Summer Sunday

SuNny

 SuMmeR 

SundAyS

 at SliverLakE

From above to below if 3 seconds flat. They appear to be cute but the constant fighting is not. 

My Bellie Girl: Done with Elementary

Left: First Day of Kindergarten
This is a big deal. I know it can be overkill to celebrate each grades graduation but Isabelle is officially finished with elementary school. And I am a wreck, my heart aches in this transition. I don't think she is ready. I know she is not ready. And there is not a clear direction for her schooling. I am torn. She does not fit in a special needs classroom, or "Life Skills" and she does not fit in a typical 6th grade class either. A deaf school... maybe but that is too far from our house. So please pray for me and for her. If it was not for Tam (the most amazing interpreter, teacher, and friend) I would not be considering public schools at all. 

These are her two sweet friends, Emma and Alyssa. She had lots of friends in the younger grades but these are the only two to have stuck by her. Amazing young ladies, with sweet compassionate hearts. 

The music blasts, the crowd builds outside waiting. And then it happens, the fifth graders file out with the biggest smiles I have ever seen. It was so fun to watch. E and Jack waiting to cheer Bellie on... 

Isabelle will be missed by all the staff that got to work with her. She has that effect on ya! 

Bellie with Tam... together since kindergarten! First day of 5th grade
First day of 2nd grade

Summer Send Off and Field Day

I am not making dinner, balancing the checkbook, working, editing photos for clients, I'm not even watching the boys playing outside! I am blogging! For some silly reason I get annoyed if I 'miss' an event. Why? No one even cares, no one notices but me! I feel my life is more 'caught up' if my blog is updated. I have lost my cotton-picking mind.  I've officially lost it I guess, that and grandma loves the pics. 

I'll tell you one thing I know for sure: It is no easy feat to wrap up the school year with three kids. Summer send off party, 3rd grade poetry night, Field Day, 5th grade talent show, 5th grade graduation. By the end of this week I was even more exhausted than I am typically. But I loved every minute of it. 

The famous chicken toss

Followed by the ever popular three legged race

The best teacher on the planet, Mrs. Ritchie. She had E for 2nd and 3rd grade. I am praying Jack will be blessed to have her next year... or Mrs. Batten (see below :)

Fun with Friends

The other best teacher on the planet. Jack's first grade teacher, Mrs. Batten. She is also teaching 2nd grade next year. Either way Jack will have the most amazing 2nd grade experience. 

Jack and Jett

The hole in the bottom of the cup race

This warmed my heart, Isabelle doing a hip hop dance with her classmates

The obstacle course at Field Day. Needing a bit of encouragement from Tam and a sweet mom.

Ring toss, can you believe the work that went into this event? Geneva PTA rocks! 

Hoops!

I looked like this too when it was all said and done!

I'm doing little miss graduating from elementary school next, boo hoo. 

But first I must go check on my children!  

Jack, Joe and a Cheese Grater

A couple of weeks ago while making dinner Joe grated a huge chunk of his thumb right off.  Bleeding and bad while grating cheese. You need that knowledge for the rest of the story:

Yesterday Ethan found the case to his beloved pocket knife, you know... the one he about cut his finger off with. 

So he asked Joe: "When can I have my pocket knife back" 

Jack interrupted: "When can I have a pocket knife?"

Joe: "Jack your not old enough, you need to be more responsible before you can have a pocket knife. 

Jack (in all seriousness): "Well your too young for a cheese grater"

Bring on the guns... does this make us bad parents? 

Again, poor little brother. Too young for a bb gun. 

Dads

I think dads are great. Mine in particular is amazing and fantastic. But dads who care for kids that he did not make are set apart.  They have their own category. Becoming a dad because you  you fell in love with their mother and in turn fell madly in love with her children just like they were his own: This dad wins the prize, he is over the top fantastic with my kids. I will never be able to thank him enough for building character and integrity in our kids. 

Haircut

Ahhh where is all my time? I can't find it. I'm exhausted. I have so much to share but I can't find the time. This has been a whorl- wind- week, working and attending countless events to wrap up 5th, 3rd and 1st grades. So I will start where I left off. First things first! The new haircut!!! Off with over 12 inches! And she knows she is cute. We all think she is cute too, however her signing interpreter and best friend Tam agreed that with the short, sassy haircut came an intensified super sassy personality! Could be the haircut, could be the end of her elementary days. All I know is it is pretty cute to watch my nearly 12 year old daughter stand in front of the mirror and check herself out!

And you can see below some of us don't cut our hair at all. The Jack attack has until September to grow out his locks as long as it can get!  Pick your battles.