Summer is Flying By

The boys had their last day of Open Gym on Friday.  Six weeks ago they were dreading the experience, but they finished up on a positive note and had a wonderful time after the first week and half. I'm proud that they both stepped up and made the best of the situation and didn't dwell on how uncomfortable they were during the first days but embraced the opportunities they had.

I'm also proud that I encouraged them to stick with it and I didn't cave after the first week and pull them from the program when they were struggling. I knew it would be a good experience in the long run, and I knew they would grow and learn things about themselves.  I'm frustrated by parents who never let their kids persevere through challenges and continually make things "easier" rather than helping them learn how to approach and conquer difficult situations.

Last week I headed over to the school district office and enrolled the boys in our local public school.  I have talked about it, and we had made our decision . . . but until last week I hadn't made that final step.  I first headed over to their school, but found out they were closed for summer vacation.  The sign indicated that the district office was open for registrations, so I made the 20 minute drive to get it done.  I had a free morning, and didn't want to wait any longer.  The process was simple -- I provided some information, filled out a couple forms, and the boys were enrolled. Then, I went out to the car and cried a little.  I know we are making the right decision for this time in our lives, but it's still tough to give up our homeschooling days.

Their first day is in 3 weeks.  The weekend before school starts they are taking a trip with Bo to Milwaukee, then they come home in time for "Meet the Teacher" and school starts the next day.  It'll be different, but they know that it will take a few weeks to adjust and we're trying to ensure that they won't have many new things to deal with during that time.

I did sign Nate and Lydia up for fall baseball.  Colin is too old this year, but we've been part of fall ball for the last 5 years, so I think it would feel funny if we didn't play ball.  This is Lydia's first year, and her season only lasts 4 weeks, while Nate's will last 6 weeks.

It feels like summer has flown by.  I've been working quite a bit, and will continue to do so. I'm glad we got so many fun trips into the summer, and we're already trying to think of where we'll go this fall.  The summer may have flown by, but it's been jam-packed.