End of Summer

It has been a busy week filled with meeting new people, learning a new school, and leaving each day with a to-do list for the next. I thought I may never have the time to blog again! But then the weekend arrived just in time, and today has been a much-needed day of relaxation and family time. Emmy is in bed now and Boomer is doing [one of his 3!] fantasy football drafts, so I have a little bit of time to get caught up on the week. 

Last weekend, we fit in a day-trip to the lake with all of the Kennedys. Boomer's uncle and his family came for a visit from northern Virginia, and Granny was so excited to have all of her family together. Emmy enjoyed playing in the baby pool and then going in the lake for the first time. She loved kicking and floating around. Boomer's cousin Briggs took some self-timed photos on his camera; hopefully I can add those to this post, but for now, here are two photos that Granny took on her cell phone. We always have so much fun at the lake, and we are looking forward to fitting in one last trip during the upcoming 3-day Labor Day weekend.  

Even though the days are still hot, between Friday night football and the back-to-school displays at Walmart, the summer is coming to an end. Boomer's students started on Monday, and students at my school will start this coming Monday. Our schools are in two different counties with slightly different schedules, and my county had Teacher Workdays all last week. My first official day was Monday, and I jumped right in with setting up my room, meeting my coworkers, and even emailing and meeting with students. Between the professional development and required meetings, it seemed like I needed a few extra hours in each day. When I think back to the last time I was in the classroom, I remember this week always being pretty stressful, and my sister reminded me that even for veteran educators, it can be hard to get back in the groove. I know there are things that I am doing this year that I will not have to do every year: setting up my email, getting a PowerSchool log-in, signing up for my benefits, getting an ID badge, decorating my room, finding the refrigerator. Each day this week, I learned more about my new role as the College Liaison. I'm finding that my primary duties will be meeting with students (rising juniors and rising seniors), discussing their schedules, registering them for classes at the community college, monitoring the computer lab for students enrolled in online courses, and generally serving as a resource for college planning. Whew, that's a lot! Luckily, the person previously in the position has been an excellent mentor. She is still working in the county, now in a central office position, and she was gracious to meet with me several times throughout the week. I am continuing to trust in God's plan for bringing me to East Surry, and I am looking forward to the students I will meet this school year. I pray that God will help me make an impact at this school and on the individual students I come in contact with.  

I did my best to leave the school at a reasonable time each day so that I could pick up Emmy from daycare. We've worked out a great schedule where Boomer takes Emmy in the morning (around 6:30AM) and I pick her up in the afternoon (ideally by 4:30PM). This is a new routine (perhaps that will be a different blog post!), but it has been so helpful that Boomer is sharing in the duties. Admittedly, he doesn't get the best end of the deal, because Emmy still is crying when she is dropped off in the morning. The teachers say she doesn't cry for long, but it seems to be her response lately when either of us is leaving, even at home when we go to a different room. She also cries in the afternoons when I first come in to the room at the daycare. Her cries soon turn to smiles after I pick her up in my arms, but I think she is still learning to be comfortable in her new environment, and it is just a natural release from the emotions of the day. Her napping hasn't seemed to improve yet. I got my hopes up when she slept for a whole hour on Tuesday, but then on Wednesday, it was right back to only 30 minutes. We have continued to put her to bed around 6:30PM, so that she can get as many hours as possible before the next morning. In the hours we have together in the evenings, we have tried to fit in some fun, whether playing with a laundry basket or going for a stroll in downtown Kernersville.

 As I mentioned at the beginning, today has been a nice change in pace from the go-go-go of the week. We started the day with breakfast at one of our favorite places, Fitz on Main. We also began the process of baby-proofing the house, with the first step of lowering the crib. Our little girl is growing fast, and Mommy and Daddy are trying to keep up!