First day of school [2020]

Exhale.

Has anyone ever mentioned the fact that parenting is TOUGH? 

I have been doing that kind of 'laugh so that you don't cry' kind of laugh when I have had conversations about parenting lately.

I go to my mom for A LOT of parenting advice... A lot of conversations of ours are started off with the words 'when I did 'x' when I was 'x' age...'

Unfortunately, I can't ask my mom about what she did and how she felt when she sent me and my sister off to a 'hybrid' school year filled with 1/2 capacity classrooms and virtual learning and masks and not knowing what the school schedule would look like from one week to the next.

EXHALE.

Parenting is hard.

Parenting during a pandemic? That's just... well... it sucks.

Yesterday started a new school year.

Monday was suppose to be my boy's first day of school, but instead we sat and home and waited for Tuesday to come for our turn while so many friends that they've missed over these long four months went.

They were so, so SO excited to go to school.

When I asked them what they were most excited about, they both said "SEEING OUR FRIENDS!"

...and then I started crying.

I think all of you adults/ parents can relate to the fact that these four months have been challenging for us in all sorts of 'adult' ways.  So much so that we may have missed how much it's impacted our little guys.

I have prayed over more inanimate objects these last 48 hours than I ever have in my life.  Their backpacks, their shoes, what they wore on their first day, their lunch boxes.  Everything I touched I just prayed so hard over them for their school year to be BRIGHT and that the darkness that is pouring over our world right now to stay out of their way.

They both really deserve to have a great year.

Liam and Mason headed off to their LAST YEAR in elementary school.

...and I really don't have anything to say about that other than I really just can't believe it.

I can't believe it. 

Corbin is rolling into second grade!

 His mom told me that on the way to school he said "I'm a lucky guy! I have the best teacher in the school and my girlfriend AND my best friend in my class!"

...not really sure about that girlfriend part, but i'm digging the positivity!

And then there's this guy...

This guy is headed into his TENTH year of teaching!

....in his pajamas. Ha!

His School District is virtual for a little while and he has embraced it with everything he has. 

I am so proud of him.

Over the summer he has spent countless hours in meetings and doing his own planning to do everything in his power to make sure that his students didn't flinch when they had to start class virtually.  

I won't go into the dynamic of the demographics of the school that he teaches at and the situations that the vast majority of his students are in, but if I said it once i've said it hundreds of times... 

God hand picked Tyler Welch to teach and mentor these students.  His heart is for these students.

I am so proud to be his wife.  

I love you boys so incredibly much.

I hope this school year is everything you hope it will be!