Time Marches On!!!

This time last week, my first born baby had been through his orienteering at the High School he's attending next year and we had been to the Open Night.

Joel had soooooo much fun at his orienteering day. All the kids broke up into groups and participated in science experiments, performing arts gigs, games (as in PE) and they went around all the classrooms. They met some of the teachers who seemed to be friendly. I, in no way, remember having fun on my orientation day for High School. I grew up through the dim, dark ages where the incoming students had to sit in the hall and listen to the Principal and various teachers give the do's and don't's!!! Our orientation through the school commenced the day of the new school year and we had a Prefect show us around all the classrooms. I remember I still had my school bag from preschool (I know, I know!!) and at one stage, my bag flew open and all the contents spilled out on the ground!! I was sooo embarrassed. Isn't time a wonderful healer? I was over it the next day!

We went to the Open Night (again, we didn't have one of those in "my days"). It was a shamozzle ... to say the least! There was a major crowd in attendance, so much so that, whilst there were people sitting with their children, there were many more people standing, to the extent that the crowd of people was literally going out the door. After we sat/stood through the speeches (of which the Principal did not use the microphone properly so it was really hard to focus on what he was saying!), we were invited to split up into groups and tour the school. It was a great concept, but not great in practice. The poor "tour guides" (students of the school) who were assigned to the swelling crowds, lost most of their groups. Certainly, we lost our tour guide and so we linked up to another group where the tour guide told us that she had lost half her group - :o) - and so we headed on our merry way. However, we hadn't been with our new group long, when we lost them too!!! Because Rob had attended the same school when he was considerably younger, he was able to give us a personal tour of the school!! We went to the gym and spoke to the gym teacher (PE teacher, health teacher, whatever you want to call him) and when we'd had enough, we headed out the door to go somewhere else. As we were leaving, the crowds converged upon the gym and the poor teacher!

We decided to look at the science lab. That was heaps of fun and the teachers there were so helpful! We spent some considerable time there, sampling different experiments and, again, as we were leaving, the crowds converged upon the science labs.

Joel is very excited/nervous about going to High School. It will be such a change in his life in so many ways.

Joel is growing up in so many ways. He is showing responsibility, independence, thoughtfulness, caring etc. Even last night, he showered Benjy for me so that all I had to do was get the BB dressed in his PJ's. Then when Benjy spilled his dinner on the floor, Joel tried to clean it up. I didn't ask him too, he saw that it needed doing.

His greatest desire is to live for Jesus. He will be able to choose a language next year. He told me he's interested in German but he thinks it would be more prudent to learn Indonesian, just in case God calls him there!

He feels a sense of purpose when he does his piano practice. He sees it as something useful for the Lord - and he enjoys it too!!!

He is such a special boy and I am his very proud mother!!!