We are definitely back in the school routine, and life is better than I could have expected! Everything is so much easier now that the kids ride the bus to and from school (if they don't have practice after school, that is)! I can't believe I can feel this relaxed even though summer is over. Something that I didn't expect with my kids' change of schools is that their new schools have a policy that they don't give much homework.....what a HUGE relief!!!! Yes, I do teach in the same school system, but as a choir teacher I don't give homework anyway, so this issue was not on my radar! Apparently, studies have shown no link between increased achievement and homework, so my kids have had hardly any. This was not the case at their old school, which made every weekday afternoon/evening a hard slog. I am really thankful!

My oldest son was asked to the homecoming dance by a girl (a year older). Apparently she asked him in the hallway between classes and he thought it sounded like fun. We are pretty good friends with her family and he has known her for the past four years. They are going as "friends", so I guess there is nothing to worry about....but it is a big "first"! He is definitely going through some teenage stuff and some days it is hard to get a civil word out of him. Travis has been on him about being kind and polite, no matter how he feels, and this week has been better. There are days when I really miss my little boys, and then there are days that I really enjoy the age they are now. It is bittersweet! Luke is doing well overall. He went to a party last weekend and is finding more friends.

Joel is running cross country this year. His first meet was last week, and he felt pretty good going into it. He didn't think he would win or anything (he is in 6th grade and the team is 6th - 8th graders) but he was making it through practice okay, so he was confident about the meet. It was at home, and part of our course goes through a wooded area. Apparently, when he got to that part of the course during the race, a kid from the other team started taunting him, and Joel decided to kick it up a notch.....and promptly tripped over a root and fell. (He told us all of this after the race.) DH and I were watching and waiting for him to come out of the woods (that portion of the course isn't very long) and when he finally did, he was sobbing and barely running. I could tell he wanted to stop and come to us, but DH encouraged him to keep going and start running again. I was so proud that he stuck it out, even though my heart ached for him. Today was his second meet and he did NOT fall.....shaved three minutes off last week's time. Good for him!

The meet today was in the same town where my aunt lived, where Travis and I lived for the first three years of our marriage, where I taught for five years. I haven't been back there in a long time and inevitably, driving that route brought back memories of my aunt. I really wished we could have stopped by her apartment, or let her sit in the car to watch the meet. It is a good thing Nathan was chatting with me the whole way there.....I didn't have a chance to get too melancholy.

Nathan is doing well too....life in 2nd grade seems to be treating him well. We are really having to work with him on his temper.....he is the most reserved of the boys, but when he blows, it is the real deal!

We are headed to KS for a quick trip this weekend to celebrate Travis' grandma's birthday. All of his siblings, cousins, and aunts/uncles will be there. I am not looking forward to all of the driving, but I *am* looking forward to getting out of town. Nathan turns 8 (how did my baby get so old?) on Monday, so we are hoping to get back in time to celebrate that here at home.

That's about it from here!