One down... how many to go?

The first week of school is over and I'm already counting the days until Christmas vacation! As usual, it was a crazy week. It's always hard having the kids and me go back to "the grind" at the same time.
The kids really like their kinder teacher and she adores them too. They went on a "vowel hunt" on Friday and they actually know (and can write) their vowels! Amazing! I am so thankful that they go to such an awesome school; it makes me sad that this will be their last year there :(
My week made me age a few years. Seventh graders are testy (if you didn't already know that). Most of my classes are great, just a few stinkers. I spent the week getting them into a routine and going over procedures for my classroom---gee, how exciting. Next week will get easier now that they know the expectations.
Preston is "on-call" for Hurricane Gustov... boooo. I am really dreading it if he has to go. He's such a help to everyone in the mornings so we can all get out the door on time. He also can usually pick up the kids from school before 4pm, which is the earliest I could get there. Guess I'll have to suck it up and cover his shifts. Like my dad says, "You can do anything for a short period of time."