First Summer Break Weekend

So, what do you do the first day of summer break? Ask mommy to curl your hair of course! ;)

Ready for "Epic". She is so cheeky...

For weeks - and I mean WEEKS - Briana begged to see the movie "Epic" when it came to the movie theater. So Saturday afternoon, "Epic" it was (in 3D)...

B loved it. Except for a few scary parts. That seems to be the common theme for every movie that comes out nowadays.

Sunday was a low, key day. Doug did a bunch of cleaning up of the back porch since we had the outside of our house painted. And he cleaned up the bbq as well. Bri and I did some cooking/baking for upcoming Memorial Day (we had two get togethers scheduled for that day - whew!).

We made Gramma and Papa a yummy cream pie...

Memorial Day was jam packed - but that will be my next post(s)...

Last Day Of 1st Grade

Wow - I cannot believe my gal is going to be in 2nd grade next year. It sounds so grown up to me for some reason. Right now, she is still so young and innocent, but in a few years, I'm sure she will be flirting with boys and wanting to go to the mall by herself. I'm not ready for it. I'm not ready for it.

Miss B put on her pretty new dress for the last day of school (last Friday)...

She definitely isn't a baby anymore...

The last day of school was an early release day. All the kids did that day was play with playdoh and watch a movie (The Lorax). It was more of a "hang out with your friends for the last time in 1st grade" kind of day.

I look at all that Briana accomplished this year. She was a kid that hated to read and now really enjoys it. She didn't really know how to figure out math problems but now seems to be a pro at it. She learned to memorize poems and recite them in front of an audience. She got to lead a CNY parade and walk around a may pole. She became quite the little performer - exhibiting little to no stage fright at all. She started speech therapy in school to help her pronounce her "r" sounds a bit better. She even became a published author (her teacher split the kids into groups and they wrote 4 different books. Briana's group wrote their book on different places. Of course, Briana chose China for her section. :D)...

It is a book that I will treasure forever. (And it is pretty cute that she wore her Notre Dame *fighting Irish* shirt to school the day her teacher took pictures for the book.)

I received B's report card today and she has officially advanced to the second grade. I'm really proud of her. She worked really hard this year.

 Because Miss B was released early from school and we had a free afternoon, we tried out a new place called "Sky Zone"...

She loved it of course. She jumped for an hour on all sorts of trampolines.

She loved the dodge ball game the best. She didn't grasp the concept at first - that if she got hit, she was out. She finally got the hang of it, but I warned her that the 8 and 9 year old boys in that area might not take it easy on her. They did kind of watch out for her at first. Eventually one boy pegged her good on the arm and she came out of the game with tears in her eyes. Can't say I didn't warn her. She was ok though.

Despite the zing to her arm, she really enjoyed the afternoon. It was my little treat for my brand new 2nd grader. :)

We are now in full summer mode! We had a great Memorial Day weekend and had a full swim day today. More on that later...

1st Grade Performance

Last Thursday, I didn't realize that the 1st graders were going to give such a grand performance for the parents this year (I figured that was just a kindergarten thing), but the 1st grade did - and they did not disappoint. They were amazing. 

Miss B was all smiles before her performance...

My mom, Doug and I found a seat in the gym and then the kids assembled in...

The principal greeted us...

The kids said the "Pledge of Allegiance" and then were ready for some singing...

Let the performing commence!!!

Every song was so adorable. And then they did a little hand jive dance...

Bri was so fun to watch because she was so expressive and used a lot of hand motions...

Here are a few of my favorite performances (including the hand jive)...

After the kids performed, the teachers then faced their classes and recited the sweetest poem. Hard not to have tears...

This is what they read...

"The Teacher's Garden"
In the year 2012, sometime before September
You came into my class, how well I remember.
Some of you were smiling and giggling a lot
Some were very quiet and a few tears I could spot.
You were all in my garden just waiting to grow
So this gardener got busy with her rake and her hoe.
I fed you the water and let in the sun
You took in the soil, but we had only begun.
Each day as I worked in this garden of mine
I saw you all growing so strong and so fine.
Then finally one day I took a good look
And saw each of my flowers with their favorite book
It was obvious then that you had worked, too
Soaking up all the food that I had given to you
But although you have blossomed, you still need to grow
So I'll pass you on now to another gardener I know.
She too has a rake and hoe she can use
And plenty of food from which you can choose.
I hope you will keep your roots open wide
Take in all her food and keep it inside.
Yes, a gardener can work all night and all day
But the flower must be willing to take in each ray.
So work very hard in your garden each year
Do the best you can do and you'll have nothing to fear.
Grow strong and tall, reach up for the sun
Stay as nice as you are and have lots of fun.

Then it was time to head back to the classroom for a little class party...

The kids requested a pinata - so a pinata they got...

They all got a swing, but it wouldn't open up. So the teacher opened it and poured the contents out...

Some of the loot...

So proud of our girl (who is being silly)...

Time for food!!!

Bri with her teacher. B is really going to miss her...

"We are FABULOUS!!"

Bri's little friend "J" wanted a picture taken...

Proud Gramma...

The kids were allowed to check out early, so I checked her out. She was pretty happy...

I'm so happy, I could limbo under a tree branch!!!

I cannot believe first grade is over. Second grade sounds really "big" to me. I have a couple more final thoughts on the end of 1st grade. But I'll leave that for my next post. :)