Three Girls and a School

The start of this school year has been such a good one for us. I obviously didn't post after the first day of school. Now, we are half way through the first quarter. This is a big year for all of the girls, and for us, as this is the only year they will ever all three be in the same school. (one drop off and one pick up every day! YAY FOR US!)

Emma:

Emma started 5th grade. She has the same teacher this year as she did last year, Mrs. Duncan. I cannot believe how much Emma has grown up over the summer. Part of me wants to tell her to slow down, but the other part loves that she is quickly becoming one of my favorite people in the world.

She is still somewhat reserved at first, but quickly comes out of her shell and is quite funny! She has a lot of opinions and is so very smart. Emma listens and takes in everything around her.

This year, she had a student-led parent teacher conference. She explained to us all of the things that she has been working on and I was blown away. She has created three PowerPoint presentations on books she has read and presented them to her class. She is learning to be responsible for herself and her teacher pushes the kids all to take that responsibility to help them prepare for Middle School.

This sweet girl is a beauty, but more than that, she has a good heart. She doesn't want anyone to have their feelings hurt or feel sad and that is evident from her group of friends. She is friends with tons of people in her class and even some younger girls (who look up to Emma in admiration). Fifth grade has been a great year so far and we are so proud of Emma.


Hannah:

Hannah is in the 2nd grade and has the same wonderful teacher that Emma had in 2nd grade, Mrs. Isabell. Hannah is very much a planner at heart. She needs to know what is going on when to feel a sense of comfort. So, on the first day of school, she cried a little. She always hates that first day of the unknown.

Now, she is succeeding and learning faster than I can keep up. She is constantly "leveling up" in math and reading like it's her job (well...it kind of is!). She is so happy in her class and crazy smart!

Hannah is still one of the most loving children I have every been around. She loves to hug us and constantly tells us how much she loves us. She has gotten several compliments from her teacher and other teachers about how sweet she is.

Another thing that keeps Hannah going is her quick wit. This girl can spout off jokes with the best of them. She is hilarious and her one liners just prove she has the "Burton" gene! Hannah is so beautiful and loving. This year has been a breeze for her and she is so very happy at her school!

Catherine:

Catherine started Kindergarten this year. The first day, she waved at me and never looked back. She was SO excited to start school like "the sisters". On the second day, I asked her if she remembered where her classroom was. She said that she didn't, but she would be fine...and maybe she would just go to the "fiveth" grade with Emma for today. (Don't worry...I walked her in! If you know Catherine, you know she really would have gone to another class just for fun!)

She had a little mishap the second day of school with her best friend, Anna Grace. Both of them are the youngest of three daughters and their personalities couldn't be more similar. So, when they saw Emma in the library, they climbed in the window and yelled "HI Emma!" Needless to say, we got a note home!

Since then, Catherine has been great at school. She is the class helper and loves to help other kids with their work if they are struggling. Mrs Banks had all three of our girls and went on and on about what good girls we have. She told us that Catherine asks her every day if she can skip stations (where they have play time) and just have some more work!

Catherine loves learning and can already read lots of words. The best day of Catherine's year so far was the day they started having homework. I have never seen her so happy!

Catherine is still our little fireball and still sucks her thumb. She lives in "Catherine's world" and is very head strong. She is by far the hardest to parent, because we do NOT want to break that strong will.

We are so SO proud of our three crazy girls. They keep us so busy, but this season in life is probably one of the best ones yet. I don't think Travis and I go to bed a single night without laughing about something that one (or all) of the girls did or said that day. (I will not deny it could be sheer exhaustion!)

There are days that we both wonder if we are getting any of it right, but looking at these three happy, healthy (mostly) well-behaved girls, we know through God's grace, we must be doing a little something right. :)

Each year, I look at these pictures and wonder what in the world I have done to be blessed beyond what I deserve! (Now here's hoping I'll be a better blogger!)