday. But as I type this post on Monday night, I’m sitting in a hospital room 250+ miles from home awaiting Nathan’s annual sleep study (as you can see in the photo above, he is not enthused about it). So until Thursday when I tell you all about how I’m a total mess with the first day of school looming, I’m keeping it a bit lighter and simpler and less panicky (with a few photos).
First…I don’t have any photos of the kids from the past week, because they were GONE. Yes, G-O-N-E gone for a whole week to Tennessee to stay with their grandparents (Mr. Andi’s dad and his wife). Mr. Andi and I took the opportunity to have dinner at the home of a couple down the street on Tuesday, and with Nathan’s preschool teacher and her husband on Thursday.
On Sunday, a few minutes into Mass, Mr. Andi leaned over and asked, “Have we ever been to Mass without the kids?” The answer is that no, we had not, because before Mr. Andi became Catholic he didn’t go with me if the kids weren’t home (and it was rare that they both weren’t home).
I had an extensive to-do list planned for the week – the last time the kids left for a week three years ago, I had everything on my list completed by the third day – but I was WAY too optimistic this go ’round about how much time I would have. My client list has grown so I spent a good bit of the week working, and the rest of it picking up Sarah Kate’s class schedule and scrounging school supplies for both kids.
Which brings me to the next item on my list…
When Nathan’s teacher letter came in the mail, I knew who his teacher was going to be before I ever read her name, because I recognized her handwriting. He will have the same teacher that Sarah Kate had in kindergarten. I’m thrilled, because not only is she an excellent teacher, her class was like a little family and it was a great experience for the first year of school for Sarah Kate.
She added a handwritten note to the form letter indicating how blessed she was to be a part of our family again. Mr. Andi read it and said, “She remembers us!” What I thought was, “Yes, and after she has Nathan in her class there’s no chance she’ll ever forget us.”
See you on Thursday – if we make it out of here.
Caption of the photo of Nathan: Can we PLEEEAAASE get this over with? I want to run and fray Sarah Kate’s nerves! (End caption)
LOL! I like it. 🙂
It is simply impossible that he is old enough to start kindergarten! I still remember our first visit and dining at Crepe Myrtle!! Enjoy the last days of summer dear friend! Sending love
Earlier caption of photo is accurate. Nathan is there to challenge Sarah Kate, yourself, and Mr. Andi. Glad to see you back Andi, hope all is well with Sarah Kate and Nathan. Tone is high in Tennessee. I am in high tone. Sleep challenging. And I have company from Berkeley in a few days who’s moving to my area. He’s a classical musician (Harpsichordist and tunes Harpsichords) and also fellow audiophile.