14

Jan

The last week

Posted by  | Published in Family Fun  

It has been a huge week for the Brill family!  Lot’s of tears, joys, sadness, excitement, butterflies, sick tummies, worries, stress, and love.

Where to begin…. Let’s start with last week.

Nicolas started school on Tuesday.  This had me a little nervous but after spending Monday enrolling him in school, I let Doug take care of getting him there Tuesday morning.  He came home all smiles and all the kids were excited for him. 

Throughout the week their were many discussions going on between Doug and I, Mindy and I, Doug and Mindy…. it was a long week.  After lots and lots of discussions and looking at different school options it was decided that Jacob and Lexi would be enrolled in school here for the following week.  Jacob and Lexi were PUMPED!!!! 

Why in Tillamook you may ask.  Well that was part of the long difficult discussions.  As everyone knows we have homeschooled for so long so that the children could move easily back and forth between their two families.  It has slowly become obvious that Jacob needed some friends, activities, and possibly a school environment.  Mindy really did her research on schools.  Tillamook has wonderful schools.  Vancouver is much larger.  Would gangs be a future issue for poor Jacob in the city?  What about his step brothers that visit during holidays and summer.  If he was in school there he may end up being here on those holidays and not see his brothers. This was an incredibly difficult decision for everyone but most of all Mindy.  I have to congratulate her for making such a decision for the love of her kids.  Not sure if I would be so unselfish if in the same position.  She is a wonderful mom!  She is going to be 100 percent involved in their school.  She has email addresses to teachers, and they have hers.  All school records will be sent to both homes.  We have an RV parking outside for them anytime to come see the kids during the week!  They will still be going back and forth.  Just on weekends now.

So Friday was spent taking care of the enrollments. It was a very exciting house.  Mindy and I texted back and forth a bunch.  She spent the afternoon buying school clothes for the kids while we filled out all the appropriate paperwork. 

Through all this excitement Emily decided she wanted to check out the Jr. High.  They handed us paperwork and said to return Monday morning if she wanted to come.  WOW!  Emily was told she had to stick with it two weeks if she decided.  She said okay.  So her paperwork was filled out and ready for Monday morning with Dad.

Then the nerves started to frazzle up a bit for the mom’s!  I was a stress basket from that point on.  Crying whenever away from the kids, but excited too about the possibilities for all of us.  The weekend was a typical weekend around here.  We watched a new Movie Sunday night before bed to keep everyone’s mind off the next day.

Monday morning I was ok.  Emily was nervous but not too bad.  Her dad brought her into school.  I stayed here with the rest of the kids.  Mindy and Grandma later showed up to pick up her kids for their first day (yep she came down Sunday night just to be here for the big day!!!)  Nic and I stayed behind.  His school didn’t start till 1215.  Doug came home and was just a nervous wreck the rest of the day.  He said it was pretty tough at the JR. High when all the kids came in the door.  Poor Emily turned white as a ghost!  That eve she didn’t get off the bus.  I thought “great sign!  That means she stuck around for basketball!!!”  I picked her up and she was ok.  Her backpack was full of everything, locker was empty, and she was NOT going back!

She and I both cried all night.  I felt so bad for her but I also new she needed to keep trying.  Tuesday morning was rough.  Dad took her to school.  I went to work but came home sick.  I was just a wreck!  Cried most of Tuesday.  Picked her up that night from basketball and she had a smile on her face.  Said it was better.  Only sick for the first two periods!  YEA!!!!

Up Wed morning and she was in tears again.  But this time I new she could do it.  Off to school again and wed night after basketball she told me it was only one class she was sick through!!!  GETTING BETTER!

This morning there were no tears but she did have a sick stomach.  I drove her to school again but she walked herself in for the first time!  YEA! 

Hopefully by Tuesday she will be taking the bus with her brother and sister.  By the way… Jacob and Lexi are doing awesome!  Loving the social side of school: friends, recess, PE, and library time!  Yep they love the library!

To all of you that have prayed for our family during this very difficult transition I can not thank you enough!  To all of you that have given extra prayers for Emily… there just aren’t words to say Thanks properly.  Going to 7th grade is hard enough at the beginning of the year.  I can’t even imagine going to it in the middle and from a home school environment.  I am so proud of her and can really see some positive changes come out of this for her! 

How am I through all this?!?!?  Well I am having to learn to be a parent and not a teacher.  Having to learn to let go and trust them to do as their teachers want.  Having to allow them to grow and change and become friends with kids their age.  But most of all I’ve got to find a hobby!  I spend many hours just pacing in the house trying to find something to do.  Monday I vacuumed the floors two times!  I am enjoying my evenings with the kids.  I used to hate evenings.  Just wanted them all in bed!  I am now busy running them around to soccer, basketball, youth group, and i’m sure the list will grow!  We have made it a point to spend time with each child at bedtime for 15 minutes or so.  It has worked out well. 

So that’s been our huge week~

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