Starting School

The start of this school year marks a first in our lives.  All three of my kids will be in school!  Theona is going into 3rd grade.  In two years she'll be in middle school.  What?  Kaden is starting pre-k!  He definitely needs some structure.  He loves people.  And he does great in his class at church.  But that's only one day a week.  So now he'll be going Monday through Friday from 8-2! 

He can't ride the bus, so I'll be dropping him and Theona off in the morning.  She'll get to ride the bus home, which she loves.  One thing he'll have to get used to is a "nap time".  He quit taking naps all of the sudden when school ended in May.  But one of the things they have to bring is a sheet and a blanket.  For him, at first it'll be more like a "quiet time".  But I imagine that once he's used to it, he'll probably even sleep!

Paxton starts Mother's Day Out in September.  He'll go on Monday and Wednesday from 9:30 to 1:30.  4 hours of ME time!  I've been a stay at home mom for almost 8 years and I've really loved being able to do it.  I have not been at home without a child in 8 YEARS!  Truly blessed to have all this time with my kids.  But to have 8 hours a week to do whatever I want or need to do is going to be a huge relief.  I really would like to try volunteering at Vandy.  I'm just not sure it'll be doable.  I won't get there until 10 and I'll have to leave by 1.  But 2 hours volunteering for people who need a boost, I feel like it would be so rewarding.

I'm also excited for Paxton to be in a structured setting too!  They have special days too, like a Pumpkin Party and Thanksgiving celebration.   And a Western Wear day!  The program is at Tulip Grove Baptist.  It's really cool that it'll be a good and safe environment for him.  When the kids get in trouble, they get a warning and then a time out per age, and then if they're still acting up, they go see Mrs. Angie.  She's the director.  She talks with them about their behavior and prays with them over it.  Depending on how he likes it there, we'll probably keep him there until he's ready for pre-k, which will be 2015 because of his late birthday. 

And by then, Loren will be working as a teacher (hopefully) and we'll either be pregnant or already have another sweet baby!  I'm not saying I wanna be like Michelle Duggar and keep popping them out.  But we had always talked about 4.  And I'll only be 34.  And now that Paxton has really developed his little personality and he's laid back and sweet, I can see having another and not going crazy!  Some people seem to dread starting over if they've already got their kids out of diapers.  But I don't mind.  You get a break from it, rather than a continuous streak.  I've done it both ways and honestly, it doesn't make a difference to me.  Once you've got that little baby burrito in your arms, nothing matters.  And really, with all 3 kids in school at that point, having one baby at home sounds like a vacation!  ;)  I can't wait for my kids to start this new phase!