End of Summer

The way we knew for sure was it was time to take Nathan back to school!  We had talked about all of us going down, but Nathan wasn't thrilled with a potential circus, and we wouldn't have been able to fit all Nathan's stuff plus all of us in the big van, so we would have had to take 2 minivans, and that seemed kind of crazy.  So instead Bob and I took him down by ourselves, and Luke manned the fort back at home.  It was so special to have the time just with Nathan, and honestly, it was really nice to not have to worry about finding tables for 12 for meals at crowded restaurants.

It was a lot easier to drop Nathan off this year!  He is excited about the new year, and about his roommates, who are friends of his.  We're already missing him though.

This cowgirl with an attitude has grown up this month! Since we got back from Ohio, she's been sleeping in the crib in Micah and Drew's room, so Bob and I finally have our closet back.  We had tried it before, but everyone was waking everyone else up, and it totally didn't work.  There have been a few rough times, bu overall it has been working really well now.  

Verity also has graduated from the high chair.  I haven't thrown it out yet, but I am looking forward to the day that I do, and we have that corner of our kitchen finally empty of a high chair after all these years in this house!

I've been busy making up syllabi for the new school year which starts sooner than I would like.  I'm teaching a regular biology class and life science, plus memory work, and I'll help out Christine with AP psychology.  I hope it will be an easier year, mentally, for me, without AP bio. 

I'm leading the Egypt unit for our other co-op, and that means another chicken is being mummified, just like I did back in August 2009.  Ah, memories. 

I'm also wading back into college admissions waters.  This year it's Luke's turn, so I've been updating transcripts and so on.  This year will be our first time to navigate the common app.  I'm thankful Christine took one for the team and did it last year!  For those of you who don't have access to Christine, another good place to look for answers on how to fill it out as a homeschooler, this thread on the WTM high school board is absolutely loaded with good information.  It has already answered one of our questions!

Although I'm not at all ready for summer to be over, it is, and now I need to get motivated for this year.  I told a friend, it's kind of like childbirth when you've had a lot of kids, and you're pregnant again.  You pretty much know exactly what to expect, and how it is going to feel.  You know you can and will get through it.  Once it starts, you'll deal with it.  But you really, really, really don't want to.  That's me right now!