First Day of Virtual School!

We were all totally in denial last night when we rolled up to our house at almost 9 p.m. after spending the day at Lake Sammamish and at my parent's house that school was starting today.  In our eight years of having a child go to school in this district, we have NEVER started school before Labor Day weekend and before our annual camping trip to Blake Island.  So, it just didn't feel "real" that school was starting today.  In addition, since the kids were not starting school at their physical schools this fall, we didn't buy any new school clothes, backpacks, or supplies which also contributed to the fact that it really did not feel like school was starting today.  Everything is SO not what the beginning of school should be like this year and so we were all kind of out of sorts this morning.  Nevertheless, I managed to get the kids up, dressed, and fed in time for a quick photo shoot on the front porch before Ella and Logan had to join an online meeting with their teachers and classmates at 8:30 (Lia didn't start her first period class until 9 a.m.)  Although the kids are not actually heading off to school, I thought that it was important to take their traditional, first-day-of-school pictures on the porch for our family record.  Logan suggested that everyone should wear their backpacks from last year, and the girls agreed.  So, this is what I managed to quickly take of the kids outside before hurrying back inside to log onto Microsoft Teams.

The Hartland children line-up:  Lia with Emmett, Ella, and Logan sitting on the front porch steps.

Lia starting her first day of 7th grade AND her first day of junior high!  

Gasp.  I honestly felt like this day would never come--like she would be in elementary school forever.  However, she looks, acts, and thinks like such a teenager at times that this entire transition just makes sense as much as I hate to admit it.  Once "real school" starts, Lia will be walking up our hill to her junior high school every day.  It is less than a 5 minute walk from home.

Logan's first day of 3rd grade. 

Where has the time gone?!  I honestly feel like he just started Kindergarten.

Ella's first day of 1st grade.

She is still such an adorable, little peanut that being in 1st grade still makes sense to me as her mom.

We then hurried back inside to get both Ella and Logan into their first class meetings.  We then spent the next six hours jumping back and forth between four virtual meetings and classwork while juggling Emmett and several technical issues.  Needless to say, this was not my favorite way to start school and I found myself cursing homeschool again like I did daily back in the Spring.  I eventually got Emmett down for a morning nap and we figured out most of the technical issues, so the day did improve after a rocky start.  I am seriously going to try to make the most out of this, but I sure will praise the day when our county's Department of Health gives our district permission to send our children back to school.  I just was not cut out for this homeschool thing.

Logan listening to his teacher talk during his first of several virtual meetings today.  He discovered several friends during his first online meeting which was a welcome surprise as we only knew about one friend who had been assigned to the same teacher before school started today.

Lia's online learning went a lot smoother than her younger brother and sister and required very little help from me.  She met with her 1st, 2nd, and 3rd period classes today back to back for an hour each.  She basically sat quietly in the office (which is now her "classroom" since Ron has moved back to working at his high school) listening to her teachers.  After a lunch break, she went back on her computer to meet with her homeroom teacher for 30 minutes before finishing up for the day since she was not assigned any homework today.  It was surprising to see her finishing before both of her elementary school siblings, but I know that this will all change in the days to come!