Ashlynn's 6th Grade Promotion

 The top picture is Ashlynn with one of her besties, Lauren. In the package is a dainty little necklace with the letter A.

 Picking out this promotion dress was Kind Of A Big Deal for her. She thought about it and shopped all year until she found this one on Modbe

 Sir and Lady Macbeth.

After the ceremony Ashlynn and I went out to lunch at BJ's. I didn't want to make too big of a celebration out of it because I wanted to keep the bar low for 8th and high school graduation!

Ashlynn got the presidential award for getting straight A's for the past 3 years and she got to sing with a group as well.

Last Day of School 2013

Today is the last day that all three of my chicks are safe and sound at their elementary school together. Next year Ashlynn will be entering the No-Man's-Land that is Middle School.

As you can see from the pictures, it was a little bit of a rough morning. Ash was moody. She was barking at everyone. As we were taking these pictures she said, "I don't feel like smiling." Lovely.

Briggs couldn't find his toothbrush, which is really odd ( I can't comprehend how one loses a toothbrush) and gross at the same time, because this is the conversation that followed.

"Did you or anyone take it out of the bathroom?"
"No".
 "Did you have it yesterday?"
"No" ...
"You haven't brushed your teeth in a long time, have you?"

And then he just hung his head in shame... oh boy.

So as I'm sitting in my quiet house for the last time for a few months, these are the thoughts that are running through my mind:

• I always want to majorly purge my house of junk this time of year. I want to throw it all away!!!
• I've got bleach soaking in the bathroom because it smells like a public urinal in there...
• I won a little family competition we have going on with license plates. I found triple 8 on a plate, so I get to request something from the kids. My request was that they learn how to strip and wash their own bedding this summer. Should they have learned this by now, I don't know. Whatever...
• I've got the kids end of the year surprises all ready and waiting for the kids today. I made scrapbooks out of all of the notes I put in their lunches this year. I even included some instagram pictures of each of them through out the year in the books. I also made another summer playlist, just like last year. And I have a pile of new books to give them that will be our summer out-loud reading.  I kind of like these traditions we've started.
• I'm grateful that I don't have to make school lunches anymore for a while. I hate that job.
• I'm thinking about how much time I'm taking on this post, and that the number of minutes to myself is dwindling, so I better make them count. 
• I love summer! (But I also like a little peace and quiet...)

State Capitol Field Trip

 I never posted pictures of our State Capitol field trip. Have I mentioned I've been on a lot of field trips this spring? This was with Briggs's class again.

 My cute little group of boys.

 Drawing the state seal

 View out of the capitol looking at the golden bridge.

Ty's Reading

 Finishing Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets last January
Today I got to work in Ty's first grade class for the first time. The teacher had me doing reading assessments. The kids would read as much of a story as they could in one minute, and I would mark the words they didn't know or read incorrectly. Then I subtracted the number incorrect from the number correct to give them a total score.

Many of the kids were below 10 or in the teens range. A small handful were in the 20's and one girl got a 64.

When I tested Ty, he got 214, with no errors.

I was worried that the teacher might think I had fudged the numbers, but I flipped through her student assessment book and noticed she had previously assessed Ty. He had scored a 214 with her, too.

Actual First Day Pictures

 The first day of school has come and gone, and with it the excitement and glamor that accompanies that first day, where everything is new, you know there's no homework (at least for the kids) and mom most certainly has a special snack waiting for you when you get home.

 Enter day five.  The glamor has worn off. We are all tired and out of sorts. We miss sleeping in and not having a schedule. It's hard to adjust to being on time, answering to teachers and rules and navigating the social waters that are par for the course in school.

 Don't get me wrong. They are all pleased with their teachers and classes. They are happy being with their friends and excited to come home and tell mom all about the exciting events of their day. But they we are all a little off. On Monday Ty had a throwback to his crazy toddler days, where he screamed and cried for a half an hour while destroying his room and everything in his path. (Don't worry. We hugged it out and then he cleaned it up.)

 Ashlynn is aware that she struggles with adjusting during the beginning of the school year, so she is trying (with minimal effort) to put on a happy face, but underneath it all, she's suffering. She always struggles with being in the lowest math group, but yesterday, after being placed there again, without any of her friends, she received a welcome relief when her friends returned from the advanced math group claiming she was lucky she didn't  have to endure what they just did for the past hour ("Yoooou are sooo luckee-yah! Our math teacher is sooo strict-ah! I'm serious-ah!" Please read that in a Dramatic 6th Grade Girls Voice with a hint of Valley Girl).  I know she will rise above it all soon and be fine. (In case you are thinking Briggs has spared us the drama, I have to interject. He walked in the door crying yesterday because "ASHLYNN YELLED AT ME IN THE PICK UP LINE!! IT'S NOT FAIR!!")

At the end of the day, I know this phase will pass, but it takes time. And right now since I'm having a hard time adjusting to all of the rigors that a new schedule brings, I'm not really wanting to be patient. In answer to the most popular question of what I'm doing with all of my "Free Time": The same thing I've been doing - cooking, cleaning, laundry, meal planning, grocery shopping, signing a bazillion agendas daily (really just 3, but still...). I just get to do it in peace and quiet, until chaos reigns at 2:30!

Last Day of Summer

This picture is a perfect representation of my kids personalities: Ashlynn and Ty - all the way at the top! Briggs, cautiously sticking close to the ground.

