Ivan’s back at school! He is still super happy teaching at Valley Christian Schools, and I am still super thankful that he’s there. (I hope I get to write about him going back to school at VCS for many Augusts in the future!) I’d love to do one of those cool “Summer Summary” posts…except that y’all pretty much know everything. 😉 BUT I’ve seen so many moms do cute “back to school” posts for their kids that I decided to make one for Ivan, too. I most definitely am not Ivan’s mom. But that doesn’t mean I can’t make one. He is cute, after all…

Name: Ivan Christian
Age: 25
Height: 5’11”
Grade: 6,7,8,9,10,11,12
Favorite Movie: Lord of the Rings
Favorite Food: Anything with CHEESE. Or shrimp. Or both.

Other fun facts not usually seen on “Back to School Posts:” Ivan doesn’t just teach piano periods! He also teaches AP Music Theory, and co-teaches two choir classes. In case y’all got lost on the music theory part, it’s basically analyzing how composers “build” music so it sounds a certain way. I call it the “math” of music.

Last year we were nervous about how I would do “on my own” while Ivan was away at work. Mom filled in the gap during the fall by taking me to therapy twice a week and making up other short excursions. I was considerate enough to save my seizure hospitalizations for everyone’s Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks. (You’re welcome!) I graduated therapy in January, but Mom and Dad still took me out in the spring as I was able, and came to help me out at home when I couldn’t go out. They also both ran “seizure interference” so Ivan could stay at school as much as possible. We’d all imagined that this “back to school” transition would be a piece of cake compared to last fall’s, or this past spring’s for that matter. But our plans rarely work the way God’s do. A dramatic summer is leaving us nervous for the fall transition – again. But on the bright side, we already made it through one full year in spite of a theme park’s worth of ups and downs. I’m pretty sure we can make it through another. We’ve still got all the same ingredients in the recipe: Ivan, Mom, Dad, an understanding job, and a great church family. Best of all, we have the same God.

Ivan: Cheese.