Big steps

I'll get back to the vacation blogs soon.
Life has been moving full steam ahead since we got home.
The day after we returned we had a big family farewell to Kenzie. She was heading off to college a few days later.
Took lots of pictures for Kenzie to hang on her dorm room walls...

I had to get pics of the grandbabies wearing their souvenir Outer Banks t-shirts.

Even the ones we can't see yet...

 And the daddies-to-be couldn't be left out.

Maveryk had a real bonding moment with "Grandpa Rog" over a dozen rolls of smarties

And then a few days later we got up very early, I made Kenzie her favorite breakfast (German Apple Pancakes)
And she hit the road...

I almost made it through without crying until I looked back at the door and saw Emily fall apart. :(
So we cried, Emily and I.
Kenzie made the two hour drive just fine and we delivered the rest of her things to her the next day. We didn't get to visit long because Kenz found a job the minute she rolled into town and had to work that whole day. Then the next day she came down with strep and had to get herself to a doctor.
Just like a grown up. *sniff*
Three days later Miss Emily made her big move to junior high. She's attending the charter school near our house. She wasn't too sure about the whole uniform thing but I think it's going to be just fine.
She looks so grown up. It's crazy.

 She obsessed non stop  for a week about all the things there are to be nervous about in junior high. Her biggest worry was not being able to get her locker open. So she practiced the technique hundreds of times on a combination lock we have.

 I let her choose her own fabric for a school bag. This one was perfectly her.

On the first day of school she opened her locker perfectly the very first time that she tried to open the correct locker ;)
Today is the 4th day of school and as of this morning, she has not been able to open it by herself again. Luckily, there always seems to be a helpful student or teacher nearby to help her.
She insisted that I walk her to her first class even though there didn't seem to be many parents in the building at the time. And she stood outside that class afraid to go in almost to the point of tears.
Which had me on the verge of tears.
But, as is often the best course of action as a parent, I sucked it up, gave her a kiss and a hug and gentle push into the class.
And she loved it. She talked my ear off for a solid hour when she got home that day.

So...with those two off on their big new journeys, I just have the first day of Kindergarten for Jaxon ahead of me.