The End of Another School Year {But this One is Different!}

It feels as if the months have flown, I've blinked and it's now June! The girls' school year end last week just as quickly and busy as it began.

Morgan

Morgan had such a great kindergarten year! She was able to learn so much and excelled at everything that was placed in front of here. The size of her heart showed as she walked into new friendships. 

Her sticker quote pretty much sums up her year and is so Morgan! I attribute so much of Morgan's success to her AMAZING Kindergarten teacher. We were very lucky this year to have the same Kindergarten teacher that Bekah had last year. She is the best teacher and now if officially part of life forever! I have prayed that she would move into teaching 1st or 2nd grade. 

Bekah

It was a good school year for Bekah. She did let herself relax {some} and really tried to focus on own learning instead of what others in her class were doing. I am so proud of how hard she works and how much she has learned this year.

Bekah's teacher was amazing, especially for her first year. Bekah adores her and thinks she's just the coolest person in the world.

Okay, so here comes the difference that I don't think I have fully accepted.

Shelby

Shelby had her last day of school...her very last day {as a non-adult} of school. Senior year was AMAZING and she also excelled while continuing to work. She fell in love with forensic science and now is on the path to enter into the criminal justice field {pray for me}. 

I will have a complete post about graduation and how fast these 12 years have flown by soon. 

Bekah, the Future Author

Last month I received a wonderful surprise from Bekah's teacher!

All of her focus was put into writing this amazing book.

By Bekah

Boy Jesus

Born in a Stable

Along Time

There were no 

beds in Bethlehem

There was an angel in the ski

she said, do not be afraid

I've come here for a reason

you much come with me

I am taking the liberty to translate a bit for you, for instance, "you must cum wits me" - God, love her! 

The King prayed to

the baby. The Shepherd prayed too. 

Baby Jesus is finally alone.

Poor Baby Jesus, it's hard to have so many visitors. 

I could cry. This was just too precious not to share. Bekah has such a big heart and that heart beats for Jesus. She is most certainly a little kindergarten evangelist. 

Practically Perfect, Seriously

Winds in the east, mist coming in,  

Like somethin' is brewin' and bout to begin. 

Can't put me finger on what lies in store, 

But I fear what's to happen all happened before

We had another party today, this time it took place at 17 Cherry Tree Lane. 

 I was slightly over the moon when Bekah said she wanted a Mary Poppins party! We started planning about eight months ago or more.

It was like Pier1 knew what our plans were when they decided to release this adorable carousel cupcake holder a few months ago.

I had been holding onto an old Golden Book of Mary Poppins, the cover was missing, the spine was a mess, but the artwork was amazing. I knew I would use it for something eventually.

 She didn't want a shirt for her party this year, she was adamant to have a Mary Poppins dress. I used the same pattern as the Cinderella dress she wore on her third birthday.

Sister opt'd for an adorable shirt made my friend Elizabeth at Bailey Boo's Vinyl and More.

I didn't have any outdoor games and activites like I have had in years passed. They did a little Bert Chalk art and colored Mary Poppins coloring sheets while watching the movie.

We took our traditional family pictures.

I had a shirt made too...coffee makes me practically perfect - so true, so true!

This one from five years ago popped up on Facebook today as well!

Bekah had a blast and gave the part a big thumbs up!

I gave kites and sidewalk chalk as party favors. I wasn't sure that the kites would get used, but I was so mistaken because this girl "flew" one out front right away.

Picture by her big sister, Shelby

So much Sugar was Consumed! 

It was Practically Perfect in Everyway!

Now to plan for next year...the request is already in - a Halloween Party with Costumes! I love having an October kid!

Back to School Traditions, A New One

This year we started a new tradition with the help of my friend, Elizabeth, and her company, Bailey Boo's Vinyl & More.

First step, we broke out some purple paint and I became a crazed mom saying, "listen to me, we have to make this look really good!"

I broke out the good camera (which I also used on the first day of school) and had a little back to school photo shoot.

