Last Day of School - A Recap

The last day of school was filled with so much fun, partying and friends, I am exhausted just thinking about it. But what a FUN weekend we've had celebrating the kick-off to summer vacation!

We started it all off with a special breakfast Friday morning:

No, I didn't let him eat the candy bar for breakfast. :)

The kids only had school for a half day, so when they came home, we greeted them with an all-out surprise water attack! It was SO much fun to ambush them as they came happily riding home on their bikes.

Payton rides to school every day with our neighbor Avery, so her family and ours hid behind the brick entry wall to our neighborhood with all sorts of water guns, water-soaked sponges and buckets of water.

Here we are waiting to surprise them.

The minute they came around the corner we soaked them!

To be fair, we let them have their own bucket of sponges, etc. and they definitely retaliated!

It was SUCH fun!

The kids then immediately jumped into the DeAngelo's pool - clothes and all! And soon after, many of the neighbors arrived bearing lots of food and good times.

Payton & his buddy, Macklin.

Parker enjoyed the cupcakes!

The party went on well into the evening and we took two very tired kids home and crashed.

Of course the party started back up the next afternoon and the kids swam and played and ate lots of sweet Florida corn on the cob.

By Sunday we were all a little pooped, so a night in was just what we needed. God helped set the scene with dark skies and lots of thunder and lightening. Perfect for watching a movie, making popcorn and setting up a HUGE fort!

A great way to end a wild weekend.

Oh, and I have to share a couple of cute bunny pics before I "sign off."

Our little Mocha is growing like a weed! I bet she's doubled in size since we got her only a few short weeks ago. She eats a LOT and loves to run around the house.

And she is finally starting to play with the boys.

At night she loves to hop around and sniff and nibble on your clothes. Then she'll stand up on your leg, or head - depending on how you're laying - and sniff all over you. It's really cute.

This boy LOVES his bunny.

 

Tomorrow is the first official week day of summer vacation!

We're dog sitting, but other than that, there is not one single thing on the calendar.

I wonder if I'll be pulling my hair out by 5 p.m. or relishing in the slow pace of things... we'll see!

Happy Monday y'all!

Winding Down 2nd Grade

I believe this was the last week of any real learning for Payton in 2nd grade.
Next week is technically the last week of school, but we all remember those last few days... cleaning out your desk, bringing home all of the special saved projects your teacher held on to all year, playing games, watching movies... pretty much all fun.
And boy do these kids deserve it.
Today, second grade isn't at all how I remember it to be. They have standardized tests, multiple class presentations (one of which had to practically be memorized), biography projects, Advanced Reading tests, gifted math classes and so. much. pressure. It is amazing to me sometimes that he even has the stamina to come home and do homework some nights.
So these kids deserve a final week to just have fun. And be kids.
And let me tell you... I am so excited for summer. I've got lots of plans brewing in my head. Some of which I will share here in the coming week.
But for now, I am just going to take a few moments to brag on my big 2nd grader who has been nothing but outstanding this school year. He makes this mommy so proud, I have tears welling up in my eyes just thinking about it.
Here's how his wonderful teachers wrapped up this special year...

On Thursday morning, all of the parents were invited to come to the class for a "Bye Bye Breakfast." The teachers had decorated the classroom and there was a huge spread of food for everyone. The kids presented their autobiography projects they had been working on for weeks.

Sorry for the blurry pic. His classmate took this photo. :)

Someone was enjoying all the yummy food!

This page in his autobiography particularly made me smile.

They were asked to make a "dedication page" and he dedicated it to his "loving family."

Do you see the little halo over Rohy's head? Yep, made me cry.

This is Payton's wonderful teacher.

She was tough on him this year, but he really grew from it. And at the same time, she says Payton gives her the biggest and best hugs every single day.

The following day, the parents were invited back again to watch the end-of-the-year awards presentation. The principal and vice principal come to each class and personally hand out gold medals for academic achievements.

The kids excitedly listened as the principal talked to them about the importance of keeping up with their learning and reading this summer.

 Here comes the Proud Mama in me...

My amazing kid got a gold medal for Academic Excellence, meaning he had excellent report cards all year long!

The principal is putting the award around Payton's head.

He's SO proud!

His teacher was super proud of him too!

Payton with some of his buddies. Aren't they cute??

 It's been a long year of testing and learning and he's really risen to the occasion and showed us that not only is he capable of testing into gifted classes, he's thriving in them! And not only can he complete these tough classroom assignments, he aces them with style!

We are so proud of you Payton and we love you SO very much!

(Imagine me throwing a black graduation cap into the air!!!)

Have a fantastic last week of school everyone!