Dog Days Gone…

We don’t have a dog.  We don’t have a cat.  We don’t have a fish (we did… Cinderella lived about two days under our care…)  But, the dog days of summer ended this past Wednesday and school is back in session.

Madeline... the 5th Grader

Charles... the mighty 2nd Grader

I love the ages that are kids are right now… I remember my childhood at their ages.  (However, as a side note I seriously have almost gone more crazy this summer at times because of the sibling wars.  It’s insane how stupid a fight can be and how often they can happen.  No joke, one night they sat at the kitchen table and wrote out one Bible for over an hour and a half… “Be kind and compassionate to one another. Forgiving each other just as Christ forgave you.”  Anyways!)  The fighting aside… I have memories from these  years in my life and I love it!

Second grade was probably one of my best in elementary.  I can’t really say that because honestly, I LOVED, seriously LOVED my elementary days… except first grade.  But second grade contained Mrs. Stahler.  A dear teacher that I loved and still to this day exchange Christmas cards with.  My only fear with Charlie this year is… he has a friend of ours, April, and Lord have mercy on her… I hope we’re friends at the end of the year.  Charlie’s a good kid but he’s a boy and sometimes his brain leaves his body.  Examples from last year would be… smoke bombs in his backpack… stealing pencil grips… and saying he saw someone get shot during the summer.  We’re hoping for a less exciting year.

Madeline just started 5th grade but out here that’s middle school… which while I sincerely love our school district… do not like.  It’s alright because they are segregated from the older grades however after spending years in children’s ministry and having different school districts represented the kids that stayed in elementary longer stayed kids longer and I want my kids to be kids… But… it is what it is.  So, I’m kinda of split on my feelings of this year for her.  My fifth grade year was absolutely terrific.  I had a teacher by the name of Mr. Grothaus and my best friend was in my class, Stacey.  We went on our overnight field trip to Camp Kern (which Maddie did last year…)  My sixth grade year was when middle school started and it was an alright year.  I never felt very confident that year (or the next…) and never had a solid group of friends in my classes.  However, I started band and that was the first year of 7 years where it played a major part in my life.  I loved it… and Madeline has gotten to start band this past week.  She’s playing my mom’s flute… that I played…

I suppose a new school year means I’m getting older… the only thing for certain at this moment is I hate… HATE… 6:00 am.  I have not gotten up more than one day every now and then at 6:00 am since my senior year of high school and quite honestly, I don’t think I got up at 6:00 am then either… I was kinda of over the every hair in place phase and was quite secure so I pretty much rolled out of bed at the last possible minute.

Oh well…  it’s a new season…