3rd and 8th Begin Today--Wish Us Luck!

 Brishen's real schedule doesn't start until after Labor Day, so this is just his 8th Grade warm up.

It's a different sort of first day of school.  As Basia would love to tell you, she was in full school mode last week, too ("Why do I have to do school when Brishen gets to do something fun every day?"  It was youth week at church).  We have always done school year-round, but it was even more essential this year, with so many changes and interruptions and the regular chaos of our lives.  Still, we have to have a day in there somewhere that marks the Big First Day.  Today is that day.

Still, it's a different sort of first day.  We have to go for our customary celebratory breakfast at 6:30am because our social worker comes for his monthly visit at 8:30am.  We'll take a mid-afternoon break when the court appointed special advocate (CASA) comes to visit a couple of our kids.  We'll have countless other interruptions for diaper changes, snack times, determining who had which toy first ("I.Go.Tell.Mom!"), bottle feedings, and such.

I don't have any special "First Day of 3rd Grade" outfit for Basia or fun new t-shirt for Brishen.  Basia's hair is sorely in need of a fresh style, and Brishen's needs a trim, so I don't know if I'll want to take a picture to document the day at all.

I never got around to buying a few new cool school supplies to gift the kids at breakfast, as is my custom.  This is just a different sort of first day, and that's OK.

This season of our life is different than those before and those to come, and that's OK.  Someday life will settle into a rhythm that allows for pretty hair, wrapped pencils, breakfast at a normal time, and fewer interruptions.  Someday I will take a beautiful posed picture and marvel at how much change has happened since last year's first-day picture.

When that "someday" comes, I suppose we will miss this special time in our lives, when we gave up all the customs and should-haves and just followed where God led us, saying "yes" to things we never knew we could handle.  I hope we never stop saying, "yes," even if I do hope that there will someday be time to brush our hair and say, "Cheese!" before the first day of school!

For now, it's off to get 6 kids ready in 30 minutes or less for some special 1st Day of School restaurant pancakes!