School Is Out For The Summer

Happy Thursday Ladies!

 

Today we are EXCITED over here....

 

Today is the LAST day of school for the kiddos!  This has been a really short year for my kiddos!  We moved back in October, and the kids had only been in school a little more than a month, and back in Charlotte we always got out around the second week in June, so to be done with school before Memorial Day is definitely something new for us and has made for a very short school year for the kiddos this year!

 

I know I say this every year, but I swear the years just really do fly by!  I am still having a hard time accepting the fact that Jack will be starting high school in August, like how is that even possible???

 

It is NO secret that I am pretty darn proud of all my kids, I tend to brag on them a lot!  But this year I have been even more proud of them.  Moving is never easy, and packing up and moving to a brand new state, not knowing anyone is scary, especially for kids.  I was SO nervous back in the fall when we made this move.  The kids are were so happy where we were...they had lots of friends, were involved in activities, and loved their schools.  I was so worried about them, having to start all over...especially Jack and AJ...they are both in middle school, and that is just a tough time to have to start all over.  Jack has always been an exceptional student, and I was worried about his grades slipping, I worried about them fitting it and making friends.  As for Olivia, well it was no secret school was a struggle every single day for her since kindergarten, tears each morning, it was tough!  I was very worried about her, she wasn't a fan of school already, and now throwing her into something totally new and different...I was prepared for the worst and lots of morning struggles!

 

Seriously guys, my kids are awesome!  When Mark and I dropped the boys off for their first day of school, they were definitely nervous, and I spent much of that first day worried...worried if the kids would like them, worried if anyone would talk to them, worried if anyone would make fun of them, worried they were sitting alone at lunch.  They came home from school and each had a great day, and of course AJ already had approximately 64 new friends...because that is just how AJ rolls!  It took Jack a little longer to feel comfortable and fit in, he is not nearly as outgoing as AJ...but now he has his group of friends, and really is thriving and just so happy! 

 

The curriculum and daily schedule was very different to what they had in Charlotte, AJ struggled a little bit with that, but after about a month he got the hang of it all.  My boys are so different....AJ is super outgoing, makes friends anyplace he goes, everyone is drawn to AJ..he is so much fun to be around, but when it comes to academics he struggles a bit, and school is definitely not easy for him, he has to really work to get B's.  Jack is the complete opposite, he is a bit more reserved and shy, but an amazing student, he is in all honors classes, and he makes it look pretty darn easy bringing home a report card full of straight A's. 

 

Living in Charlotte, everything was BIG...it was a big city and the schools were big, here it is very different.  This is much more "small town" and the schools are so small compared to what we had been used to back in Charlotte.  The smallness had definitely helped AJ thrive, and Jack really seems to like it too. 

 

The boys have made some really great friends, and that just makes me so happy.  We live in a very small, very safe town, and though not being super convenient has been somewhat of an adjustment for me, there are so many benefits to it.  My boys take off on their bikes and can ride all over town, up to the little beach, to the 7-11 to grab a slurpie, down to the village to grab an ice cream, and they can do it all with their friends, and I feel 100% comfortable with them doing it.  Back in Charlotte, I would NEVER let them ride all over town unsupervised, it just wasn't safe. 

 

My kids were addicted to electronics, and since we have moved here, they are rarely inside.  The weather is always beautiful here, so they are always outside.  If they aren't out back fishing, they are at a friends house fishing, or swimming, or just out riding bikes, it is so nice and refreshing to see them be able to have this kind of childhood! 

 

Olivia has also done really well since our move.  This girl, who HATED going to school, now LOVES school, and seriously this has been HUGE for me.  There is nothing worse than sending your child to school in tears everyday...it was the WORST.  On her first day of school here, yes she did shed some tears, which is to be expected, she was 7, scared and just unsure...well the girl came SKIPPING off the bus with a smile from ear to ear, begging to go back...oh I cannot even tell you what that meant to me!  Our elementary school is year round here, so her day is a little shorter, and she is home a bit more often, and it works for her.  She loves school, loves her friends, loves everything about it.  It did not take her long at all to adjust, and she has thrived so much this year, and I have seen so much change in her, she has really grown up the past 7 months!  She is happy every morning, loves wearing a uniform, and can't wait to get to school each day!

 

 

This has definitely been a big year for all of us, especially our kids, and I am so impressed and proud of how well they handled all the change thrown their way.  We lived in Charlotte for a long time, and I was so used to living a certain way, they were too, and I was so scared about how much of a life change this move was going to be for everyone.  We struggled a lot in making our decision to make this move, and Mark and I talked it to "death", and deep down we knew, financially this was the best decision and let's face it, though money certainly can't buy happiness, it sure does make life a little easier. 

 

It's been no secret that I have struggled the most with all of this.  I had a really hard time making the change and the first two months I was miserable and just HATED it here.  I missed everything about Charlotte and just wanted to go back.  I still do miss Charlotte so much, but I am really starting to genuinely love where we are.  It has been 7 months, and each day I wake up and cannot believe that paradise is in my backyard, palm trees, water, dolphins, it is amazing to have all this.  We downsized our home, and was pretty nervous about that, but it is amazing how quickly you can adapt, and you realize you don't need all the things you thought you did in order to be happy.  Mark was so unhappy with his job back in Charlotte, and now he loves what he does again.  He feels appreciated at work, and that goes along way in his attitude here at home.  He comes home and is so much more relaxed then he ever was, and though he still works his butt off, he comes home happy, not stressed, and we are all able to enjoy being together at night, it is so nice.  He comes home from work, changes his clothes, and walks out back and casts his pole in the water with the boys, I cannot begin to tell you how full my heart is when I see the people I love most truly happy and content, it is enough for me. 

 

 So although the financial benefit has been huge for us since making this move, it doesn't even come close to all the other benefits.  Our life is so different now, and in a good way, a way I never even thought.  I have learned so much over the past 7 months, and have realized so many things.  Our life is very different here, it's not near as face paced, we live in a super small town, mainly filled with retirees, our house isn't huge or brand new, but it doesn't matter.  We are the happiest that we have ever been.  Life is so much different now, and thought it took me a really LONG time, to adjust, it is perfect...and being able to feel this happy and content, well....it truly is perfect!

 

Today, I am going to be packing up for our little kid-free beach trip this weekend and when the kiddos get home, I am going to happily put away all the lunchboxes and backpacks for summer!!

 

Happy Thursday!