First Day of School

Ah, the first day of school.  So many emotions for this day.  For the mom of a first child going into kindergarten has many different emotions then the mom who is on there fifth or sixth child going into kindergarten.  For me, I have to admit is a lovely day.  Don't get me wrong.  I love my children.  I love spending time with them, I love hearing their stories, I even love (sometimes) their emotional breakdowns.  With all that love, sometimes,  I want to share it with their teachers.  My kids, even though they won't admit it, I think were excited for the first day of school.  And even though they won't admit it, for the most part, enjoyed it.  I was having some thoughts of when each went into kindergarten for the first time yesterday.  So, I got out the old photos and decided to compare.  How they have grown.  Especially my oldest. 

                          
I probably couldn't find my camera the first day of kindergarten when Megan went to school so I must have used my phone and we think camera phones are bad now, back then they were awful.  Megan started school in Las Vegas, but we were getting ready to move to Virginia.  We knew she would only be there a few months, but she loved both kindergartens.  She is still short, but has grown up most definitely.  She didn't like her first day of fifth grade too much.  Here in Alabama, they have to change classes through out the day and she has three teachers this year.  She says she doesn't like to do that.  Megan has never been one for change and isn't ready to grow up at all.  I say that is fine, but she will want too in time.  I can't believe she is 10.  Wow!  Time does go by fast.  She did say her second day was much better.  She will get use to all the differences and I am sure will have a great year.

Emilee started kindergarten in Virginia, but like Megan, we knew she would only would be there for a few months before we moved to Alabama.  Also like Megan, she enjoyed both kindergartens a lot.  Emilee is my little studious student.  She loves school, though if you ask her now she sometimes says no, but I think that is just because she listens to her sister too much.  She is always well liked by her friends and her teacher.  She had a great first day of third grade and loves her teacher.  I never worry about Emilee at school.  She is always happy.

Not much change for Hunter since he just started school last year.  And what do you know, we actually had a child finish kindergarten with the same teacher.  How 'bout that?  Hunter is very silly when it comes to school.  I am not sure what goes through his head all the time.  His teacher last year only had great things to say about him.  He seems to listen well, but he says he doesn't like school at all and thinks he would get along fine without it.  I think he liked his first day of first grade.  I see him smiling and then when I call him on it, he says he wasn't and doesn't like to sing and doesn't like the big spider hanging on the wall in his new classroom.  He is such a character.  Mostly talk I tell you.  I am sure he will get along just fine.

It will be a great year for all of them.

Peaches

I love peaches!  I never really knew how much I love peaches until about 6 years ago when my ward in Las Vegas took orders to have some peaches delivered to us from the great state of Georgia.  So, I ordered a box.  OMGosh!!  So good.  They just are not the same in the grocery stores.  Everyone of them was a bit of heaven.  A year and a half later, we moved to Northern Virginia.  I thought "Wow, look at all the orchards around.  Surely the grocery stores will have some great peaches"  No....They don't.  The next year my cousin had come to visit so we had took her and the kids and went to an orchard to pick some.  OMGosh!!, so good.  Now we are here in Northern Alabama and I thought once again, "Wow, these peaches look so good in the store"  No, they weren't.  Very disappointing.  So, the other day I ventured out to find some good peaches that were not in a grocery store.  I am here to say, I succeeded.  My friend told me about this place off the 72 called Isom's.  (For all of you living near here)  They were fabulous.

Don't they look wonderful??  Believe me, they are!  Well we didn't stop there.  They had some nectarines to eat.  So I ate one with the kids.  Megan says"MMMMmmmm, I like that!" I guess she has never had a nectarine....go figure.

Now I think I like nectarines just as much as I like peaches, but again, you can't seem to find good ones in the stores so I guess I never bothered to give them to my kids.  My kids were all over them when we got home.  Don't they look good??

We ended up getting some grapes also.  They were really good as well, but they have seeds in them so I don't know how much the kids will eat them, but that is OK.  I still like them. 

LESSON TO LEARN:  Don't buy your peaches and nectarines in the grocery store.  So not worth it.  Either grow them yourself, find an orchard where they grow them, or if this is not available for you, find away to make that order from Georgia.  I still will say, that those were the best peaches that I ever did have.  I guess that is why Georgia is called the "Peach State".

"Smokies"....Tennessee

Last week our family was able to go to the "Smokies" of Tennessee.  We went a couple of years ago, but we thought it was time to go again.  We went to Dollywood again and instead of going to Splash Country this time, which is right next to Dollywood, we decided to go to an indoor water park in Gatlinburg called Wild Bear Falls.  Of course the kids had a good time.  They were definitely in their element of fun.  I have said it before and I will say it again, I am impressed with Dollywood.  Coming from the west, I always thought it was a park that probably was a joke, but it is a very nice park.  Very green, lots to see, and a good variety of rides for everyone.  Most rides you do get wet on, but I have to say..It felt really good to get wet that day.

We were lucky that day at Dollywood.  It called for rain and we didn't get any.  The next day we went to the water park and what do you know, it poured and you know what??  It didn't matter 'cause we were indoors.  Hunter had a blast.  He was so excited to use his swimming skills that he was able to learn this summer.  Emilee wasn't to shabby on her swimming skills as well.  Megan of course loved the big water slides.  She tried really hard to get Emilee on them, but Emilee just didn't like how high they were.  I went on one of them with her a few times, but I wouldn't go down the really fast one.  Something about being in total darkness heading down a really really fast slide.  I lost my nerve.  What happened to me.  I use to go on anything.  I almost went 'til I heard someone say, "I am never going on that slide again."  So what if it was a kid that said it.  Don't feel too bad for Megan.  Her dad went down it with her and she found a friend to hang out with. 

We had a good week. But, like always, it was good to get back home in our own beds.