End of the School Year

My kids have had a great school year! I hope that every year we are blessed with awesome teachers like they've both had this year. James finished up 3 year-old preschool May 13th, and Adelyn wrapped up Kindergarten the following day. 

 James did a cute little program with his class, singing lots of songs. It amazes me how many songs they learn throughout the year!

 Here he his with his little diploma, looking so thrilled. Mrs. Missi (in the background) was also Adelyn's teacher when she was in the 3's. She is the PreK teacher at church Sunday School too, so James will shortly move up to her class. Yay for more time with this special lady!

 Party time! They had a pirate themed party

 He walked the plank, dug for pirate treasure in the sandbox, tossed rings onto pirate hooks, and played a neat coin game. They were also served snow cones and popcorn. This was seriously the best end of year party I've attended. 

 James, the pirate....Aaaaargh!

Adelyn's "Peace Out, Kindergarten!" party was the next day. Adelyn has attended CFUMC since she was 16 months old (Mother's Morning Out all the way through Kindergarten). This school has meant a lot to us, and I am not gonna lie....I was (am) very sad about her time well spent here coming to an end. Completing Kindergarten is kind of her first "big step", but she is well prepared for what lies ahead. 

A parent tie dyed shirts for the entire class. The kids had all kinds of activities to do outside like bubbles, tic tac toe, hula hoops, frisbies, popsicles, etc. 

 And let's not forget sack races!

 They had a photo booth inside

 The entire class took part in a race

 After their snack/lunch, Mrs. Cochran handed out the awards. How proud was I that my daughter received the math award? She has learned SO much and rocked her IOWA tests. I hope that she continues to excel in Math!

 Her graduation program was that evening at 7:00. Here is my little graduate! I had to order her program DVD. The songs they sang really highlighted what all they've learned this year. 

 We are so proud of Adelyn!

Grandma and Grandpa are too!

I can't believe she is SIX and headed to first grade! After graduation, we hit up Dairy Queen for ice cream....along with the rest of the school. It was a fun evening, and I am so proud of both my children for all they learned this year. 

Now....let's celebrate SUMMER! 

Happy 6th Birthday, Adelyn

My sweet girl turned SIX on May 11th! We are so proud of this gem. She's thoughtful all on her own, makes good choices, and loves life. She's becoming a strong reader, an awesome swimmer, and a good little organizer. :)

Adelyn has been taking gymnastics this year and wanted to have a gymnastics party. We held her party on May 9th. 

 This is the leotard that her class wore for their end of year program. It's very "Adelyn"- pink and sparkly!

 It was a bit of a chaotic day....Seth was out of town, both kids had their last soccer game AND end of season celebration, and then this party to boot...all by 2:30! But, we pulled it off (and it helped that Seth's mom took James after their soccer game so I could get things together in time). 

 Adelyn got to lead the group in their stretches

 They all had fun with the parachute

 Afterwards, the kids did a series of gymnastics exercises (balance beam, rings, bar, mats, etc)

The foam pit was a favorite for all!

We ended the party with fruit, birthday cake, and gifts from her sweet friends.

 Her actual birthday was on Monday, May 11th. She woke up to pancakes in the shape of a 6. 

 Daddy and James gave her 6 birthday spankings (and one to grow on)

 They celebrated all of the end of year/summer birthdays that day at school. ELEVEN kids had summer birthdays! (out of 21)

 After school, we took her to the American Girl Doll Bistro. They let James borrow a boy doll. At the table, the restaurant has a box of questions you can ask each other while you wait. One question was, "Where will you be in ten years?". I flash forwarded to us in ten years.....at the DMV getting her drivers license. YIKES!

 He wasn't too interested in his doll, as he had these sticky Ninjas to play with. That provided hours of entertainment. 

 Adelyn got 2 of her doll's ears pierced. 

That night, we celebrated her birthday with Seth's family at Rice! She was so glad to have everyone there and she especially loved her sushi and dessert dinner. 

Happy birthday, Adelyn! We love you more than you know. 

Mother's Day 2015

No big, fancy gifts....just sweet times with my kids this past Mother's Day. 

It started with Adelyn's classroom celebration. They went all out for us! The girls wore hats and gloves (and the boys wore hats). They politely grabbed our hands, seated us, and sang some PRECIOUS songs. Here's my favorite: 

When I was....

 Mrs. Cochran prepared some delicious food for the mothers and the children served us on trays. 

 Mother's Day is always emotional for me, as Adelyn's birthday is close (she was born the day after Mother's Day). This year was especially rough, as she would be graduating from Kindergarten the following week. I teared up several times during this celebration. 

 James's Mother's Day party was the following day. His class also sang some sweet songs and we had delicious food to enjoy.

 This plate has his fingerprints all over it and he wrote his name. Adelyn had Mrs. Missi when she was 3, so I have her plate too. I need to find a good way to display these!

 On Sunday, I went for a run and then hopped back in bed to be served coffee and muffins on a tray! It was awesome! We snapped some squinty pictures before church. James was killing me with cuteness in the bow tie and suspenders. 

Sometimes, the silly ones are better. :)

After church, we met Seth's family (parents, sister and her family) for lunch at Tam's. We took more pictures outside. The rest of the day was a little yardwork and some relaxation!

I am incredibly blessed to be mom to Adelyn and James.