First Day of School

Here are some pictures from the first day of school. So far, it's been a great year. Everybody enjoys school.

Carter started his freshman year of high school. It is a big school - about 3500 students. It's a great campus, nice, clean. He is a super motivated student. He works hard and I never have to tell him to do his homework or study for a test. He has been very busy the last couple of months with Marching band. Their last competition is Saturday. They have been so fun to listen to. They are amazing and put a tremendous amount of work into their show. I'm sure he has learned a lot this year about hard work and dedication. I even get the chills when I watch their show - it's so awesome. I'm proud of Carter and what he has accomplished. I'm even more proud of his desire to be at seminary. Even after nights of getting to bed at 1:00  in the morning. He's up at 5:00 because he doesn't want to miss seminary. One night last week, I was driving the carpool. Carter had been to bed about 1 or 2 because of a competition and homework. I tried to wake him up, but he was speaking gibberish so I didn't push it cause I knew he was so tired. When I got home from dropping off, I noticed Jon's car was gone. Carter had woken up and still wanted to go to seminary, just a few minutes late. The seminary teacher, Brother Laws, said that when Carter walked in that morning he said to the class before he sat down, "Just so you know…I went to bed TODAY."

Becca continues to be a great student. She has always been self-motivated and a hard worker who gets great grades. She is enjoys being an 8th grader. She started off as first chair in Symphonic Band and then got braces on. Then a fellow Baritone player challenged her for her spot in first chair. He won and she moved down to second chair. She was bummed, but not distraught. She figured she'd practice hard, get used to her braces, and then challenge him back. Mr. Newton sent me a really nice email that afternoon. He talked about what an amazing student she was and he knew that once she got her bottom braces, it would be much easier. She has a lot of friends and enjoys being social, which is completely different from how she was in elementary school. She often preferred to play alone at home.

Emma is a sixth grader this year. She is adjusting to middle school. She didn't like some of her teachers at the beginning of the year, but I think has warmed up to them. She was picked by her teacher to be student of the month and have lunch with the principal and teachers. She works super hard at school and gets really great grades. She likes to hang out with her friend, Natalie, and make crafty things. Natalie and Emma came up with the idea of having a white elephant party a few months ago. I said, Sure, as long as you  plan it all. So they did. They made a list of friends to invite, boys and girls. Made invitations and gave them out and planned the afternoon. It was impressive. It turned out to be a lot of fun.

Evan is trying to keep his eyes open in this picture. I think Jon had taken about 5 pictures and he had the "Robbins droopy eyes," in all of them. Evan is liking 3rd grade. He is really good at mental math. He is cruising through the multiplication facts. He has already passed them off and is working on division. He recently got an award for citizenship. He's like an angel at school. The teachers always speak so highly of him and his polite behavior and example to the rest of the class. I guess when he comes home, he just wants to let loose a little or a lot. :) He's been really sweet with Kate lately. Yes, there is still a lot of teasing, but he has also played a lot with her and I know she loves that - building forts and wrestling, and drawing pictures together.

Kate LOVES kindergarten. I have to admit. I was a little nervous about the first day. She did not go to preschool and often had a hard time going to primary at church. She is really shy and takes a long time to warm up to people. The good thing is, I was confident in the teacher, Ms Vesneski, who we've had with other siblings. So…she went in on the first day, a little timid and hesitant, but when she walked out the back door in the afternoon, she was beaming from ear to ear. Soooo excited. Loved it. Loved her teacher. She told me that she is the best teacher in all the world, even England. I thought for sure she would take a while to make friends, but within a few days, she was holding hands with friends and rushing off to talk to a friend after school. She loves to sing songs, show me how she can count to 100 and write her letters. She is thriving in Kindergarten and I am so glad.