The boys first day

Austin has to wear a uniform, his shirts with the school logo haven't come in yet so he has to wear this one every day, because it is the only collared shirt he has. The younger 2 ride the bus home, but I've missed getting a picture of that. So far, Luke loves it, Evan likes it, and Austin is tolerating it. He doesn't want to work at all, but he did say that he loves the 3 day a week schedule. It took him 3 hours on Tues to do his schoolwork, and then while Nate, Amanda, and I worked, he went swimming at Nanny's.

My biggest boy is off to school too.

This morning at 7:30 Austin's dream of finally being able to go to school came true, when our neighbor friend picked him up for his first day of school. This Monday papers were signed in a settlement agreement over our previous business, so the way was made clear for us to enroll Austin at www.trinityclassical.net This school is ideal for him, it is M, W, Fri from 8:15 to 3pm, and then on Tues and Thursdays he works from home. He will be studying Latin, Science, Math, Grammar/Literature, and History. There are only 75 students in the whole school, from 1st through high school. The school is held in a church building about 30 min from my house, but my friends 17yr old daughter is hauling him to and fro, so that is a huge blessing for me not to have to drive 2 hours a day. They put him in 6th grade for now, but will probably move him to a 7th grade math class because he is 2 years ahead of what this class will be doing for Math. His writing skills are the only thing keeping him from the 7th grade, but he requested that he be placed in the lower grade so that he wouldn't be overwhelmed, which is probably a good thing. Evan tested for 5th, but I chose to place in 4th for that very reason. We shall see how they do.

The younger boys start on Monday, and we went to open house last night to meet their teachers. Luke got his friends mother as a teacher, they live about 5 houses up the street, so he already knows her and is comfortable with her. She is an adorable blonde, smiley teacher who is very enthusiastic so I think they are a good match. Evan's teacher was very nice, and seems a little more no nonsense. When she told me that she doesn't give homework on Fridays and tries to limit hw in general, I knew she was a winner. She was also the teacher that had interviewed Evan before he was enrolled, and she was very helpful and complimentary towards us at that time, so I think we shall get along well.

I can't describe to you the relief I feel of not having to plan out the school year this time. This does not automatically mean that this is the end of my homeschooling days, but after the crazy year that we just endured, I honestly think that this is in the best interest of all my kiddos. As I alluded, our lawsuit may be over in 21 days, just as soon as all the paperwork is agreed on and signed. All things considered, we did well at the settlement, and both of us feel satisfied with the outcome. We have been running wide open for the past few months and that will continue as I get used to getting up early, making breakfast, and driving the boys and Amanda around. Amanda will be at the Tech college close by from 8am to 12noon working on getting her GED. I think that this is the best option for her, considering how neglected her academics were in the past. She is interested in a Culinary career, and this trade school offers one, so maybe in a year or so she can enroll in that. I am a little concerned about her being in a college setting 4 hours a day, but I have to start preparing her for that soon enough anyway, whether it be an outside job or school. Since she is a minor the teachers will assist me in keeping a closer eye on her interactions with other students, and her attendance.

A new day has come!!!

Nice Visits

I had a lovely time the past 2 weeks catching up with my friend Ashley, who was visiting from Brazil. Her 11 year old daughter and my boys have been friends their whole life, while her and I have been friends for about the same time. We had plenty of time to sit around and chat, thanks to her mother who watched the baby,(actually a toddler) and let us pop over to her house when we were at work. Nate's shop and Ashley's mom are right next to each other, so when I got tired of working, I'd go visiting.

This weekend, I packed up the boys and headed to Tonya's to see my newest niece. She is a tiny, fat little piggy baby, whom I totally enjoyed holding, but was happy to turn her back over to her mommy. We have not been to Alabama in a year and a half, so a visit was long overdue. We stayed 3 nights and that was the perfect amount for the younger children. My uncle used to say "fish and company go bad after 3 days", so I always keep that in mind, plus having 9 children 11 and younger under one roof for too long can get crazy. I could have talked to Tonya for 3 more days, because we never seem to run out of interesting things to discuss, but work and hubby were home so our visit had to end. The boys and I really miss having them close by, but I am glad that for the past couple of years they have been fairly close for frequent visits.

When we pulled into Tonya's neighborhood there was a young woman or teenager walking around in her driveway with her cheeks hanging out of her bathing suit. Luke caught sight of her and said, "ugh, we are really in the south now."