My Children

They are growing, which of course is what we want but still, as a mother, it takes me by surprise.

My twins will be in first grade next year.  Those awful awful years that were all screaming and diapers, throw up and laundry, I seriously never pictured reaching the point where my children would all be in school full time.  It seems crazy, just crazy to be at this point now. 

They enjoyed Kindergarten but in all seriousness, it was hard to go so seldom.  That alternating day schedule is just hard on kids.  My kids especially, they went to head start four days a week for two solid school years.  That was huge for them, so it seemed like back tracking to only go two or three times a week. 

The eternal question "Will you keep them together for first grade?" seems to be asked with more and more frequency as this school year ends.  I find it amusing because does it really matter?   Well for the record, I'm letting the school do whatever they want so they most likely will be separated.  I do think it's good for twins to develop their own friendships and their own interests.  Luckily my guys aren't super dependent on each other.  Although my straight arrow Greg is willing to compromise his standards and lie to protect his twin.  It's the only time, he'll lie.  It's pretty funny, also, it's easy to spot and correct.  I'm hoping he outgrows it soon.

Ean still struggles getting along with other kids.  He's such a kind child in his heart.  His spazziness and impulsiveness makes it much harder for classmates to spot although he definitely is trying and that's the first step towards change.  Grade wise, Ean of course has done well.  Ean's brain is wired in a way that makes memorization easy and he loves to learn.  That means if he ever does really poorly in a class, for whatever reason, he isn't trying.  Thankfully he still loves learning and this hasn't been an issue. 

This is the child that taught himself how to write cursive at the end of Kindergarten.  I love watching him teach himself.  It's really amazing to observe. 

The next in line, oh my goodness, can you believe Kate the Great is off to middle school?  Of course with the sixth graders in middle school, it's earlier then I would like but it is what it is.  I can't change it, only be positive and know we've done our best to prepare her.

I'm so glad Kate's IEP is in place.  That awful year Jane went into sixth will not be repeated because Kate has back up and resources already available to her.

I am so proud of Kate this year.  She struggles understanding why learning is hard for her but if graded on effort, she'd get a 100% this year.  She's tried so hard and I am very very proud of her effort.  The state testing really has been a blow because with all her effort she still scores less then proficient on multiple subjects.  I keep reminding her on how much she's improved and THAT's what her dad and I believe really counts.

And my Jane will be off to high school  I don't know how that'll go.  I really don't.  Jane is trying, like Kate and it shows in her overall quality of school work.  I think she's finally figured out how to do school work even with her learning disability.  She's looking ahead at goals and careers and I love seeing that.  My oldest is an incredible young woman and I hope she sees what I see.  An individual that's kind and caring, works for goals, reaches out to others, loves the Lord.  Wish I could credit for who she's becoming but I suspect I'm mostly the guide on this journey.

I love them all.  Seeing them do well gives me joy.  Despite the hair pulling, there has been a lot of joy this school year.  I hope next year is the same or even better.