Teacher Workdays & Open House

We are in that in-between time of Teacher Workdays and the start of the school year. Alarms clocks are being set, and routines are being re-established. My first Teacher Workday was last Tuesday, August 5th. Emmy and Eli tagged along for the day, and I did my best to juggle work duties while being Mommy. The biggest form of entertainment was their old tricycle, which I brought to school to give to a coworker of mine. The kids all of a sudden had a newfound interest in the toy, and they had a ball riding it through the halls. At the end of the day, with some sadness, we passed the tricycle along so that it can continued to be enjoyed by another little kid. For the remaining three days of the week, Grammy watched Emmy and Eli, which was very helpful so that I could focus on my growing to-do list at work. On Wednesday, they went to the Science Center. On Thursday, they spent the day at the Houston household, making forts and watching movies. Grandpa filled in for a short time while Grammy had an appointment. It takes a village! On Friday, they went to the Kaleideum. During these three days, Grammy was also watching Zander and Maddox, so Emmy and Eli got some extra time with their cousins. (And Grammy was probably very grateful to be relieved of her duties on Friday afternoon!)   

Even though the school year hasn't quite started yet, fall sports are already underway. It seems like it was just yesterday that we were wrapping up the spring season. Right now (although it is always subject to change) Emmy has Walkertown 10U softball practice on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Saturdays; Yadkin Ignite 8U practice on Sunday afternoons; and gymnastics on Thursdays. Eli has machine pitch baseball practice on Thursdays and Saturdays. To add even more to his plate, Boomer is the head coach of Emmy's 10U team, and he is assisting with the 8U and machine-pitch teams. Whew! I'm tired just typing it! Emmy was very excited to get her jersey for the Yadkin Ignite team, and we are looking forward to her first tournament coming up soon. 

We attended Open House yesterday evening at the elementary school. It was a bit different this time with not one, but two teachers to visit and two sets of school supplies to deliver. Emmy and Eli were not shy at all; in fact, they led the way into the school. We stopped first at Eli's classroom on the kindergarten hallway, and then we made our way to Emmy's class in the upper-grades building. Of course we also stopped for a photo with our favorite SGES staff member, Mrs. Houston! As I'm writing this, there is a nervous excitement and anticipation for the first day of school. The clothes are laid out; the bookbags are ready. It's time to close the chapter on summer and jump into the new school year. I saw this post on Facebook, and it is so true:

I'll never be sad that my children are growing up. 
I know it is exactly what they should be doing. 

And it's a gift that not every parent gets to witness. 
But I'll always grieve the speed at which it happens. 

I do wish time would slow down just a little bit. It's hard to believe that we have two Kennedy kids in elementary school!