Sunday, August 10, 2008

Back To School

Eight hours (over two days) and $376 dollars later, three intrepid adventurers have been outfitted for the next phase of their respective educational journeys; Lumpy begins, Tigger slogs on, and Owl can see the summit – it is distant, but within sight. That's right, as of the last week of August, all three children will be attending the local public school. I am both terrified and exhilarated by this knowledge. I feel, alternately, ready for, and bewildered by, the speed with which this is occurring. We only moved into this house yesterday; Lumpy was 4 weeks old, Tigger had a year to go before Kindergarten, and Owl was beginning 4th Grade -- now Lumpy is beginning Kindergarten, Tigger has taken Owl’s place in 4th Grade, and Owl is entering High School (FRESHMAN YEAR!!!!). Aaaagh! How did I get here?

On a positive note, Lumpy now shows excitement about starting school; up until Friday she was still showing more anxiety than any other emotion. With more than two weeks left before school begins, she was sorting through her new clothes to decide in which order she would wear them. Shopping for her was surprisingly simple; once she determined that the clothes fit, she wanted them all.

Tigger didn’t initially want to look for clothing at ShopKo; he wanted to go to the Old Navy store. After a quick cell phone conversation with D, though, he was ready; he ended up picking three new pairs of pants and six shirts (three polo’s and three t-shirts that can be worn separately or paired). His favorite pants are camouflage-pattern cargo pants; lots of pockets and a canvas belt.

Owl is so slender that almost anything looks good on her, and she also has a very good fashion sense. I’ll admit, the fact that shirts are now longer than in past years also pleases me mightily, and she has embraced that style wholeheartedly; it just works to make her look even taller and more slender.

Although the process wore me out, I’m glad that we did it now rather than waiting … the sheer number of other shoppers on the weekend before school is exhausting.

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