Seasons: A time for new beginnings...

As summer is coming to an end, I feel the vibes in the house changing. The kids know it's coming and there is a mixed feeling of joy for what a new year brings, and a sadness of what it means to leave summer freedom behind. All three seem to be excited for school to start on Wednesday.

This is Adrienne's senior year...a year of "lasts"... her schedule will be different this year as she has the opportunity to take second year French at UNL (University of Nebraska-Lincoln), and will also have a French mentor at her high school with one other student. The class is called "Conversational French" and that's what they'll do- have conversations in French. On her days that she is not at the University, she will be a student helper in one of the French rooms. Besides French she'll will have 3 AP classes (Literature & Composition, Government & Politics and Calculus) and Physics. It all sounds hard to me, but she thinks it will be a relatively easy year :)

Eliot is in 8th grade and it will be his last year in middle school. He always has a great attitude at the beginning of the year and looks forward to the fresh start. He's trying to decide if he will walk to school with friends or bike this year. He will have all the basic classes (Math, English, Science, Social Studies, Health/PE) plus french and one other "extra" class. We will get his schedule on Monday night at "Safe-Walk to School Night." The kids can come and pick up their schedules, walk around and find their classrooms, try out their locker and put money in their lunch accounts. He has decided to not do band or choir this year, but will continue to play bass on the Wednesday night Praise Team at church. I'm sure he'll be doing some basketball this year as well as keeping his Y membership.

Elise is just excited to see her friends again. She got the "new" teacher as everyone is calling her. In our elementary school, it's a big deal for a teacher to leave, and the new ones have high expectations to live up to. She also has a new principal, a new music teacher and a new PE teacher as they all retired last year. It is certainly a new era at Sheridan Elementary as Elise enters 1st grade.

For me, I am sad to see certain parts of summer go. I will miss my early morning walks with my french neighbor and all of the color and stability that she brings to my day. I will miss Eliot cleaning up the living room and doing dishes when he has nothing to do. I will miss Elise asking me 42 times a day, "Can I watch TV now?"  I will miss last-minute trips to the store with Adrienne.  I will miss Scott and the kids, it will be lonely.

But, I am glad for the school year to return. I'm looking forward to the routine that school brings. I am glad that I will see Adrienne more if she continues to use the kitchen table to do homework. I am glad that I won't have to figure out how I'm going to put my hours in at work. I am glad that we will have the "no TV, no friends" rule during the week. I am glad that a new year means my kids are taking the next step in this "life" thing. I am glad that they will have opportunities each day to learn and grow from other people and themselves. I am glad that this life thing is not stagnate, but is seasonal. And that in every season, we have new beginnings.