Our growing family! (and a new school year)

This past spring, Jesse and I decided that we either had to be okay with the kids losing all their French language progress, or else we had to do something major to protect it (all middle ground options seemed feeble and really just fell in the "they'll lose it" category). After much consideration, we decided to go for "major"...in the form of welcoming a French foreign exchange student into our home. 

We're excited to introduce you to the newest member of our family:

Meet Hélène, our "daughter" for the year! 

This is not really a fair picture since it was taken terribly late on Monday night when

we first got back from the airport. The poor girl had been awake for nearly 24 hours!

On Monday morning Hélène woke up at home outside of Paris, on Tuesday morning she was sitting in class at Conestoga Valley High School. So yes, a bit of a contrast. However, we're so happy to say that in two days she's already slipping into the rhythms of our family (such rhythms as we have in our often unpredictable and disorganized lives, anyway), and we're so pleased to have her here. Her temperament and tendencies are not unlike mine, and heck, we both came out of our bedrooms on Tuesday morning wearing practically matching jeans and pink tee shirts, so we're taking all this as clear evidence that she's meant to be part of our family. 

Tuesday morning was of course a huge and overwhelming day as Hélène, just a few scant hours after arriving in this country, began 12th grade. But it was also a major day for another member of the family: William began kindergarten!!! We're spanning the school system this year, and Josiah is holding up the middle in 3rd grade. 

Yes, this is the best face available from Mr. Goofy. Hélène then left for school,
and the boys had another hour before their bus came.

William definitely was nervous, but he squeezed in a little stress-relieving batting practice before heading to the bus stop with Josiah—who, for the record, was a terrific brother and held William's hand all the way. They marched onto the bus with just a quick wave back.

With all the swirling feelings and changes of the previous 12 hours, I definitely was fighting back tears as the bus pulled away. I know William was in school all last year in France, but somehow this felt different. And suddenly being entrusted as the parent of a 17-year-old foreign daughter? We're still finding our own footing back here in the U.S., I'm getting re-established at work full time, and we've not even entirely unpacked the house. I was feeling happy and hopeful in many ways but simultaneously unqualified and unprepared. 

But — the day passed well for everyone in the end. I pulled myself together and got to work, Hélène much later returned home feeling good about Day 1, and William and Josiah emerged from the afternoon school bus with huge smiles and lots of stories. After a family dinner that evening (and mountains of first-day paperwork x3), two worn out boys and one jet-lagged teenager went to bed, and Jesse and I sat back and marveled at how much change 24 hours can yield. While I hope we don't have too many days that are quite that eventful on a regular basis, we're happy and thankful and looking forward to a good year!