End of the Year Celebration!

Jaden goes to the largest elementary school in our district. Because of the number of students, they do not do a school carnival. Instead, they have an end of the year celebration! There are lots of blow-up slides, obstacle courses, and bouncy houses for the kids. They even had a local radio station show up to provide music and food! Lincoln Elementary has a huge grassy lot, so there was plenty of room for kids to run!

First, Jaden braved the Titanic slide. She had to crawl up the middle (see where it says "First Class" there by the guy in green?) and then choose a side to slide down.  It is a super tall slide! Taylor decided to keep place in line for the bouncy house instead :-)

My kids LOVE bouncy houses! They could probably spend an entire day in one if given the chance... wait, they have :-)  I'll get to that post another day!

This bounce house had a slide exit. Pretty cool! Taylor has an interesting way of going down these slides...

 

While waiting in the long lines, Taylor found a friend!!

She LOVES these little potato bugs! (but will scream if she sees a fly or gnat)

While Taylor bounced in the bounce house, J held place in line for the obstacle course.

After the obstacle course, Taylor decided she was brave enough for the Titanic slide...

Everyone in line chuckled at the major wedgie she had after this one :-)

We got out of there JUST IN TIME. That pretty rainbow broke into a downpour right as we were pulling into our garage.

It was a super fun evening! So thankful for such an awesome school... Thanks Lincoln!!

I'm participating in the Nester's 31 Day Challenge!

Jaden's 6th Birthday - Part 3

Some day I'll get caught up on this blog :-)

Jaden was so excited to celebrate her birthday at school this past spring! Mike and I took some time off work to surprise J at school.  She was not expecting us and was SO HAPPY that we could make it!

In kindergarten, there are many birthday traditions... First, she got to make herself a crown to wear so the whole school would know that it was her birthday.

Next, she got to pick a prize from Mr. Hoch's prize box!

She picked a new peace sign necklace :-)

Then, she got to pass out a birthday treat to all of her classmates! 

It was a very special day for one special 6 year old :-)

Part 1 Here

Part 2 Here

FIRST GRADE

Summer is finally over and it's back to school time! Jaden has been counting down the days literally the whole summer. She said that she wished summer break was only one day because she LOVES school so much! She has the wonderful Mrs. Dickmeyer as her teacher this year!

Taylor is all about school, too, even though she won't even start preschool until next year. She wants so bad to be just like her big sister! 

 

Happy first day of first grade, Jaden!!

Have fun, Biz :-)

Missed Summer Moments: Graduates!

My Kindergarten Graduate!

She did it!  We She survived a full year of real, all-day school!

There were good days and there were grumpy days, but she loved them all!

She was NOT looking forward to summer break. She loved school way too much to take even a day off! Congrats, Jaden! So proud of you!!

My cousin, Trenton, also graduated from high school. Jaden insisted on wearing her graduation cap to his party because, well, she was a graduate, too!

Congrats Trenton & Spencer!!

...and my future graduate, Taylor :-)

Jaden's Spring Concert

Jaden had her spring concert a couple of weeks ago.

Taylor and Maxine were excited to see her perform :-)

She was so proud to stand on that stage and perform for everyone!

I love those kindergarteners! How cute are those two boys searching for their parents?!

They all did great!

I can't believe how much all of these kids have grown!  Jaden was WAY taller than most of them at the beginning of the year. Her BFF is the red-head two to the right of J. Thick as thieves, those two. The boy to the left of J is the one they crush on :-)

Great job, Jaden!  So proud of you :-)

We do have it all!

"We may not have it all together, but together we have it all!"

I saw that quote hanging on our new daycare provider's wall today and it couldn't be more fitting. Yesterday was Jaden's first day of kindergarten and Taylor's first day of daycare, not only at a new place, but all by herself.  As you can probably imagine, I found it hard to sit still yesterday. I was excited for them because that day was one that they were looking forward to all summer long! Jaden was finally starting school. Ever since she started preschool, she has been wanting to go to kindergarten. I was so excited to hear all about her first day! I was nervous for my girls, both starting new chapters in their lives. This is the first time that they have been separated on a regular basis. Jaden, who has always been one of the big kids, was now in the younger crowd. Taylor was having to go through her whole day without her big sis there for support. Would they be ok? You know what? They were perfectly fine!

We picked Jaden up first after work. I jumped right in and started asking her all kinds of questions, "What did you do today?" She forgot. "What are your new friends' names?" She didn't know. "Did you do any fun projects?" She did. The answers were short, but the excitement was definitely there! But dang, girlfriend was TIRED! We knew it would be a tough day, but really... The ATTITUDE... yikes! Hopefully once we get into a routine, she'll get used to the early mornings and long school days.

Next stop was Miss Taylor Max. She immediately cried when I walked in the door... because she didn't want to leave! Good sign :o)  I was told that she had an awesome day! No fits at all AND she has a new BFF!

Needless to say, the girls went to bed a little earlier last night. It was a long day for all of us and it is true, we may NOT have it all together, but together we really DO have it all!

Kindergarten!

I Trust You'll Treat Her Well  by Dan Valentine

 World, I bequeath to you today one little girl in a crispy dress.. with two blue eyes...and a happy laugh that ripples all day long, and a batch of light red hair that bounces in the sunlight when she runs. I Trust You'll Treat Her Well.

She's slipping out of the backyard of my heart this morning and skipping off down the street to her first day at school.

And never again will she be completely mine...

Prim and proud, she'll wave a young and independent hand this morning, and say goodbye and walk with little-lady steps to the nearby schoolhouse...

Gone will be the chattering little hoyden who lived only for play, and gone will be the delightful little gamin who roamed the yard like a proud princess with nary a care in her little world.

Now, she will learn to stand in lines...and wait by the alphabet for her name to be called...

She will learn to tune her little-girl ears for the sound of school bells, and for deadlines...

She will learn to giggle and gossip... and to look at the ceiling in a disinterested way when the little boy across the aisle sticks out his tongue.

Now she will learn to be jealous...and now she will learn how it is to feel hurt inside...and now she will learn how not to cry.  No longer will she have time to sit on the front porch steps on a summer day and watch while an ant scurries across a crack in the sidewalk...

Or will she have time to pop out of bed with the dawn to kiss lilac blossoms in the morning dew.  Now she will worry about important things...like grades...and what dresses to wear...and whose best friend is whose. Now she will worry about the little boy who pulls her hair at recess time... and staying after school...and which little girls like which little boys...And the magic of books and knowledge will soon take the place of the magic of her blocks and dolls. 

And she'll find her new heroes.  For five full years I've been her sage and Santa Claus...her pal and playmate...her parent and friend.  Now, alas, she'll learn to share her worship and adoration with her teachers (which is only right).

No longer will her parents be the smartest, and greatest in the world. Today, when the first school bell rings, she'll learn how it is to be a member of the group...with all its privileges, and, of course, its disadvantages, too. 

She'll learn in time that proper young ladies don't laugh out loud...or keep frogs in pickle jars in bedrooms...or watch ants scurry across the cracks in a summer sidewalk...

Today, she'll begin to learn for the first time that all who smile at her are not her friends. That "the group" can be a demanding mistress... and I'll stand on the porch and watch her start out on the long, long journey to becoming a woman.

So WORLD, I BEQUEATH TO YOU TODAY ONE LITTLE GIRL in a crispy dress, with two blue eyes, a happy laugh that ripples all day long, and a batch of light red hair that bounces in the sunlight when she runs.

I TRUST YOU'LL TREAT HER WELL.