We've been home from our 5 1/2 week vacation for almost four weeks now. The kids enjoyed their last two weeks of summer playing with all their toys, excited to be in their rooms, jumping on their trampoline and enjoying the community pool a few more times before it closed.
As our summer break winded down I took all the kids to Super Wal-Mart for school supplies and as I entered the store with five kids in tow, it occurred to me... I've done this here before...
When we moved to Georgia we arrived at the end of July 2007. We stayed in a hotel for two nights before we got keys to the house. So while Chris was in-processing on base I took the kids to register in school and went and bought school supplies. It's one of my first memories of being here in Columbus. Wandering through the back-to-school isles in Super Wal-Mart with my big pregnant tummy, Megan sitting in the front of the cart, Emily sitting in the back of the cart making piles and Ryan and Katie excitedly picking out supplies.
This time with Luke in the front of the cart gnawing on a pack of pencils, and Megan sitting in the back of the cart making piles, we made our way through the crowded back-to-school isles. I actually love it... the kids (and I) were so excited to pick out new pencils, crayons and folders. Ryan, Katie and Emily picked up supplies left and right and simultaneously shouted 'Do I need this?' "Hang on, we're doing crayons right now." I answered countless times. Emily's Kindergarten list was a little smaller than the other kids so she felt completely jipped. "What? Why can't I have a compass and a dictionary?" And then Megan calling from the cart... "What can I have?" while the kids find something else Lukey has slobbered on. It's ok to have complete chaos when you are back to school shopping. It's what happens every year... and I love it.
Since then everything has seemed like deja vu... the end of summer rain and thunder storms, the beautiful butterflies that fly around the bushes by Ryan's window, the thick humidity, Chris hitting the golf course after work (not as often as last August when our schedule wasn't so busy) and the kids going back to school. We have lived in Georgia for one whole year! We may not be Georgia veterans but we are beginning to feel like we've done it all before.
Johnson Family
4 comments:
I am not so brave as you! We go one at a time school supply shopping. I call it special time with Mom but I'm really just a wuss!
i love shopping for school supplies. i don't know what it is about paper, pencils, and crayons that gets me so excited.
I love back to school shoping too! It's so fun to pick out all the new stuff! This year I ordered all the kids supplies in May through a company that gets all your stuff for you and has it waiting at school on the first day, which is a 40 minute meet the teacher appointment. The kids LOVED opening their boxes when we got to the school. It was like Christmas to open all the fun things. I have to say that I REALLY did enjoy not having to go from store to store to find all there supplies, since around here, Walmart and Target are always sold out of things. It made our "school shopping day" a little less crazy. We did school clothes,shoes, backpacks, lunch boxes and then went out to lunch! Soooo fun! Happy back to school!!! :-) And WOW, I can't believe you've already lived in Georgia for a year!
How has it already been a year. I love the school shopping thing but it wasn't the same this year...not many options and lots sold out. I ended up having to send Derek to Target (how sad is that - Derek doing my shopping at TARGET!) You always get nervous when someone recommends school shopping at Staples. I think Ryan and Emily could hang out together. Ryan felt like he was getting jipped too.
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