Wednesday, May 22, 2024

2nd grade awards

The afternoon before the second grade award's ceremony, I was able to go decorate Colby's classroom for the party the next day.   We were basically told what our theme needed to be (Summer), so I went to the dollar store to see what I could find.  I came away with pink flamingos, table runners/table coverings, and palm trees.  I also ordered leis and colorful sunglasses for each student. 
We were also told that the students needed to make picture frames, so I added that to my Oriental Trading order.  I didn't realize until the night before that the class pictures I printed were too big for the frames, but at that point, there wasn't much I could do.  So the kids went home with a decorated frame and a separate picture of the class.
Colby's awards were on Wednesday morning and he came home with a stack!!  Citizenship, High Frequency Words, Art Achievement Certificate (1 or 2 per class), Library Award (not sure what this entails but it was given to one student per class), Certificate of Completion, Lion Award (great leader with a passionate heart), and the Sunshine Award (voted on by peers and awarded to one boy and girl per class.)

I loved watching Colby receive his awards, but I knew he was most excited about the Sunshine Award.  The Principal presented the award and explained that the award is given to someone who exemplifies good character traits like the ones they emphasize at Daulton: kindness, perseverance, empathy, responsibility, honesty, and respect.  "The kids bring sunshine to our classrooms and we're all better for having known them." I was trying to keep a big smile, but definitely fighting back the tears!
His friend Staley was the girl in his class that received the Sunshine Award, so I had to get a picture of the two of them and one with their teacher, Ms. Stevens. 
Oh, and they sang "A Million Dreams," which was beautiful!!  The kids knew the lyrics SO well and sang from their hearts. 

I was in charge of the class party right after the awards ceremony and it was chaos as usual.  It's always pretty awkward trying to keep the kids engaged while the parents stand around the perimeter of the classroom and watch, haha. 

The funniest part was probably watching the kids play musical chairs.  The principal even joined in on the fun while he was making the rounds, haha. Colby was SO competitive and was the ultimate champion, but it was almost embarrassing because he was so intense about the whole thing, haha. 
Being the Room Mom has its perks, but it's always such a busy time of year, so it feels like a relief when it's over, haha. 
We stopped by to say goodbye to Mrs. Kelsick as well.  She was Colby's teacher for math and science and he absolutely loved her!!
As we walked down the halls, it was hard to believe that another year was over!! I was hoping for a slow summer, but I knew that third grade was right around the corner.
As we left the school, Colby was proudly holding his award, so we stopped for another picture.  It was a little bright, hence the squinty eyes.  He commented that he wished Brooke had a phone so he could call her right away and tell her that he won.  She also won the award, so he knew she would understand and be happy for him.
It was such a special day for Colby, and I hope he always strives to exemplify the character traits that earned him the Sunshine Award.

I checked Colby out early from school and his requests were Dollar Tree, Five Below, and McDonalds.  He actually found a pretty cool Lego box, baseball shades, and "10 for 10" bazooka gun, so he was pumped.  I had a few other errands in that shopping center, and he requested that we walk instead of drive, so I enjoyed walking and chatting with my boy!
We are SO proud of you, buddy!!  Keep doing amazing things :)

Monday, May 20, 2024

5th grade awards

Monday was Brooke's awards ceremony and I was SO proud of her!! She received the Language Arts Academic Award (one per class), A Honor Roll, the 50 States Award, Citizenship Award, PVU Panther Award, and Whiz Quiz. She has worked so hard this year and continues to love school, which is such a blessing!
Brooke and our neighbor, Hope...
Brooke and the principal, Mr. Gibson.  I really like him and appreciate that he stands at the door every single morning to greet the students.  He knows them by name and makes the extra effort to make them feel seen and important. 
Brooke had phenomenal teachers this year, so I had to get a few pictures with them.  Mrs. Sowell taught math...
Ms. Batie taught ELA...
And her favorite, Mrs. Klingman, taught social studies...
As we left the ceremony, I wanted a few more pics of my girl. 
We were taking a selfie when another parent offered to take a picture.  I can't say enough about how proud I am of Brooke, not just because of her academic achievements, but because she brings sunshine everywhere she goes.  She finds joy in everything and for that, I am so grateful.  

She isn't my little girl anymore, which is both heartbreaking and beautiful at the same time.  She has great things in store for her and I can't wait to watch as she continues to blossom. 
Her friend McKenzie walked by, so I had to take another picture :)
After the awards, we went shopping, had some lunch, and ended with Bahama Bucks.  I know one-on-one time will be rare this summer, so I loved the chance to pal around with Brookie. 
She adored this jacket, and if it wasn't $70, I would've bought it for her, haha.  
And I thought the hat she found was hilarious.  She wanted to send the pic right to Kevin. 
Sure do love my sweet girl!!

Sunday, May 12, 2024

mother's day

My role as Mama is sacred to me!  The journey to become a mother was not an easy one, nor has it been easy since, but it is undeniably the greatest joy in my life.  Brooke and Colby teach me every single day about selfless love, forgiveness, and the important of time together.  As I reflect back on my years of motherhood, I feel such gratitude for my own mother whose example I try to emulate every single day, my wonderful MIL who I have the privilege of living hear, and the many women in my life who have helped shape me into who I am today and who are helping me as I strive to mother my little ones in a way that would be pleasing to God. 
My main request was breakfast in bed with love notes and my family delivered!!  It was sweet listening to them in the kitchen and I appreciated all the extra effort they put in to make me feel special.
We hosted Mother's Day dinner at our house which meant that Kevin and Jeff prepared a delicious meal for us and the kids helped clean up so the moms could relax.  I set the table with the cute plates I had leftover from a baby shower, but I didn't mind since I love that kind of thing!
We went to the park after dinner so the kids could get their wiggles out...
We missed Papa since he was still in the rehab hospital, but he ordered a beautiful cake for us to enjoy. 
I found a few candid photos on my phone, so I had to include one of those as well. 
Happy Mother's Day to us!!