So Long School . . . Hello Summer!

 As of 1:00 this afternoon I am the proud mama of a four year old preschooler,

 

a first grader

and a fourth grader.  

 Wow.   That sure happened fast.

 I know that the next three months are going to be crazy.  Hopefully more days will be crazy in a good way than crazy in a bad way - but it will still be crazy.

 

 After school we met up with friends to walk over to a local orthodontist that was having a welcome to summer sno cone party.  We walked back to the friends house and hung out there for a while.  Tonight we rode bikes and played outside for hours.  It was pretty much the perfect beginning to what will be a great - but crazy - summer.  Bring it on!

Jack's End of Year Celebration

In January we switched Jack's preschools so he could get a bit more support.  It was a great decision and the progress he has made since then is remarkable.  Not to mention he is a happier little man.  He loves heading to school every day since he joined his new class.  Yesterday the kids had an end of year celebration.  It was pretty chilly - but that didn't stop them all from having a great time!

 The shaving cream table was a huge favorite of Jack.  He must have gone back and played there five different times.

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 The sand table was another favorite.   He was very curious about how the water made the sand clump and then it wouldn't go through the toy any more.

All of the little cuties lined up on the wall before we took them home.  It was a pretty great end of year celebration.  His super sweet teachers also gave me a ton of pictures of him throughout the semester.  I can't wait to sort through all of them!

Kindergarten Circus

 I can't believe that William is wrapping up his kindergarten days.  In fact only four more school days and he will be a first grader - I just don't see how!!

 On Thursday Nonna and I attended the Kindergarten Circus.  I have to say this was much improved over the hour plus version when Max was in kindergarten.   Then we had to come up with our own individual act.  It was rough.  This year they sang fun circus songs and each child had a line.  William's line was "We have an elephant as big as a house!"  He delivered his line with passion even if he looks a bit perplexed in this picture.

It was so tough to get good pictures!  I love the faces in this one - they were singing a song about sad clowns that was hilarious.

After the show we headed to his classroom to have snacks and make a craft.  William didn't want me to sit and help him - he wanted his Nonna.

 This woman has been such a blessing to our family this year.  She is exactly the teacher that our William needed.  School isn't easy for him, he needs encouragement and patience.  She has given him both in spades.  His first grade teacher has HUGE shoes to fill!

We got a quick photo booth picture before the party was over.  William thought this hat was perfect for me.

Happy Mother's Day

 I'm a sucker for family outings and Brian knows it.  We loaded up and headed to the farm on Sunday - along with everyone else in town.  It was crazy busy!  That didn't stop us from having a great time.

 Brian was annoyed becuase they started charging a dollar to ride the tractor out to the fields.  When he complained the woman said he can eat all he wants in the fields - his response was that we always did that and never paid a dollar before.

 The big boys got right to work.  As always Max hunted for the funniest shaped berry.  This was the best he found this year.  William claimed that he likes green strawberries, so we had to keep a close eye on his bucket.

 This guy liked it better when I picked the berries for him and filled his basket :)

 These three crack me up on an hourly basis.  They are all so full of spunk!

I love my boys more than I could ever express.  I'm so proud to be not just a momma - but their momma.  It is an honor to be able to care for them each and every day.  It isn't easy - often it is far from it - but I wouldn't trade it for anything.

After we rode the tractor back to our van we headed to my parents for a mother's day dinner with my mom.  A perfect end to a perfect day.  How did I get so lucky!

Max's Wolf Rank

The school year is winding down and with it comes lots of extras.  We all headed up to school on Tuesday evening to see our biggest man advance rank in cub scouts.  He achieved his wolf badge and it was pretty fun to watch. Unfortunately my pictures do not do it justice. 

 After a the rank advancement ceremony we headed outside for water bottle rockets.  This is always a huge hit!  It was also super special because the kindergartners are invited to come check out a scouting event.  William loved every minute of it - even though I don't have photographic proof. 

Jack loved it too.  He was all excited about that sno cone in case you couldn't tell.  It was another great year of scouting for Max - I can't wait to see what next year holds when both of our big boys are official cub scouts!

3rd Grade Strings Concert

I'm so impressed with the strings program in our school district.   Last week Max had his strings performance and it was amazing!  He has learned so much in such a short time.  I was super impressed.  So were Dad, Nonna, and Nonno!

 It was tough to get a good shot of Max as he played.  I love the look of complete concentration on his face.  We celebrated his musical accomplishments with frozen custard at Andy's.  It was a huge hit with everyone :)

I just had to throw in this shot of William being . . . well William.

William's 6th Birthday Party

A couple weeks ago we had a birthday party for our big six year old at a local gymnastics park.  It had been raining for a solid week before the party and I was so excited to know that the boys were going to be able to run around and get some energy out!  We invited all of WIlliam's class from school - I swear kindergarteners are just so darn sweet!

 It was perfect.  The kids ran around like crazy and loved every minute of it.  In fact, most of my pictures are all blurry because no one would stand still!  We let Max ask a friend along as well so that he wasn't the only big kid. 

 

William did a great job on the climbing rope, but he wasn't so sure once he got past the grip of the instructor.  I think this was about as high as he made it.  The giant trampoline was a huge it - I think the favorite part was landing on the huge 'pillow'. 

 

Jack even got in on the action after he took some time to warm up to the idea.  Some of the activities were tough for him - but he loved every minute of it!

 

I think it is time for a new camera.  It was acting really strange and even when the kids are sitting still they are blurry  - but they sure are 

No birthday is complete without cake - and Willaim chose a minion version.  It melted my heart to see the joy on his face as his friends sang to him  It was a pretty great day!