School Days....

Derek started the third week at his new school today. I can't believe it's already been 3 weeks. Earlier this month we attended the ribbon cutting ceremony for his school. The school did a great job making it a fun event and had many things for the kids to do, bouncy houses, mascots from Chick fil A and the Colorado Rockies, temporary tattoos, and t-shirts for all the students. Derek was excited to start his new school. It's a larger school than what we were use to and I could see some hesitation in Derek but mostly excitement.

First day of school arrives, earlier than I would have liked, but Derek was excited and ready to go. The twins and I dropped him off at the school and I couldn't believe he was off for his 3rd grade year! Apparently his teacher wanted the kids to hit the ground running and I feel like that's what I have had to do to keep up ever since. He came home with homework the first day and has homework every day since! I can't believe how much is expected of 8 and 9 year olds! The weather is still nice and has been a challenge getting Derek to come in from riding his bike to start his homework so we are not up late completing it.

There are lots of kids in the new neighborhood which has pros and cons. I have really had to reinforce the rules and think of new ones to keep Derek out of trouble, keep up with his homework and still have fun. After school has become a bittersweet time for me. I'm happy to have Derek home and want to know about his day but there are kids walking home from the bus stop that want to play. Kristin and Shawn want to catch up with their friends. I have 3 kids going in all directions. Makes me long for the quiet days in Helena when I could actually talk to Derek and hear about his day.

This is also the last week the twins will be home everyday. Preschool starts for them on Tuesday. Kristin has said she's ready for school for the last 2 weeks! They are both excited to go to school. Shawn says he wants to be in the classroom with all the tools that he saw when we toured the school earlier. Kristin wonders who her teacher will be and what the day will be like. It's fun to watch their excitement! It's sad to think this will be the last year before they start "big kids" school. I love watching all of them grow in to these smart, entertaining and awesome little people.

Life begins at the end of your comfort zone...

This last school year I found myself feeling very comfortable in my surroundings. I had the support of all my friends and the comfort of knowing my way around my home town. Even with taking care of 3 kids on my own I felt at ease and comfortable. I learned a lot about myself in the last year, especially just how tough I am and what I can handle. At the end of June I was thrown in to unfamiliar surroundings, and lost my network of friends. I have spent the last 6 weeks trying to find a new comfort zone. What I have found is that it is not as easy or simple as I thought it would be. I found myself feeling very alone and isolated. Two emotions I haven't been familiar with in quite some time. I also found that being 1800 feet higher takes a toll on your body. I found the activities that I had no problem doing in Montana were challenging in Colorado. That took some getting use to and was frustrating. Luckily, I was able to work through that and now feel I am back to my "normal" fitness level. I am thankful for the few friends that have stayed by me and supported me through this tough time.

picnic at museum

Mars sand

I am happy that the kids have settled in to their new surroundings and have enjoyed their summer. Derek found friends within a few days of being in the new home. Kristin and Shawn both have found playmates. Our new neighborhood is full of kids of all ages which has been fun for the kids.  We hit some of the fun attractions in Denver in the 6 weeks before school started. I think Water World was one of the all time favorites. After spending 7 hours there we still didn't see half the park. I was surprised at how brave all the kids were. Shawn went on a ride 3 times that was a little scary and I decided one time was enough for me...lol. Heritage Square was another fun filled place with many amusement park rides including an Alpine slide. Derek decided he didn't want to do that one...lol.  The kids and I also explored the Denver Museum of Science. That had many attractions that were interesting and fun. The space odessey seemed to be the kids' favorite. Shawn really enjoyed the sand of Mars, red sand and water....what could be more fun than that?

Turbo slide

This summer in Colorado has been very hot but I've been told by the people that live here that it's not usually this hot.  I'm still trying to get use to being closer to the sun. Even after going through a whole bottle of sunscreen, we've all had our share of sunburns. I'm actually looking forward to the cooler weather of Fall.