Growing Pains
The past few months have caused me to have some serious growing pains. I am stretching, growing, changing, and evolving. It is, at times, painful and occasionally sweet. Usually a combination of the two.
1.) Back-To-School
This year I have a senior (bittersweet), an 8th grader (last year of middle school...bittersweet), a 5th grader (sweet), and my baby is in all day Kindergarten (mostly sweet). The day finally arrived that all of our children are in school.
Bryn has been SO READY for kindergarten. It has been exciting to watch her go to school and blossom. She and my niece, Elle, ended up in the same class and that has been a huge blessing and a relief to know that they have each other during the day.
Kameron is kicking butt being an 8th grader. He is busy with friends, jazz band, scouts, and running cross country. He is in all Honors classes and is kicking butt academically too. I am slowly adjusting to his being an 8th grader because I know how fast the time will fly once he gets into high school next year...gulp.
Ailey is loving 5th grade. She has the same teacher that Kameron had in 5th grade...Mrs. Antonio...his very favorite teacher. Ailey just adores her as well. Ailey ran for ASB (aka Student Council) and was nominated by her classmates. This was huge. Ailey is a little shy and she really put herself out there for this. She even had to write and give a speech about why the kids should vote for her. She did a spectacular job. We are so proud of her.
Reilly is loving her Senior year. Fun classes, cute boyfriend, exciting opportunities, decisions to be made, and planning for the the future. This is what I am having the most trouble adjusting to...a SENIOR. It's real people. My child is a senior and will soon head out into the world on her own. Ouch.
Tears. Deep breaths. Worry. Love. Joy. Excitement. Faith. Prayers. Love. Tears. Worry. Deep breaths. Concern. Prayers. Comfort. Joy. Excitement. Faith. Tears. Love. Deep breaths.
(You know all those well meaning ladies who used to annoy you when you were up to your eyeballs in diapers, bottles, and babies. The ones who would tell you "enjoy this time, it will go by so quickly" ...yeah...they were right. It sure has.)
My adjustment to being home without kids has been an easy one. Thank goodness. I had several people ask me what I was doing now with "all that time"? I liken it to when you get a raise. You think all that extra money is going to be so amazing and then your spending increases and your financial obligations increase and you end up just about the same financially. It's kind of like that for me time wise. My days just fill up and I am just as busy, actually busier, than I was before. Funny huh? Yesterday was my first day at home that I didn't have to go ANYWHERE or do ANYTHING but to get it I had to say no to a few things. So I guess it still wasn't a free, do nothing, kind of day.
Here are some more pictures from the first day of school...you have to have pictures of the full outfit, right? And the the obligatory sitting at their desk pics. Kids don't let you take those for very long. Boohoo.
In Reilly's picture you can see her full outfit so I won't repost. Here are the rest...
Checkerboard Vans are the BEST!! Kam has been rocking those since he was a baby. Those were the first pair of shoes we bought for him after we found out that we were having a boy. The tiniest little pair of black and white checkerboard Vans. He wore a little pair of red and white checkerboard Vans on his first day of kindergarten too and has had so many pairs in between. Kam has Vans that he wears to school and Vans that are his church Vans. These are actually his "Church Shoes". Love that kid.
Ailey was super stoked about her chevron dress, new jean jacket, and her favorite blingy sandals that she wore everywhere this summer. This year was also momentous in that she requested a carrier bag rather than a backpack this year.
She also let me take a picture of her at her desk in FIFTH GRADE!! That is a family record. It was a no go for both Reilly and Kameron by 5th grade. Thanks Ailey!!
We were even able to have our traditional back to school breakfast at the Cottage with Brynnie because Kindergarten didn't start until a few days later (they had to do all kinds of assessments this year.)
Finally the big day arrived!! Love her cute outfit and blingy sandals too. She also had a blingy backpack and a blingy lunchbox. Such a cutie.
Heading to school with her big sis. I love that they will have two years of elementary school together.
Cousins!! Watch out Kindergarten here they come.
We did it!! The old pros and the first timer.
2.) Reilly has a boyfriend.
.
A real one. A serious one. It is so weird. There is something completely unnerving about watching your nearly grown daughter run out of the house, yell good-bye, and jump into the truck of a cute boy, and take off without so much as a backward glance at her two parents who are standing on the porch waving. How did we get here? It wasn't that long ago that I was the one running out of the house, yelling good-bye, and jumping into the truck of a cute boy without so much as a backward glance. It's so weird when life comes full circle, isn't it? So.Weird. It's like teenage Reilly ran past teenage Kristin and teenage Kristin ran past my 40 year old mother and then turned into her. Time slips and slides. The good news is that we really like the BF (his name is Justin). We actually REALLY like him and he appears to like us due to the large amount of time he spends hanging out at our house. He is cute, kind, helpful, sweet, funny, treats our daughter well, and is extremely respectful and responsible. He is enjoyable to have around and fits in well with our family so things could be a lot worse.
3.) I found my first true gray hair.
Coarse, wiry, and nearly white. I couldn't believe my eyes. I mean I know that I am 42 and that hair does go gray but really nothing prepared me for the shock of seeing it on my own head in all it's terrible elderly glory. It's proof that I am aging. As if the universe isn't already telling me that at every.single.turn. these days. I blame it on Tyler's heart surgery. The shock of it and all. Tyler suddenly sprouted a whole patch grays on one of his temples after all that business. On Tyler I think it looks sexy...on me it reminds me of my grandma...not sexy.
4.) Tyler's Heart Issues
First off, I am so beyond grateful for that stent. I am so grateful that Tyler is doing spectacularly. I am so grateful to have him here healthy and happy. But...I am so mad that this happened in the first place. The man already has one life threatening disease that somewhat controls every thing we do... do we really need to throw in another? (I realize how lame that sounds and in light of a family member who is going through something so much worse it doesn't even compare...but still.) Life isn't fair and it really really sucks. It seems like if you already have one terrible thing that you shouldn't get another, or even a third, like my beloved family member. That said...Tyler is doing great and has had such a good recovery. We are truly blessed but it also changed us. How could it not? We aren't as carefree as we used to be. We aren't as lackadaisical about things as we used to be. We don't just throw caution to the wind anymore. We are more serious. We are more deliberate now in many ways. We are adults. We have arrived. We arrived on August 13, 2014. I miss those goofy carefree kids sometimes.
See...S-T-R-E-T-C-H-I-N-G....evolving...changing... and with it comes some growing pains.
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