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Contrasts
We have officially survived the first week of school with minimal casualties, although not without cost.
Avey went to her first day Monday feeling pretty gross. Nearly all of us have had a minor stomach bug going around, and that was her worst day with it. She decided she should not miss the first day of school, lest she feel behind already, and so she went. Kira took them down to the bus stop (1 block away), and sent them off, then followed the bus in the car. The kids got off at the right stops, and were on their way to a new chapter.
Carver’s bus comes back home earlier than Avey’s so he was the first to report on his day. As we expected, it was awesome! He talked about a friend he’d already made, and all of the stuff they did, and was excited for the next day.
We waited with high hopes to hear Avey’s report, but the bus came and went, and she was nowhere to be found. Kira immediately called to see what had happened, and I got in the car to drive to the school just in case. We weren’t panicked, but a little worried. It turned out that she had just gotten on the wrong bus outside of school: not a big deal. Unfortunately, the bus driver was quite rude to her about it, even though it is the first day, and her first time ever taking a bus by herself. She got dropped off a little bit later, and told us all about the stupid day.
She had worked hard to get the combination to her locker down, and get proficient at opening it, and I suggested maybe she could make a friend by helping out neighbors who were struggling with theirs. She nailed her combo the first try, just like planned, but then when she offered to help her neighbor, the teacher scolded her and told the students to just work on their own. Rather than go to all of her different classrooms on the first day, she was disappointed to be stuck with her lackluster homeroom teacher. She is nice, but dull.
Following the pattern of the day, she was further horrified during lunch. Not knowing anyone, feeling crappy, and being an introvert, she sat alone at a table to eat in solitude. A well-meaning teacher approached her and suggested that she go sit with a group of girls she didn’t know. Avey, not sure how to defy a teacher, begrudgingly obeyed, and then awkwardly sat in closer proximity to the girls she didn’t know.
The next day, we were worried that things might be just as bad, and so told Avey that if she was feeling too poorly, she could stay home. At the last minute, she decided that she was feeling well enough to go, but had just missed the bus, so I drove her. The day went much better! She got a variety of teachers to break up the day, and rather than get another awkward approach by the lunchroom monitor, she found a girl who was sitting alone, and went up to her and struck up a conversation. We had a good time fantasizing about how that girl went home that day and told her mom all about the nice girl who introduced herself.
Carver, of course, came home happy as a clam again. He had a funny moment the other day in the car. A song came on by The Cranberries. I make it a point to identify each artist of every song that we hear, but Carver beat me to it this time when he said, “Dad, isn’t this band called ‘The Grapes?'” Avey and I had a good chuckle, knowing that he was close, but oh so far.
I spent Monday and Tuesday on some various projects that would help us get more settled. Tuesday was set aside for getting our driver’s licenses and Indiana plates. I was done by about 10:30, so we had Kira trade places with me to get hers done. I then spent the rest of the week getting ready for the upcoming semester, surprised as usual by how much busy work there is to do.
I also spent Saturday finally fixing the gutters in this place. There was horrible spillage over the kitchen window when it rained, so I finally got up on the roof to tighten up the screws in the gutters to get them to sit flush against the roof. I also finally discovered the issue with the gutters over the garage after a few tries weeks ago. Turns out there was a big clog at an elbow, so I got that cleared and now I can’t wait for it to rain and I can go out and inspect my work. I’m also taking some of the soil from our garden that the previous owners let get overgrown with weeds, and move it to even out a big dip in our grass. That’s hard work, but I’m almost done, and then I’ll plant grass seed on it.
Kira spent her week managing children and dealing with some odds and ends for school. She got Avey fitted for a violin, and it arrived in the mail a few days ago. Avey’s new school doesn’t even start violin until the 5th grade, so Avey will be sitting alongside beginners with 4 years already under her belt. On Thursday, Kira took Avey and the younger boys back to our old neighborhood for a little party. Avey’s 4th grade class had scheduled a pool party some time ago, but it was cancelled due to weather. Finally, they rescheduled for this week. Avey was quite heartbroken that she would miss a chance to see her best friend, and Kira and I decided to let her miss school to go. She’s a great student, and friendships are more valuable than anything she would miss from class, so we thought it would be better for her. She had a great time.
I’ve got a faculty meeting this week on campus, but otherwise it will be mostly preparation for the semester while life continues.