Last day of school! Last day of school!

Oh boy, I was not ready for school to end this year. Usually I am super excited and can't wait for it. I dreamed of the days I didn't have to take Olivia to school, come home and shower, take Jack to preschool, come home and put Maddie down for a nap, and then go back to school to pick them up. This year, though, the weather hasn't made it easy to get out during vacation, and I am definitely missing the two hours to myself that I usually get during Madelynn's naptime. It is nice having the kiddos home, though, and they learned so much this last year!

This year, Field Day ended up being right before the last day of school. Every year the school has a field day with bouncy houses and inflatable slides, lots of treats (cotton candy, popcorn, and sno cones), and games that require the kids to be active (including a race that made the kids run to a table and eat Jello without their hands, and then run back). Since Kelli had offered to volunteer I took Aubrey and Madelynn around for a little bit. They aren't actually students, but the teachers were more than willing to let them jump on the bouncy house and get some treats!

Maddie and Aubrey on the bouncy house Kelli was in charge of.

Madelynn found Jack. Olivia's class had already been out earlier in the day, so I missed her.

Mmm... cotton candy. Don't let this picture fool you. My fearless tomboy daughter is actually afraid of cotton candy. Something about how it disappears when you eat it and makes you all sticky.

Jack loving the slides.

This year the first grade held a BBQ too. We met in the classroom for some awards, and then went outside for a BBQ put on by the teachers and parents. It was lots of fun and I'm not sure why the 1st grade was the only one to do that, but I hope it continues!

Olivia's teacher Mrs. Fields. Madelynn ensured that her baby doll made it into the awards ceremony.

Olivia got the "Outstanding Writing Award." She is constantly writing books and letters. She even has a pen name or two: Jane Poyfair or Elizabeth Turner Swan (yeah, from Pirates of the Caribbean).

Pointing out her self-portrait.

Her class.

One of her BFFs Madeline. We always have to refer to her as "my friend Madeline" or "not my sister Madeline"

One of Olivia's other BFFs, Alyssa R. There was another Alyssa in her class, so Olivia always calls her Alyssa R., even when she is calling her on the phone. "Hi, is Alyssa R there?" I had to explain to her that she is probably the only Alyssa at her house and therefore doesn't need the R at the end.

Jack found a bag of Fritos and an empty swing, so he was a happy camper.

Backdating a couple days, but Jack's last day of school was a couple days before Olivia's. He got a cute graduation hat. He loves preschool and gets to go back next year too since he misses the cutoff by 26 days. Plus his speech therapy will continue next year too.

Jack and his teacher Ms. Brown. She was so good at helping him learn to calm down, sit still and listen. He loves Ms. Brown and talks about her all the time.

The assistant teacher in his class, Ms. K. Her last name is long so the kids call her Ms. K. She was also amazing and I'm glad Jack gets to be with both of them for another year.

My mom was the secretary at Park Lodge for a long time and it was always so nice to have her there. She helped my kids with lunch and boo-boos and everything, and she just retired. You can see part of her "Goodbye Mrs. Hjelm!" sign in the background. We will really miss having her at school and the kids aren't sure what to do without Nana in the office!

Olivia and Mrs. Fields. She was amazing with Olivia. Liv has a tendency to compare herself to others and feel less than worthy, and Mrs. Fields was really good at showing Olivia her potential and all the all the amazing things she could do. She learned how to read really well, write stories and be creative without worrying about how others were doing. Olivia is amazing at math and art and I really think Mrs. Fields had a lot to do with that.

We are super excited for school to start up but summer is in full swing and we are super busy. More post to come on that!