School's Out!!

I'm not given to hyperbole or exaggeration, but I do believe that we may have the two most fabulous children in the entire world.....

Tomorrow I will have a 4th grader and a 7th grader. As the planet exuberantly hurls itself around the sun again and again,  we have to watch our cute little babies turn into tweens. 

It looks as if we are going to close the school year out with straight A averages on every subject from both girls.  Take THAT, orphanage delay !!  BOOYAH.

From the link:

Review of the group data for children adopted internationally from orphanages shows that a majority initially demonstrate some significant developmental delays or concerning behaviors. The delays can affect cognitive, language, gross and fine motor, personal and social skills. Studies of children adopted from overseas orphanages revealed developmental delays in 50% to 90% at initial evaluation, with a significant proportion showing delays in multiple areas (commonly, language and motor skills).

Well.

Well.

Well.

Meredith has been accepted into a magnet school focusing on "engineering arts" and Madeleine will begin high school courses in August at the age of 11.  

I'm not mocking or disparaging the fact that many kids who spend significant time in orphanges have delays and learning disabilities that range from minor to very serious.   It's true, and it's a fact that every prospective parent of a child residing in an orphanage ought to take seriously.

And we were lucky to get the kids at a young age and doubly lucky to find the perfect school for them.   We owe Ina Lightner-Fort and her colleagues more than we could ever repay.   Thank you.

When I was a kid, I'd race home and put "School's Out" on my ancient Show & Tell record player and cavort around the room like an uncoordinated monkey on crack cocaine. 

Right now I don't feel like an adult.  I feel like a giddy kid.  For a few precious months there will be no school buses to catch at 6:52 AM.  There will be no incomprehensible math homework.  The violins are being returned to the rental shop tomorrow. 

There will be no announcements at 10:42 PM that require a midnight trip to Walmart to buy posterboard, glue sticks, glitter, twine, the blood of a unicorn, some pixie dust from Irish fairies and desperate pleas to "please find an image of a flowering cactus plant on the internet no that one is too small also I need a picture of the rings of Saturn I think we need a new color cartridge in the printer why isn't it printing omg I'm going to FAIL."

Someone, and I'm not naming any names but I am legally married to him, stayed up till 3:00 AM one night pasting things onto posterboards.

Yes, school is out and it looks like we all fooled 'em again.  The kids nailed it.  We have a bin filled with pieces of paper celebrating their overall fabulousness, grades, citizenship and breathing through their noses.

Let's party!!!