family

family

Monday, June 17, 2013

whobody had their last day of kindergarten?

The days just SLIP away during the summer. I can't believe how fast the time is going.

So...Lola l.o.v.e.d. kindergarten. She loved it! 
It is so much fun to see the personality differences in my kids...and in the different genders.  

When Keaton was in kindergarten, we pretty much only heard positive things about school, about recess, about the bus ride, about his friends.
 I don't think any of them ever had an argument or a fight. :) 

But, with Lola...we hear about everything. She shares exactly what game they played at recess (last time I asked it was a game where they were pretending to be mermaids rescuing something or someone...their imaginations are ah-mazing.) She shares exactly who said what or did what that hurt her feelings. She shares all about the drama that must happen between girls in Kindergarten!
 (can you believe it? what am I going to do when she is in 6th grade?)

I usually ended up exhausted after listening to her stories!
(but love every minute of them.)
But, she really LOVES school...and is very social and likes to be surrounded by people.  
She learned a lot in Kindergarten....mostly, how to read! 
She is now reading chapter books (the same ones as Keaton!) and loves to read at bedtime! (We have to cut her off at 9:00).

I swear, she has also grown a foot!  
You can check out her first day of school picture here . 
Hasn't she grown up so much? 
I just can't believe it!!! 



 Of course, the last few weeks of school are always 
CRAZYBUSY! 
Here are some pictures of Lola at her Spring Concert. 
She was a little nervous, because this was her first concert ever, but she did an awesome job... and is quite the performer! 
(I was so glad she remembered to change out of her tennis shoes 
into her dress shoes for the concert.)




Shortly before school was out, Lola lost one of her front teeth!


 AND....a week or so later...she lost the OTHER one! 
No worries, she is still able to eat corn on the cob. I don't know how...but she does it!



A few days before the last day, I brought the kitties and some of the chicks in for Lola to share with her class. It was SO much fun! I brought them to Keaton's room too, but don't have any pictures from that!

Since school has gotten out, Lola has spent a lot of time playing outside.  
She grabs a chick every chance she gets...
and will very easily get distracted by the kittens when she goes to 
the garage to throw something away. 
She is definitely our 'animal lover'! She just can't get enough.

She also does a great job of helping Cruzie play with our baby animals too!



 Then, of course, the kids can often be found on our play set. 
(Yes, that is a ratchet strap holding it together....classy, I know.)  
We bought this play set a few years ago...thinking it would be mostly for the younger kids...but, Lola is usually the one on it the most.  

(When I say "on it" I really mean "on top of it" 
because she is usually standing up very high on top of it.)  
She has a great imagination and loves to play outside!

I think she is SO glad to be out of school for the summer. She loves the freedom of not having to be pushed through breakfast....and not really having a schedule at all. 

She is such a good kid!

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

whobody had their last day of 2nd grade?

The school year is FINALLY over! 
Now to get onto the fun stuff of summer.

When this "summertime" is approaching, I always feel like I will have more time to do the fun things... and that life will be so much more 
relaxed and in control without school.

Then, summer actually comes and I swear it gets crazier and crazier every year! 
 Since our little league games have started, I have totally dropped off on this blog! 
Augh. I have so many pictures waiting to be shared....hopefully I get to them soon.


So, Keaton had his last day of second grade. 
I am so glad for the summer to be here...
and to have my kids home with me more...

BUT I also know that my kids were not too excited about it being the last day of school. Keaton, especially, LOVES school and has had a great year. 

Although he knows he gets to go back in the fall and see everyone again, he knows that things change so much every year. He will have a new room, new teacher, new schedule, new expectations and responsibilities. 

He is very much like me....
he likes to stay where he is comfortable.

SO...we didn't get too 'pumped up' around here for the last day of school...because I knew that the emotions might skyrocket out of the building!

Here he is on his LAST day of 2nd grade:

He did ask me to pull up my blog on the computer on the morning of his last day...and then he looked at his first day of school post (check it out to see all of his first days of school!) 
to see what he wore...
and then he went and found the exact.same.outfit!!! 
He is so great.

I realize NOW that I have to be extremely careful what I say on here...because now both Keaton and Lola can READ...
so they know everything I say about them.

Keaton...I love you. ;)

Of course, they had the Elementary Spring Concert a few weeks before school got out. I have lots of videos I could share...BUT I can't ever seem to get them to work well on here...so I will share pictures instead. The 2nd graders did an excellent job. 
THEY ARE ALL SO CUTE!!!




School has only been out for a week (not even!)....and we have had lots of fun.  

Keaton has been very busy trying to be the BEST BIG BROTHER EVER.... seriously. 

He has been so loving towards Cruz and does an excellent job playing with him and including him in the big kids' fun. (I love it when he rides the big wheels with Cruzie!)



The other night Keaton even let Cruzie read him a book!



And then, of course, Nash's favorite, a sleepover in Keaton's room.  

When they do this, Keaton is allowed to read to Nash til 9:15! 
Keaton is very tolerant, because this is NOT his favorite thing, 
but he knows that Nash LOVES sleepovers.


I am so happy to have Keaton home from school. 

He has really been a big help around here (most of the time)...and even though having the kids home from school means more kids to feed....and more fights to break up....it is also a lot more fun (and less peaceful) around here.  

Keaton did make a list of chores to do, which I converted to a chart on the computer....
and he works SO hard every day to do his daily chores (clucking the chickens) AND as many extra things as he can

He is super motivated right now....and being so responsible. 

I love seeing the little man he is growing up to be! 

(BUT, sniff sniff, thinking about him being in 3rd grade is pretty tough on me.)