It has begun...

Today is the first day of band camp. It is a bittersweet day for me actually. I love marching band and most everything that goes with it. I love seeing the show come together, hearing the music, watching the kids have fun at football games and listening to how proud all the parents are of their kids. I love spending time with parents and getting to know them better too. I am especially excited this year because of Rachel. She loves music and dances now with all of her noisy toys. She also thinks that everyone performs for her. On the rare occasion that she is in church when music is playing, she squeals and nods her head, waves her hands, and sometimes even claps. I know she will love hearing and seeing the marching band! The down side is, all of these things don't come together by themselves. It takes a lot of practice, which takes a lot of time! It is quite a stressful time for Dustin, especially this year, since he is the only band director (he does have a lot of support, but overall, everything falls on his shoulders). This means that he will not be home until late most nights- so I'm "single" mom after work getting dinner ready while taking care of Rachel, and it also means that Dustin won't get to spend as much time with Rachel as he would like because she goes to bed early (can't help that too much-she gets up at 6:15 during the school year!).

So as this time begins, we make the best of the rough times and enjoy the end product!