First Day of School

Michael is a Senior this year.  Crazy!

Katie is a Sophomore.

She wasn't happy to go to school.  There were many tears.  I don't know if it was because she was nervous or if it was because she didn't want to wake up early.  I suspect it was the latter.

Michael tried to comfort her.  He's so good with her!

Anna is in 8th grade.

Lydia is in 6th grade, first year of middle school.  I didn't think I'd cry, but I choked back a few tears when I watched her nervously get on the bus.

They were both so excited that they're in the same school.  They wanted me to take this picture.  They didn't plan to wear matching colored shirts.  This was Lydia's second day of school.  6th grade goes a day early so they can figure out middle school.

Elizabeth is in 3rd grade.

And Caleb is in Kindergarten! I thought I'd cry, but I didn't.  Caleb was so excited that it just wasn't sad.

I asked him if he was excited and got this response:

 

On his way to school! He looks so little here.

 Telling us all about his day.  I love those dimples!

Decorating Lockers

It's that time of year - time to decorate the middle school lockers.  Nathan and Michael never did this.  I think they might have put up a little magnetic pencil holder and called it good.  I think it's mostly a "girl thing" because Anna has done it for a couple years now.  Anna and Lydia were SO excited!  They've been planning their lockers all summer.  We even bought most of the stuff back in June - that's how excited they were.  They both chose to do a Hobbit theme.  They love/are obsessed with Hobbit!  They want to go to New Zealand for a family vacation.  I looked up the cost - it'd be about $30,000 to take our whole family.  I'd love to take them, but no.  Not happening.  

First a few pictures of locker assignment day a few days earlier.  Anna and Lydia thought it would be funny for Anna to act like an 8th grade bully and stuff 6th grade Lydia in the locker.

 To our astonishment, SHE FIT!  We all laughed.

 And now the Hobbit lockers.  First Anna's:

  Lydia love Kili.  (The dwarf in the prominent locker spot that she's showing off.)  We just learned they share the same birthday.  She loves him even more now.

 Anna's chosen poster to use as wallpaper.

 And Lydia's.  They have similar Hobbit decals, but different posters.  They both loved that they put Gandalf on the bottom of the lockers. I think it looks cool too.

 See, different posters.

 We ordered magnets of each dwarf.  Fuzzy picture, but you get the idea.

 Another fuzzy one, but I have to show Kili.  And there's a One Ring hanging from the top if you didn't notice.

Lots of fun in middle school!

Gymnastics

Lydia and Elizabeth took gymnastics over the summer.  Elizabeth LOVED it and plans to continue.  Lydia liked it enough (mostly because her friend took it with her), but she doesn't want to go back.  They both did awesome!  It's really hard to get pictures of gymnastics because they don't stay still.  My camera can't keep up.  Here are a few of the less-blurry shots I got.