Back to School, Back to Reality!

Well here we all are, yet again...back to school time! We had such a fun summer that just FLEW by, so sending the kids back to school was bittersweet for me! I could've used another week with my chickens home but since by law I have to educate them somehow I sent them off to their institution of learning!

J.B. and Natalie started a week ago, Reece started pre-school yesterday and Brady started Kindergarten today! So far they've all been pleased with their teachers and have had an easy transition so enjoy the pictures!

I swear J.B. poses the same way every year!

Me and my big Jack who is measuring in at 5 ft 3.5 inches

Beautiful Girl Nanny Rae!

Me and my girl. She's such a sweetie and is growing up way too fast!

Brady Robert...oh, how I love him! He was so excited about his handsome new shirt and didn't want to mess it up or wrinkle it at all!!!! So so so cute!

Playing on the playground that is reserved for the Kindergarteners! And oh boy what a difference from last year. He didn't even look back once I told him to go play!

How is it possible that Reecey is old enough for pre-school? WHAT???

I thought it was hilarious that her 'pack-pack' is as big as her!

Now onto the issue of my blog going private...turns out I can only email 10 people that I've posted, so if you don't get emails that I've updated once I go private, please keep looking. Hopefully blogger will change that and I'll be able to email everyone at some point!

And last, but certainly not least, a story for all of you out there who have sent your little kids off to school! My sister-in-law posted this on her blog last year when her daughter started Kindergarten and I just have to put it on mine. Its so sweet and even though I've read it about 20 times I still cry!!!!!!

Once upon a time there was a little boy named Jack who was about to climb his very first beanstalk. He had a fresh haircut and a brand new book bag.

Even though his friends in the neighborhood had climbed this same beanstalk almost every day last year, this was Jack's first day and he was a little nervous. So was his mother.

Early in the morning she brought him to the foot of the beanstalk. She talked encouragingly to Jack about all the fun he would have that day and how nice his giant would be. She reassured him that she would be back to pick him up at the end of the day. For a moment they stood together, silently holding hands, gazing up at the beanstalk. To Jack it seemed much bigger than it had when his mother had pointed it out on the way to the store last week. His mother thought it looked big too. She swallowed. Maybe she should have held Jack out a year....

Jack's mother straighted his shirt one last time, patted his shoulder and smiled down at him. She promised to stay and wave while he started climbing. Jack didn't say a word.

He walked forward, grabbed a low growing stem and slowly pulled himself up to the first leaf. He balanced there for a moment and then climbed more eagerly to the second leaf, then to the third and soon he had vanished into a high tangle of leaves and stems with never a backward glance at his mother.

She stood alone at the bottom of the beanstalk, gazing up at the spot where Jack had disappeared. There was no rustle, no movement, no sound to indicate that he was anywhere inside.

"Sometimes," she thought, "it's harder to be the one who waves good-bye than it is to be the one who climbs the beanstalk."

She wondered how Jack would do. Would he miss her? How would he behave? Did his giant understand that little boys sometimes acted silly when they felt unsure? She fought down an urge to spring up the stalk after Jack & maybe duck behind a bean to take a peek at how he was doing.

"I'd better not. What if he saw me?" She knew Jack was old enoguh to handle this on his own. She reminded herself that, after all this was thought to be an excellent beanstalk and that everyone said his giant was not only kind but had outstanding qualifications.

"It's not so much that I'm worried about him," she thought, rubbing the back of her neck. "It's just that he's growing up and I'm going to miss him."

Jack's mother turned to leave. "Jack's going to have lots of bigger beanstalks to climb in his life," she told herself. "Today's the day he started practicing for them....And today's the day I start practicing something too: cheering him on and waving good-bye."