Grand Finale!

What a year it's been.

Mostly ups... having the opportunity to have 2 totally different yet completely amazing teachers for their first year of school(thanks to Mrs. Nesbit and Mrs. Carlson), meeting a classroom full of new friends (bonus that I met some wonderful new "mom" friends), learning to read and loving math, starting a band called Winter Rock with their buds, watching them become SO independent and listen to them remind me of things I need to do, instead of the other way around, and just marvel at their compassion, humor and kindness!!


and a few downs..... losing several classmates during the year who moved away (they still talk about Patrick, Ireanna and Chavez), Henry having a hard time with the change of teachers and so heartbroken as they pulled a crying H town off of me during drop off for a couple days in December, and how can I forget the week that I got a call that Henry had went AWOL from his class and they both were eating breakfast at school while telling me they weren't!!!

For the last week of school, we had to do it up right! We started off the week by inviting a couple friends to join them on a city bus ride to the Children's museum. It was the day they got their yearbooks and the temperature was in the 90's. I have never seen a group of kids so crazy excited about anything as they were with the yearbooks.


They RAN to the bus stop as Jill and I were a sweaty mess dragging behind them and quickly sat at the bus stop to point out the pictures they liked in the yearbook. It was so cute! As you can see little Sara was psyched to grab a seat in the middle of the big kids for her ride downtown.

It's been a long year watching their classmates turn 6 while they still have to wait until July. So, the last Wednesday of class they brought in their birthday treat which they wanted to be something healthy so fruit salad was the choice!



Jay surprised them by sneaking out of work for the day and the class ate up the entire bowl of fruit!

What a fun class!

We were invited with some other class friends to hang at a nearby pool that afternoon to cool off a bit.



The last day as they lined up for the final time to walk down the stairs to their classroom. I couldn't help but cry to think that their first year of school was almost over. It was honestly better than I ever imagined it could be.

The last day the entire class and Mrs. Carlson were invited over to a classmates house for a pool party to celebrate the end of a great first year. So bittersweet to think that they may not have some of these kids in their classes and to also know that H and B will be embarking on a new journey next year..... separate classrooms!

A special thanks to Miss Elspeth who played, read, biked,fed and cared for these two on the 3 days I work. She of course gave them each a special gift for the end of the school year! We are so lucky to know such a beautiful person who takes such great care of H and B!!