Last Day of School, 2020

We made it to the end of the 2019-2020 school year and you better believe we're celebrating!  We started the day at the table with donuts and lots of summery things, I read the kids letters I wrote with a few notes for their home-school report cards, Mila had the sweetest Zoom lunch with her teacher and the girls from her class, and soon we're heading down to the end of the street to send off our teachers in style with a wave parade.  And then the tent's going up and we're roasting some weenies and sleeping under the stars tonight.  

On the morning of their last day of "home-school" as a Kindergarten and 3rd grader!

And their teacher, who's mostly excited to take down the marker board schedule and get her hair colored on Monday. ;)

Our last day of school breakfast!

I read the kids their letters and then we watched the movie I made of all our quarantine adventures.  Loved watching his face remember all the fun.  

We picked up all the kids' things from school yesterday and they had fun going through it all.  So much learning and growth in a year!

And then we had a surprise visit from Cruz's fantastic teacher, Ms. Draus.  She was dropping off goodie bags at all her students' houses and personally awarded Cruz with his class award.  Class Comedian - it was as if he had received an Oscar.  Beau was especially proud and thought his award called for some ice cream. :)

And then my Kindergartener.  She received Best Writer award for her creative stories and vivid detail.  Mama was pretty proud about this one!

Here we go - FIRST Day of Kindergarten...

And LAST Day!

Cruz's FIRST Day of 3rd Grade...

And his LAST Day!

First Day...

Last Day!  We all still like each other!

Cruz,

Can you believe that you spent the last three months of your 3^rd grade year learning at home with your MOM as your teacher?!  Earlier this week, I loved hearing you talk about the memories you remember as a kid.  Small things, like taking pictures for your pirate party when you were about to turn three, stealing cheese from the back kitchen at Taylor and Kate’s wedding, and riding the boat past Alcatraz in San Francisco.  You’ve always had such a good memory and it’s interesting to think about the reasons why we remember the things we do. 

As you look back at this strange time in history, my hope is that you have so many good memories of times we’ve had together.  I hope you remember all the Harry Potter we read, discussing our thoughts on Viktor Krum and Rita Skeeter and tracing so many character traits on our big mind maps.  I hope you remember transforming our living room into Hogwarts, or camping out and eating s’mores in the basement, or picking up trash and exploring our ecosystem at Hartman.  I also hope you remember small things – building marble tower water parks with Mila, making monkey bread, painting an amazing bunny-cat, and “egging” your cousins early one morning for Easter.  I have loved getting to be home with you, watching you learn, and will forever cherish being your teacher for a little while.  It was the most fun I’ve ever had as a teacher!  Here are a few things I’d like to include in your end-of-the-year report card:

·       You are a wonderful writer and have a great imagination.  I loved your blog posts, your cloud comic strip, your information poster on how much water we waste brushing our teeth, and all your research on Greek Mythology and Yellowstone.  

·       You were amazing in all our morning challenges, especially the ones that required hands-on learning and problem solving.  Your Lego boat and car wash, your bumble bee wind sock, and your Jenga maze were always so creative! 

·       You have the best sense of humor!  I saw this come out in your learning, like your cloud formation comic strip or all our silly egg-periments, but also loved listening in on your class Zoom meetings and your phone calls with Ms. Draus.  A lot of times kids your age are pretty shy around adults, but you made her laugh the entire time you talked – sometimes for almost a half hour!

·       You have always been the best big brother, but you and Mila relied on each other as siblings and good friends in such sweet ways through all this.  You are patient, you love to laugh at her silliness, and you are a great teacher when she was learning something you knew how to do.  Watching the two of you together was hands-down my favorite part of being home together for so long. 

·       You are a such a wonderful reader!  Your expression, your fluency, and your understanding of literary devices could compete with the high school kids I used to teach.  I love talking about great books with you.

You made it, Cruz!  Now onto 4^th grade!  But first – SUMMER!  I promise only a little bit of multiplication facts. ;)

Mila,

Never in a million years would I have guessed that we would spend your last three months of kindergarten learning at home together.  And while I’m a little sad that you didn’t get to experience your first end-of-the-year school year celebrations with your sweet little class at Aldrich Elementary, I will never forget the joy it was to be your teacher and watch you soar through the end of your kindergarten year.  I loved getting a front row seat to watching you learn so many things this spring.  From watching you learn about photography and sneaking up on frogs at Hartman, listening to you explain the different cloud formations as a weather girl on the deck, or seeing your artistic drawings and stories come to life, it was so much fun watching you soak up all you could at the Jorgensen Academy of Excellence.  Here are a few things I’d like to include in your end-of-the-year report card:

·       You love to learn and are a wonderful mini teacher yourself.  I loved how you retold the stories of Bear in Underwear and Sloths, and asked such great questions.  I can already see you have a gift for explaining things to others in a way that helps them understand, including all your stuffy friends.

·       Your reading has grown SO much this year!  I love to listen to you use your sound power and can’t believe the words you can figure out all by yourself.

·       You are a fast learner and could pick up every new concept so quickly, like < or > and 3-D vs. 2-D shapes.

·       You are so artistic and creative!  I loved watching you take your time on every art or craft project and think you have wonderful drawing and handwriting skills.

·       You soak everything up and make learning so much fun.  You worked so hard on your owl project and became a pretty cute expert on those wise animals! 

Thank you for letting me be your teacher this spring, sweet girl.  Now, ONTO SUMMER!  We are going to eat popsicles and jump off diving boards and go on bike rides and have picnics and celebrate big! 

It was a year we won't ever forget!

on the iphone || spring 2020

I spent a good portion of my afternoon today going through hundreds of photos and videos from the last three months of our lives.  A three-month period unlike any other.  It still feels surreal that the kids are finishing up kindergarten and third grade at home this week instead of at their school.  But when I look at these pictures, I just smile.  We made it.  And we learned SO much.  We learned that an egg shell will not crack if you put equal pressure around it.  We learned that an egg will bounce if you leave it in vinegar long enough.  We learned that cumulonimbus clouds are the most majestic, but also capable of producing the biggest storms.  We learned flowers reproduce a lot like people, and that bees are pretty amazing creatures.  We learned the difference between a "grocery store" fruit and a "science" fruit.  

We learned that toothpaste will magically remove permanent marker stains on the table.  We learned that fresh air and a walk in the woods will cure any bad mood.  We learned that ice cream in the afternoon is always a good idea (especially with Joanna Gaines' homemade hot fudge), and that starting the day with Harry Potter is pretty rad.  We learned to combat any sort of pandemic disappointment by collectively saying, "Due to COVID-19" in our best British accents.  

We learned what it means to rely on each other in new ways.  We learned the importance of working hard, practicing patience, giving grace, and saying sorry.  And we learned that we are really good at laughing.  Even on the days when there didn't seem like much to laugh about.  

Leftover memories that make me smile from our past three months.  Due to COVID-19...