For the last day of summer, by friend Natalie gave me the idea of going to the school for "first day of school" pictures before the craziness of the actual first day of school.

We've had a really fun and full summer. We got out in May, so we got a full three months. Which has been heavenly!

Because I knew we had plenty of time to be lazy and have fun and take adventures, I never felt a hovering sense of anxiety that the summer was slipping away from me, like the feeling you get on the last day of a vacation, where you know you have to go home and do laundry and face reality.

It ruins the last day of vacation. Summer can be the same way for me. Mid July, when you feel like you are just hitting your stride, all of the sudden, you start seeing back to school supplies and fall clothing, things you don't want to be thinking about. And the inflatable pools, and goggles and sand toys that you need NOW are relegated to the clearance section, or worse, gone.

This year we made a summer to-do list, and boy did we hit it hard! We did so many things, and then some! It was nice not to have strollers or nap time. I feel like we filled up every nook and cranny of summer in the best possible way. Lots of adventures and play time, but a perfect amount of laziness.

The other day I caught myself thinking about some projects and tasks I needed to complete, and thought I would wait until the kids were in school to start them. That's when I knew I was ready for school to start. Then the kids admitted that they were ready to go back and see their friends, as well. Ashlynn actually confessed that she was ready for school so that she could "Start Being More Productive". (Whatever! If that's what she was craving I could have certainly helped her out!)

Today while we were walking around the school taking pictures, the kids started getting giddy and excited. Then Ashlynn and Ty saw their teachers from last year and ran to greet them with squeals and big hugs (they all had really awesome teachers.) We even got a peek at Ashlynn's teacher who is new to the school! (We totally followed him to the classroom to make sure it was, in fact, him!)

This year will mark the one and only year where all three of the kids will be at the same school on the same schedule. I've mentioned this so many times the kids are starting to repeat it (the grocery store clerk knows, the home teachers know, and that guy down the street who has the dog with the two bad knees knows...)

Then the question that inevitably follows is, "And what is Mom going to do all day?" Uhhh...EVERYTHING I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO DO FOR THE LAST 11 YEARS!!

or WHATEVER THE HECK I WANT!

Actually, I will probably do exactly what I've been doing now (laundry, meal planning and shopping, exercise, cleaning, errands - all the really fun stuff) I just get to do it without playing a non-stop game of 20 questions. Which sounds great!

But honestly, I'm going to miss the kids and the fun we've had this summer. When they are toddlers, it seems like time is standing still. When they get the age mine are now, time is flying by. Everyone always said that to me, but I never believed them, because I was sleep deprived.

I would definitely say this  time of year is bitter sweet for me. Here's hoping it's more sweet than bitter!

Ty's Kindergarten Graduation

 We have ourselves a graduate! He got all spiffed up for the occasion. This might be the first kindergarten graduation we've ever had in our family. I don't remember Ashlynn or Briggs even doing a ceremony. The format was great! They sang us a song. The teacher read a poem and a book about what the kids may grow up to become. Then each child stood on a chair front and center with the teacher. The teacher told us what that child's favorite part of Kindergarten was and what they want to be when they grow up. Then they posed for a picture for the parents!

 Ty said his favorite part of Kindergarten was going to King Skate and he wants to be a baseball player when he grows up! (But he says he doesn't know what team he's going to be on...)

Then we went to Cold Stone for a little celebratory ice cream! We are so proud of you, Ty!

Last Day of School

 Last Day of School Picture! Even though it's only the middle of May, the kids look ready for summer- I'm ready for summer!

 This year I wrote notes everyday and put them in their lunches. I told them to save them and not throw them away. Because I dated them all, I was able to collect them and put them in order in a scrapbook and present them to them on the last day of school. Because my kids were superstars at the school with their reading, I also included a list of all of the books that they read this school year. The were pretty excited to read through them.

 I snuck into Briggs' class to take a picture with him and Ms. Hausmann, who was awesome!

 This is what 3rd graders do when you bring out a camera. So cute!

 In the hallway with all of their "last day of school" loot!

Ashlynn with her awesome teacher, Ms. Bridges. We were so lucky to have AMAZING teachers this year. They helped my kids soooo much! We are crossing our fingers that we get so lucky next year!

Dear Dady ...

Ty's behavior has been a little off lately. I think he is having a hard time adjusting to Kindergarten and school five days a week.

This evening he lowered a bucket down from the loft into the kitchen with this note attached. It says:

Ty: I'm not going to eat my dinner.

Dad: Yes you are!!!

Ty: It is yummy, but I'm not going to eat my dinner. Daddy (heart, happy face, happy face.)


Now. I think it's cute that my five year old writes with emoticons, but the attitude is just not right!

Today he told me he didn't want to go to school because it is boring. I told him he had to, it was the law. When he asked why, I told him because he needed to learn to follow the rules.

"But I already know all the rule!" he informed me.

I wanted to tell him, "Just because you can read the rules, doesn't mean you are willing to follow them!"

So then I told him he needed to learn to write his lower case letters.

"I already know how! I know everything already!"

Even if this is true, the kid still needs to go to school! And to be honest with you, I would think something was wrong with him if he didn't fight it as much as he is. We are talking about a kid who has always tried to get out of things - nursery, preschool, his crib...

Perhaps he's like his sister and takes 2 months to warm up to the new school year.

Lovely.

(I really hate this time of year...)