Mixed emotions

School starts Tuesday.  I'm nervous, glad, sad, and excited all at the same time.

I'm sad to see my kids go.  I get frustrated by them sometimes, but I will miss them.  They are precious and bring such joy each day.

I'm glad that they get to go back to school and see their friends.  They are starting to get on each other's nerves after being together all summer.  They are ready to be back in their own social circles.

I'm excited for all the things that could happen this year.  Zach is joining Chess Club and will be taught by a Georgia Chess Champion.  Joshua wants to try out for the 8th grade basketball team.  And Elijah will be in 3rd grade with a new teacher and some more therapy under his belt. 

I'm also nervous. This will be Elijah's first time in school without one of his brothers.  He will be riding the bus by himself.  There will be friends and neighbors, but no brothers.  He seems ok with that.  I'm just waiting to see if that's really true.
I'm also nervous because this is Zach's first year of middle school.  I have actually dreaded this day for years.  Before he started his medication, I spent years trying to figure out what I could do to help him.  I never even thought he would pass the 5th grade writing test!  (Don't get me wrong.  I've always known he was very smart.  We just couldn't channel that to school.)  It was almost a blessing when he was diagnosed with inattentive ADD.  At least now we know some things that we can do to help him.  Since starting medication, he was tested and invited into the gifted program and now has 3 gifted and 1 accelerated class in middle school.  I'm so proud of him.  I'm confident he will do well.  We just need to figure out the best way to organize him so he brings home all the right materials for homework.  Thankfully, he's not as nervous now as he was last week.  He was most concerned about getting lost at school.  Now that he knows all 4 of his core classes are right next to each other, that seems to help.

Anyway, we will enjoy our last day and a half before they head back to school.  I will miss them.  But I will enjoy the quiet as well.  I'm curious to see how much work I get done too.

:)