Mikaela's Awards Day

At our new Chick Fil A in Monroe celebrating with ice cream cones

Nana and Xander at Awards Day

Awards in hand waiting to go back to class

1st award - Completition of First Grade

2nd Award - All A's all year

3rd award - Highest reading average in her class

4th award - Perfect Score on the CRCT in reading

Mrs. Herrick - Mikaela's first grade teacher

Waiting for them to figure out the microphones - not the first awards ceremony of the day.......

Never have two parents (one brother and a Nana) been prouder of a first grader, than we were on Tuesday at Mikaela's awards day.

While first grade got off to a rocky start (with a few more bumps here and there), it has been a great year for Mikaela. She brought home her journals this week and I am amazed as I go back and read the entries from the beginning of the year - her writing has come so far!

She loves to read - we can not keep her stocked in books! These days she is finishing at least one chapter book a day - her favorites are The Littlest Babysitter Club books, anything with Junie B. Jones or Judy Moody in it, the Nancy Drew mystery books and all books involving fairies and animals!

The math teacher mommy in me couldn't be more excited about her general number sense and the advances she has made this year. She can add and subtract with re-grouping (I couldn't be happier than her teacher didn't use borrowing or carrying too!), work with money (all about the allowance and how much is left if she buys a petite peek a boo doll), and is making great progress with multiplication (she knows how to use the distributive property to solve multiplication, can figure out all the basic facts, but hasn't memorized them yet).

Mikaela's Ballet Recital

We have been so fortunate to have such an amazing ballet school and teacher this year. Mikaela took dance at Discipleship Through Dance in Monroe

http://discipleshipthroughdance.org/

Mikaela's class this year were the "Joyful Children of God" - how fitting!

As usual I cried through the ENTIRE performance. I am thankful for dear sweet Abi who handed me tissues!

Daisies Bridge to Brownies

I said I was going to cry - I warned them each week as we prepared for the bridging ceremony, that I would cry.

And yes, I shed bittersweet tears for my precious daises.

Tonight we bridged four girls in our troop - from sweet baby daises to big girl brownies.

Three of my four have spent two years in daises together - and a darling 4th joined us this year. We were missing two girls.

As the girls sang "make new friends, but keep the old" - I cried for them! The girls have been so close, and enjoyed each other thoroughly (as I have enjoyed them).

In the fall, we will begin again. Some "old" and hopefully many "new."

Sneak Peek at the Ballet Recital

Just a sneak peek at the ballet recital rehearsal - bring your tissues - it is precious!

Xander's Last Day of Pre-K

Tommy and I arrived early on Xander's last day of pre-k to view the Freedom parade.

Xander enjoyed his fun filled field day. He started out bowling, moved to throwing the football, and ended up outside drawing with side walk chalk.

He has had a great year, and we will miss his teachers and friends!

Xander's Field Trip

Xander picking strawberries

Farmer's wife teaching us about how strawberries grow

Xander checking out the petting zoo

The 4 year olds headed out on a windy Tuesday of this week for the Washington Farm field trip.

http://www.washingtonfarms.net/strawberry-field-trips-v-31.html

We enjoyed the petting zoo, a lesson on how strawberries grow, and picking strawberries. After, we picnicked and played on the playground!

Let me preface the next part of my story by sharing that Xander and I meet in our dreams. Each night as I tuck him in, we decide where we will go in our dreams. Some nights we go to the Millennium Falcon (star wars for those of you with no boys!) and we fight light saber duals. Other nights we go to the beach and build the biggest sand castle. Rarely do we duplicate the same dream in a week, always Xander's pick.

I know - you are thinking - don't we spend enough time together during our awake hours? Yes - we do. And, for the record, he only has a few hours to have all these cool dreams before he ends up sleeping with me - but none the less, deciding where we are going to go in our dreams is usually one of the cooler moments of my day.

So, on this night - I asked "Where are we going to go in our dreams?"

Xman: "to the strawberry patch - we're going to pick strawberries"

Me: "Am I going to eat them all like today?"

Xman: "No -in my dream, I am going to like strawberries."

Muckdog Banquet

Xander eating his free kid's meal at his t-ball banquet (kids in uniform get free kids meals in Loganville)

Mikaela with her cool baseball cupcake

Xander with his first baseball trophy

4th Lost Tooth

Mikaela lost her 4th tooth on Monday of this week - just moments before attending her brother's end of the year t-ball party.

She looks so precious - and everything she says is darling - really, darling!

The tooth fairy brought her a fairy pin, and $4. Yes, $4.

She says that this tooth was bigger than the last one so she got double.

The tooth fairy felt bad for her because her mommy had to work and missed her loosing this 4th tooth - the only one she has missed, and so the tooth fairy gave her a "momma's guilt" bonus.

Xander sings at Church

Certificate for "almost perfect attendance"

Parablelooza Wrap Party

Xander's celebration - he got a certificate for being "courageous"

Xander singing on stage with his class - 4 year old choir

Parablelooza!

We are so proud of Mikaela for her performance in the church musical Parablelooza - we all enjoyed the show so much!