It's been a roller coaster ride.

Three weeks of "real" school have flown by.
And it has been a roller coaster of ups and downs
for all of us as we have adjusted to a new normal.



The first 2 weeks were pretty hard, I'll admit.
Isaac struggled, Lauralyn struggled, and in turn, I struggled.
The kids simply weren't used to being away from me for such a long period,
day after day.



Being in a class full of strangers didn't help.
Learning a new routine, rules, etc.
Making new friends.



But this week I have seen a huge improvement.
Granted, they still aren't thrilled about getting on the bus at 6:50 a.m.
(I can't say that thrills me either...I could use a little extra sleep).
They have both made friends in their classes, which is great.



I have spent a good bit of time in the school, helping in their classes
and having lunch with them.
This week, I took the 2 little ones with me to have lunch dates with both kids.
It's a pretty inviting school, and I have really enjoyed getting to know both classes.
The kids all seem very sweet.



Isaac will hopefully soon start the process to get extra help with reading and writing.
His teacher is so warm and positive... such a great cheer leader for Isaac.
She agrees he needs more help than the average kid, which of course I already knew.
He is so bright, I hate to seem him frustrated with reading.
Thankfully, math has not been a problem.



Lauralyn has struggled more with separation from me
a lot more than I thought she would.
I miss her as well, but I enjoy seeing her grow in blossom
in a new environment.
She has a natural thirst for learning, and I am tickled to see her
improve her reading and writing.
Her teacher is impressed with Lauralyn's "above grade level" math
and her impeccable handwriting :-)



I am feeling better and better about our decision to enroll them this year.
The guilt is subsiding.
I love spending extra time with Daniel and Kristin.



I have begun to teach Kristin to read.
Such a neat thing to hear a child read her first works.
She also has perfected writing her name.
I plan to do more advanced pre-school lessons as it gets colder
and we can't be outside so much.



Daniel is super crazy. Crazy smart, crazy cute, and crazy into everything obnoxious.
His energy drains me. And his rebellious nature can be overwhelming.
But man does he ever make up for it in charming cuteness.



Mr. F still is here. Plans are always changing in foster care.
Right now, it looks like he may be here a long time... fine by us!
He is in 7th grade and doing so much better this year.



As the pictures show, I took Isaac and Lauralyn to the county fair last Saturday.
I "ran" my first 5k that morning, went to the Richard Petty Museum with my dad
(who also did the 5k)... then the fair. I was SOOO tired that night. My feet were screaming.



They had a ball at the fair. Ride after ride.
I splurged and got them a funnel cake.
Okay, I got myself a funnel cake, but I did share.



Despite my screaming feet, I had fun watching them enjoy one another's company.
We don't typically partake in these events, so it was a new experience for them.



And I of course couldn't resist taking some fun photos. The colors are great for photography.
This concludes my novel of a post. At least I had lots of pictures to make it interesting!