Troy, the teacher is in the turquoise. They were meeting all the other kids in the lobby of the school. The class is about 20 kids, more boys than girls. Paige told Isaac to be careful about hugging or kissing strangers and that some girls might be offended if he tells them they are beautiful too often. We want him to be him ... we just don't want anyone slapping a sexual harassment suit on the poor kid. It should be interesting.
Well, I have 100 jumbled thoughts that need processing --- mainly I just don't think I know how to "do" this fast paced culture all that well anymore. This entry will jump around, following the way my thoughts are working right now ... forgive the unorganized spewing.Hope and Isaac went to Kindergarten at 9:15. Britt and Paige went to swim practice a bit ago. I pick one group up at 3:30, the next at 4:30, plan to see the last one around 7pm after she does her own errands. It's just me and Jack-Jack and we really don't quite know how to handle all the coming and going and rushing about. Britt has her own set of wheels and that makes me nervous in and of itself. (In the photo below Isaac spotted me, he thought I had already left.) :)
Being used to having all my kids in one place, almost always with me, it is a serious adjustment watching them all head their own directions. Paige is struggling a little bit I would say, but the rest of them seem to be taking it in stride. It has only been a week, maybe this will feel pretty normal to us by next week? It's just plain ODD having such MOBILE and busy kids.I did not cry dropping off Hope and Isaac. As we walked in the building I got teary, but I pulled it together before any liquid left my eyes. I honestly feel so unready for the baby (mentally and physically) and unready for Britt to go to college ... and since all things are relative, it was not that hard to send Hope and Isaac off -- it is smaller on my scale of concerns and hormonal issues.
Britt is job searching, she only has two classes to finish to officially meet her high-school graduation requirements. She is hearing from the four colleges she is interested in that they will offer her the final information about loans, scholarships and details by mid-October. Once she compares that information she and I will go visit her top choice and get it all nailed down. She had hoped to know sooner than that but because she starts in January she will still have close to three months of knowing where she is headed, before she actually has to head there. She will end up in Texas, Indiana, or Florida --- just a SLIGHT difference between her geographical options, it is good she has learned to be flexible. If only her mother could be so calm.
Paige thought I kind of gypped her by not mentioning this was a milestone day for her too. She is officially a Junior High student. Her books came in the mail before we got here and she is off to a good start as a 7th grader! Congratulations Paige ... here are your props. We are so proud of you honey.
After a week here ... I have many observations, random and obvious, interesting and not.
- TV is so trashy. Some of the shows are shockingly bad. Not having TV is a nice thing.
- News is depressing. Not knowing about weird things happening in public restrooms with US Senators is just fine with me. Too much news is not very helpful. Again, not having TV is a nice thing.
- Advertising works on kids. Things that did not exist in their little minds just last week are suddenly necessary to them.
- People drive fast.
- Ankles do not swell as much in cooler environments.
- Given the opportunity, Hope, Isaac, and Noah will all eat one pound of grapes EACH per day. I wish I were exaggerating.
- Real milk is really good. (Except Noah still won't drink it. Haiti and Carnation ruined him.)
- There really is something LEGITIMATE to the cold culture - warm culture thing that Britt posted back here. People move and interact in totally different ways.
- The USA sells weird things that don't make that much sense to me. What are multicultural markers? Are the regular ROY G. BIV ones intended for only one race/ethnicity?
