Painless!

The veteran and the newbie

Cousins (minus the bitty babies)

Summer is over, but the sting is absent! In the weeks before Alyssa's 1st Day of school, I was a bit of a mess. I absolutely dreaded losing her for hours a day to a teacher who couldn't possibly appreciate her as much as I do. Even after a year of experience, Alyssa's 1st day of 1st grade was hard on this mama's heart.

But Parker's first day was a breeze. Must have something to do with the fact that I didn't have to say good-bye (plus #1 for homeschooling!). Since there was no dramatic send-off, we started the day with a family doughnut party (plus #2!). All the cousins and grandparents graciously joined us for breakfast and play so that there would be some distinction from summer besides having to sit quietly at the kitchen table for an hour. After they left we spent some more time with daddy, enjoyed a little family worship, and finally settled into "school" around 11. We're not huge morning people so we're pretty excited about these lazy mornings. Sure beats getting up and out by 7:45 (plus #3!). We easily finished everything on my schedule and then some, and even had time for a trip to the library and Costco this afternoon. I'm sure we'll get busier as the year progresses, but so far this gentle method is working for me, and my joy will undoubtedly multiply on Wednesday when I would have had to ship out 2/3rds of our little clan. God has been so good to change my heart!