End of the School Year!

It's unbelievable that this school year has come to an end!  While we're still doing many activities, Owen watched Gracie get onto the bus by herself for the last time.  He is very excited for next year when he gets to ride with her.  We have been to graduation parties, softball/t-ball games, dance, gymnastics, camping, birthdays, and many more activities.  We are doing dance recital this weekend and getting ready to on vacation next week!  Here are a few of our recent activities. 

 

Owen with his friend, Carter, after they played each other in t-ball.  Owen has had so much fun doing this!  I haven't been able to take very many pictures of him due to coaching his team and Nick does not prioritize picture taking.  Owen's last game was Saturday last week and Gracie has one more game next Wednesday.  Aside from having yucky weather for a majority of our games, it was really fun watching and helping out.  Most of the boys on Owen's team were great!

  

Gracie's field day at school.  They set up lots of games, challenges, and activities for the kids to do for about an hour and a half.  Not really a competition field day, but it seems like they have a lot of fun.

Memorial Day weekend was spent doing various activities.  We spent Friday night camping for the first time this season.  Gracie and I didn't get there until late because of dance, but we had a good time.  They spent most of their time riding their bikes around the campground.  Then Saturday  we celebrating Nick's grandpa's 85th birthday in Polk City, followed by a couple of graduation parties.

First night camping!

 

 

Owen's Graduation from Preschool!!!

 

 

The day after Memorial Day, we celebrated Owen's graduation from preschool.  We are so excited that he will be in kindergarten next year!  He has come such a long way this year.  At the beginning of the year, we were very reluctant to think about putting him in kindergarten, as opposed to EK.  He hardly knew numbers past 4 and most letters besides O W E N, he did not know.  He also struggled most mornings to hold it together without a meltdown when we dropped him off.  His teachers told us, though, that he knows everything he is supposed to know for kindergarten and he is ready, despite his young age.  He will turn 5 the day before he starts kindergarten.  

Owen with his teacher, Ms. Annie, getting ready for the ceremony.

Owen with his teachers Ms. Annie and Ms. Amber after the ceremony. 

What a handsome little guy!

Owen and is classmates performing one of their songs.  When the teachers gave each student their diploma, they asked what s/he wanted to be when they grow up. 

 Owen's response was "A football player."  Of course.

 

This week has consisted of dance, dance rehearsal, and now tonight, recital!  Gracie is ready!  She also is trying out a tumbling/trampoline class this summer at the gymnastics gym instead of doing all of the other apparatus.  She wants to learn back handsprings.  She was moved up a level, which will now be two days weekly, each 1 1/2 hours each.  I'm not sure that we want to commit that much time to this when she's 6.  We'll see what she wants to do this fall when soccer starts again.  She loves doing everything, so it's hard prioritizing.  She has said, though, that she likes softball more than dance, which I find hard to believe.  She is quite a little entertainer.

Gracie getting ready for dance pictures.

Posing at the dance studio.

Dress rehearsal night with her friend Hailey.

We also decided that we need to plant a garden this year, with Nick's mom being gone.  I'm not sure if Nick is expecting me to learn how to can vegetables.  That might be a little much to ask.  The kids had fun helping though.  Hope they're still excited about the garden when it comes to weeding it!

Gracie and Owen planting some beans.

 

Another picture of Gracie and Owen.  Owen wanted to get dressed up, too.

This first week off of work has definitely flown by!  We have stayed pretty busy and the kids have started summer with Lilypad already.  I had to work on Monday and next week will work Monday-Wednesday starting the summer school program for high school students.  Then Thursday we leave for Florida!!!!  I'm so excited to take the kids there!