Our Island Family Life

This morning was nerve wracking. Maybe it's my nerves making me hungry? Today Cade is going in town for his shadow day at middle school. He was up at 5am with his brothers and he had prepared the night before by picking out his clothes and packing a lunch. I made sure his cell was charged and had minutes in case he missed the bus or something. I don't think he will because he is going to be with another girl from the island Mayzie who is in 6th grade at the school he is going to. He will be following her all day to all her classes and meeting teachers. Just experiencing a day as a 6th grader. I was still an elementary student when I was in sixth grade. Things seem to move faster these days. I am sure he will be exhausted by the time he gets home at 4pm. It seems like it is happening too fast. He was a baby such a short time ago. Life is going by faster than I am ready for since Sean left.

Will and Connor won't be home until 7pm today. Almost all of Will's grade is in North Carolina now building houses for the week. They left yesterday. It's called junior journey but Will refused to go. About 5 other kids did too for various reasons. I had wanted Will to have the experience of going but I also thought his reasons weren't just laziness. Each student had to pay $500 to go. There was a lot of fund raising for students who couldn't afford it (like us for example). Will didn't want to pay that but that wasn't his main reason. He kept advocating that the students not waste thousands of dollars to go elsewhere. He said the funds raised and the volunteer time should be used in our own communities. He felt it was wasteful. So he is going to be building a bridge near their school with the other students and a teacher. Will thought it was ironic that all the kids staying behind were almost all the kids who had building experience to begin with. He said traveling was great and he understood the whole plan the teachers had of wanting the students to bond but since the school as a whole focuses on being a part of the community with student internships and blood drives and stuff it seemed almost counter productive to the main goal. I tried to tell him the experience of going "abroad" was a good foundation for college but when his mind is set it's pretty much over. He did have valid points though. It is good to see he can stick to his morals and advocate for himself. So, he is doing that today then more internship stuff after school. He really loved it and is going to continue with his "boss" when the internship is over. He is just getting extra credit now. As for Connor, he is staying after for extra support. He hopes to get everything he is missing for work done by the end of tomorrow so he can do the film intensive on Wednesday. No school work but learning how to use cameras, computers and all that fancy equipment. Will loved it and Connor is excited about it too. Poor Cade will have to get up at 5am on Wednesday too. We are taking the morning boat to go to a health fair at another school in town. Sofie and I are going too. I don't have to work that day so going is great for Sofie in getting used to field trips. We are going to the opera on the 27th as well. She will be 4 then....:) She is very excited for her birthday and is asking for nearly everything she sees. It funny.

I am working today and I pray to all things holy he doesn't puke. He had the same thing Sofie did but with a lower fever but more throwing up. It also seems to be shorter in duration. He is sleeping now. I hope he sleep a long time and feels more cheery. I think he is fine illness wise but is just tired from recovering from it. His poor mom wasn't able to work because of Sofie being sick then him.

I need to carve out some study time today....ack.