Last day of school!

We are in the final days of school and we had to catch a photo of us all on the last morning that I will be driving this crew to school for this school term!  We car pull with cousins and it works so well!  I love these kids!!!!  We are all excited for lazy summer mornings soon! 

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One more day of fifth and first grade!  These two have been counting down the school days and crossing each day off on their bedroom calendars!  

First grade creates their own book with papers that they painted and create into pictures.  They write riddles and a short story!  Author Celebration was today and Austin read his book!  He did great!  He loved that he could do first grade with Adrian!

Mrs. Koenig taught all four of our children for first grade!  She's amazing and somehow she gets each student reading by the end of the year!  Austin can now read thanks to her teaching skills!  Austin is ready to swim, kick the soccer ball in the back yard, play more baseball and move into all things summer!

Ashlyn completed fifth grade and really loved her teacher, Mrs. Felter!  She said goodbye to school friends today and is ready to sleep in, eat ice cream on the back porch and relax!  She's got camp coming up for the first time and she's growing up and ready for Middle School next year!

Dr. Hurst is the principle of elementary and has such a sweet passion for these kids!  I love the way she makes school fun by dressing up over the holidays in her hilarious festive costumes!  Having someone this fun at school really adds fun for the school kids!  Thank you Dr. Hurst!

Finished up school today and we are now ready for SUMMER VACATION!

As I walked in Austin's class I noticed all the backpacks hanging open and nearly empty.  Austin brought home his pencil box and many completed books earlier this week and it's just good to see this year end so well!

Matthew is now officially a senior!  He attended graduation last night and said goodbye to that group of friends.  It's crazy how fast life goes by!  He's off doing things with his class this afternoon and then work will begin next week!  He's growing up into a young man and works hard!  Congratulations on finishing up your Junior year Matthew!

Today is the start of loosening up our schedule and get ready for a vacation this weekend!  Memorial Day Weekend is always spent with friends and we can't wait!  I wouldn't be honest if I say that the first days of "no school" are easy peasy.   We are no longer on a certain bedtime schedule and flex a lot during the summer.  The kids will sleep in and that gives us a much slower morning routine which I love!  It does bring extra patience that first week of no school because usually the kids go from one thing to the next with all their extra time at home but this summer will be so fun!  The two younger ones are growing up fast and pool days are now much easier.  Both can swim!  Both can carry their own belongings!  Both can help around the house with chores!  Both can read!  I do hope to get to the library soon and grab a few chapter books and read them out loud to the littles this summer!  Give me all your book suggestions!  

Summertime is so fun and something Mike and I have talked about lately is the fact of having only "18 Summers" with our kids!  Give or take!!!!  Hadassah is graduated, married and moved out the house already.  Matthew is now a senior and will be working every day this summer.  Ashlyn wants to do camp for the first time and Austin will celebrate turning seven soon.  If we remember that we only have 18 summers with our children (again, give or take on those years), it makes me want to freeze the time and really cherish every. single. moment!!!!  We hope to make many fun memories this summer!

Cheers to school being out and lets get the summer rolling!!!!