JMU Reunion in VB

My friend Lauren and I were very close friends at JMU and have remained close over the years however we haven't seen each other much over the last few years. There have been several children had since we have seen each other. When she said her and her family were going to be in Virginia beach for the week I knew that we had to make the trip down to see each other. So, we packed up the car and headed down there for the day. We had the best day! The kids had so much fun playing and the adults had a great time catching up! We ended up staying all day and going to dinner together and ending the day with ice cream. The kids were so great and well behaved and Carter and her daughter Quinn became the best of friends! It was a great day for everyone!

Last day of School 2017

It is the last day of school! WOOHOO!!! No, I don't normally send my children to school in their bathing suits. Carter gets to wear her suit to school because she swims at school and Sean had a beach day theme so that is why he is wearing his bathing suit. Either way, summer is here! Well, almost for me. I have a work a few more days and then we can start the fun!

Bus stop crew!

Saying goodbye is hard!

I have been driving to Jack and Jill school for 7 years. Sean attended there for 3 years and then when he went to Kindergarten Carter started there and has been there for the past 4 years. So, it has been our routine for a long time! Today, I drove there to drop her off for the last time. Don't get me wrong, I am super excited about the next chapter for Carter and about her going to kindergarten next year and especially excited about not having to pay for her school anymore....but it did make me sad to drop her off that one last time. When I pulled in to the parking lot to pick her up that one last time I had a pit in my stomach because I knew it would be hard for her. Even months ago she had made comments about how she didn't want summer to come because she knew that she couldn't go to Jack and Jill anymore. So, when we were leaving we walked around and said our goodbyes to the teachers and a few of her close friends. Then we walked very slowly to the car. . .. She got into the car and she just lost it. She started crying and said, "I just don't want it to be my last day". It hurt me so much to see her so sad but it wasn't the kind of pain that a parent can take away from a child. At some point, all kids experience this pain of having to move on and growing up. I held back my tears and told her it would be ok and told her about all the fun things we would do this summer and tried to distract her but I felt the sadness too. I'll never forget the impact that Jack and Jill had on my children. Having a place that you can take your kids everyday where you feel like they love your kids as much as you do is just the best. I know she'll remember her time and cherish all the memories they made. 

But now it is summer and we have lots of fun things to look forward to!!

First swim meet

 The kids had their first swim meet and did a great job! They both earned lollipops during one event, which means they won their heat and are off to a great start for this season!

Sean's 3rd grade awards Assembly

It was a big day for Sean, first he was the principal for the day! It was a coupon that he had that we purchased (through the PTA) that allowed him to be with his principal for the day, so he started off the assembly by announcing the start of it. He also got several awesome awards for his great behavior, attendance, and grades. We were very proud! Third grade was a great year! 

His Principal sent me this picture of him during the day as the "principal"

Fun weekend in DC

 We made up a trip to DC to visit Annie/Drew and Elliott one more time before his twin baby sisters were born. It was a hot day so we headed to the splash pool/park for some fun before heading to dinner. The next day Elliott wanted us to visit the "rocket" museum so we did! The kids had fun as usual!

Carter's K Graduation

Carter had a graduation at her preschool with her private K class. It was a super cute program where the kids sang songs and shared with us all that they learned through the year. It was emotional for us as it was our last graduation with a child at that school. The kids and her teacher were able to release the butterflies also during graduation. Carter truly learned a lot this year in that K class. With only 8 other students she got lots of attention and was able to learn to read, add and subtract and many more life lessons! I know she'll always look back on her time at Jack and Jill fondly. We are lucky that both of our kids could be somewhere that they were loved so much.

Sean is a Webelo I

 His Den all moved up to the next level which is Webelo I.

He has really enjoyed his time with his friends at cub scouts.