School Update

Lots have asked so I am here to tell. School is going AMAZING! We are super happy with our decision to put the kids into public school. I am so happy to be mainstreaming our family. Kayla is loving her 6th grade class despite having to switch teachers due to crowding. She is a social butterfly and mingling with friends all day has really changed her into an exciting and fun young woman:) I am so happy for her. Wyatt started out with some bumps, but those are smoothing out. Obviously Wyatt has special needs so he had to have an IEP and then was placed in an amazing mild pull out classroom. Most of the kids there have mild issues or just need extra help with their work so Wyatt is now starting to get used to his new class and really loving it. He is making friends which is something I am so grateful for. He is getting services like speech, OT, PT, and has a 1 to 6 ratio of teacher to student or aide which is giving him a huge advantage. Everett is also quite the social butterfly like Kayla. He has tons of friends and even has a little "girlfriend" who wrote him a "do you like me, check yes or no," note. Tanner had a VERY rough first 3 weeks including a move to another class because of crowding which was really hard on him as he has some issues adjusting. This past week he seems to finally be settling into a pattern with the school routine. His teacher says he is making good progress now that he isn't crying all day. I am so glad he is finally adjusting. He still needs some reassurance from me at home, but seems pretty happy now that he is making friends.

Nate and I are adjusted........and I mean WELL ADJUSTED!! We love our newfound freedom and quiet during the days. He is home 3 week days one week and 4 the next so our alone time has REALLY increased as the 3 little ones at home all nap and  are so easy compared to 7. We are able to go to lunch many days and talk in quiet. Its sooooooo nice. We never could have imagined how great it is. We miss them, but we enjoy having time to shop and do fun things for a surprise somedays. For example, Thursday we went and bought a new 50" flatscreen to replace the 37" in our living room and got a new DVD player as well. We got it all set up and had a box of popcorn and a movie for the entire family ready to suprise them when we got home from school. It was awesome to see their faces. Its fun doing little things too, like baking them a yummy treat for after school or planning a short outing. We have less time, but its more quality. My relationship with Kayla is getting better too. We needed the time away from each other to miss each other as sometimes we would get annoyed with each other from being around each other too much.

There have been many unexpectedly wonderful aspects of school. The whole family is growing from the experience and its been in positive ways. The kids love being social. I love having time for friends and lunch dates, time to paint my nails and do a little something for myself. We are learning to savor time together and not take it for granted. This is such an exciting new chapter of our lives. We could not be happier with our decision and I don't think my kids could either. Kenna is already looking forward to starting Kindergarten next fall! Yay