I loved seeing her personality come out as she come comfortable being in front of the camera!

Then, we headed to Morgan's school.

And her personality kind of exploded as well.

Then, I got an idea! Wouldn't it be awesome to have a picture in front of the high school to put beside a picture Bekah's senior year? So, we headed to the high school.

This seriously this just feeds into my need for stability...the girls have to attend this high school now - fate is sealed.

Hamming it up as usual!

I am sure that they will both rebel against this as they go into Junior High, but I will force them to do it like I do the chalkboard on the first day of school because traditions - they are a good thing! 

Finished the First Week of School, Finally

Yesterday, our household successfully finished the first day of school, finally. Let me take you back a few weeks.

On the week of August 20th, Bekah and started preparing for school by timing the walk from our house to the front door of her new elementary.

On Thursday of that week Matt and sat through our much needed Kindergarten Parent Orientation, but my mind was so distracted by the fact that a guy name Harvey was a about to spin into our town. We left the meeting, spent a good hour bewildered by the site of empty shelves at our local HEB, then received a frantic phone call from Shelby who was watching the littles. Morgan chose the night before a hurricane's planned arrival to have her first emergency room visit.

Come to find out we may have slightly overreacted, but I am telling you it looked like she had been stabbed in the face, there was blood everywhere. Miss thing took a nose dive (or was catapulted off - depending on which story she wants to tell) off a recliner and landed face first onto a pile of toys. She wound up busting her lip and scrapping all the skin off her gums (hence the blood).

At first she was planning on staying overnight telling us about how she was going to eat dinner on the silver tray (that holds medical tools normally), then she moved to "what is taking these people so long." We were seriously there for no more than fort-five minutes then proceed to spend an hour at the pharmacy with frantic people trying to get their prescriptions re-filled before the storm. As our favorite dentist, Dr. Joe said over a week later (we were supposed to go in right away, but Harvey) it will be unremarkable and that's they way it's healed, not a single sign of trauma.

The next morning Bekah and I walked up, in the rain, to the school to meet her teacher, who we already love!!!

We talked to her teacher about Bekah's need to lighten up this year, we will see how that goes.

Later that day, which was Friday, I got to talk to my other girls, the college ones! I got dorm tours including a look at their food supply. We talked about stranger danger and what to do during a tornado. I love these girls and LOVE how much fun they are having!

I hate to even type this, but on Saturday I kind of enjoyed Harvey. Having everything closed and everyone hunkered down gave me prime opportunity to organize and prepare for school the following Monday, but all that relaxing quickly faded as the tornado warnings started going off and I can say, "things got real, really fast."

We spent just about all night moving the girls into our of shelter, we all slept down stairs as the wind blew in and brought the massive rain. I slept, maybe, two hours that night after I realized how fast the water was rising outside of our house. I was just praying for the sun to come up quickly.

Even though the water came up way higher than it ever has before, we were spared. I could go into a entire post about the week that followed, the tears for friends as they evacuated their homes on boats, the tears for people in our community who lost everything in side their homes and for the lives that were lost during Harvey. It was a week I don't want to re-live though signs of him are still very present.

Morgan got to return to school after just a week delay.

She insisted on putting her leg up for all the pictures.

They rolled out the red carpet. 

Bekah and Shelby were with me for another week before going back to school.

Give me a minute to catch my breath because this girl started her Junior Year in High School while also turning 16 in the same week. But she hasn't yet realized that I HAVE TO take a picture of her every single year!

So, I followed her out of the house with my flash going. Maybe next year she will be more patient with her mother. Meh, next year she will be a Senior - CRY!

Speaking of crying, I was actually able to hold it together for Bekah's first day. I only believe that was possible because I was so busy at work and that distracted from the fact that I have a kindergartener already.

Somedays it's just easy to carry her than do deal with her Grandma walking

It felt good, this week, to get back into a schedule while establishing new routines. I have loved the conversations that happen while on our school walk.