Reese's School Year Wrap Up

Reese is done with First Grade!  First seems to be the year that they start to lose their "baby faces" and start to look bigger!  She has grown almost 3 inches this school year, and she learned so much!

After the Field Day extravaganza, the kids made shirts.  Some of them wore them to the class party the following week.  Reese had quite a design on her shirt.

We had to get a picture of these 4 with their fantastic teacher before the end of the year.  I know that they are going to miss her so much!  Reesie learned so much and developed so many new reading strategies this year, and her teacher is just the best. Hopefully we have her in another year for Hudson!

At the end of her class party they handed out class "superlative" awards. Reesie got the Team Player Award (Wyatt got the MLB Award two years ago...check out that picture and we can have a moment of silence for when he wore pants with a button to school, that doesn't happen anymore).  Her teacher said that she is tough, brave, and smart, but that her favorite thing about her is that she works well with others.  It's because she's such an easygoing girl and knows how to strike a compromise, but she's probably also learned a thing or two from having so many kids in the family!

Daddy took them out for their traditional "last day lunch" after he picked them up on the last day!  And their summer began!

Back to School for the Talls

We (finally!) started back to school on September 8th.  Our school system got out a week before the other local districts, and we wait until after Labor Day to go back.  So it made for a long summer!

Our typical mornings involve me waking up between 6:15 and 6:30, and getting the older two out the door by 7:25.  Brian takes them to school most mornings, so that makes things a little easier!

We heard wonderful things about Wyatt's teacher last year and over the summer, so we were over the moon excited when we got his teacher assignment.  To make things even better, his teacher assigns numbers to students and Wyatt got number 2.  He was very excited after Open House.

Reesie's 1st grade teacher also taught Wyatt.  We're very excited to be back in her class!

They had a good year at the same school! They'll be back together when they're in 3rd grade and 5th grade.

So far, so good!  They are both loving school right now!

Reesie's School Year Wrap Up

I am trying hard not to be sad that this girl's Kindergarten year is over!

She has had a phenomenal Kindergarten year, and I am so, so happy that we decided to send her to school with Wyatt instead of keeping her at Preschool for Kindergarten!

The last few weeks of school were full of fun activities.  Of course there was Field Day.  With potato sack races.

And the parachute.  Obviously more fun with Daddy.

And Gaga ball.  I can't even with this game.  The are currently in the playroom playing Gaga ball.

It's basically Dodge ball, but the ball stays on the ground instead of being thrown.

She also had an Accelerated Reading Assembly.  She had the most AR points in her class and in her grade - she read 150 books this year.  She was able to get up on stage with each class's top reader, and they sang songs while the Principal played his guitar. They recognized the top readers, and then the teachers put on a fun talent show.  It was very entertaining!

This was an exciting time for her - not only because she had the most point in Kindergarten, but also because she had more points than Wyatt! He did his best to try to accumulate more points towards the end of the year, but there was no catching up to this girl!

She wanted a picture taken with her teacher helper, Miss Scarlett.  Her Kindergarten class had Miss Scarlett, who was a high school student who helped out every day, an aide, a teacher, and there was even a little slice of the year that included a student teacher! It was a very well balanced classroom!  Miss Scarlett helped Reese log onto the computer to take her AR tests, and she talked about her all the time!  Reese saw her sitting in a McDonald's the week after school got out, and she rolled her window down and was frantically waving to her.  It was kind of adorable.

And this lady here is the biggest part of Reese's Kindergarten success. We had such a fantastic year in Ms. Burton's class.  She took such good care of our girl and always helped give her a little extra push. Her son was on Wyatt's baseball team, and we had the best year knowing that Reese was with her at school, and then hanging out at the ball field!

And that's a wrap on Kindergarten - and half days of school!  WHAT?!  She starts full days of school in the fall, which is just crazy - but we're crossing our fingers that she gets the same awesome teacher Wyatt had for first!  I know she'll have another great year!

School Excitement

It's already January and I haven't done any school updates!  I shared in November that Reesie entered the Reflections contest at school.  The theme this year was "The world would be a better place if..." 

Her teacher called me in November to tell me that our kindergartner girl won first place for art!  I was so excited to call Brian and tell him, but I had to keep it a secret from Reese!  Brian was also in Florida the week of the ice cream party, so he had to miss it (actually, he missed all of these things). Fortunately I recorded the moment she found out she won, and sent it to him immediately. Reese was so surprised, and we are so proud of her! 

The Kindergarten Thanksgiving Feast was also that week.  I was lucky enough to sit with Reese, Emma, and their friend Hanna.



 Me and my girl chowing down on Thanksgiving food!

 

Hudson also brought home his first Phonics book that week!  He was so excited.  Reese was explaining to him that he had to get his Phonics book and write his letters, and then he will get his first reader.  He is already trying to read like the big kids.  He brought his math book home right after Christmas break.  I can't believe he will be in Pre-K next year (thanks to his November birthday)!

All three of the big kids with their first Phonics books!  Wyatt was 4 and half, Reese was almost 4, and Hudson got his the week after he turned 4!

 

Wyatt' also had his big second grade field trip to Jamestown that week - it was a crazy week!  I wish I had a picture of him in his class shirt before they left - but the girls all voted for a pink shirt, and he refuses to be photographed in pink.  Boys!

First Day!

Another school year is underway.

Every one is two years apart in school, which is kind of awesome. 

This year we have a second grader!

 And a Kindergartner!

 Since they go to a primary school, the second graders are the oldest in the school.  It also means that these two will go to different schools again next year!

 Tuesday was basically the hottest day of the year, but this girl would only wear leggings.  Because she's a fashionista.  After she chose this for her first day of school outfit, there was no changing her mind.  She wouldn't even let me pull her hair back!

 And doesn't this guy look thrilled to head back to school?  Ha!

He's just stuck in his awkward smile phase again.  He was very excited to get to school, and he didn't shed a single tear at drop off.   He was so happy to see his friends!

Now we're back to the time of year where our schedule suddenly fills up.  I was just talking about next week's schedule with Brian - Wyatt has baseball practice twice, two games, soccer practice, a soccer game, and Reese has a tee ball game, too!  It's about to get crazy around here. 

Going Back

It's the final weekend of summer break!

We've been trying to squeeze in a few final fun outings, but we've also had baseball and some school related functions this week!

Hudson had Open House on Tuesday night.

For the first time in three years, we only have one kid going to preschool.  We only had one class to visit.  When Wyatt and Reese were still only going a few days a week, they went on opposite schedules, so I've been headed to the school every day for three years, too.  This year I'll only be making that drive three days a week!

After we met his teachers (the same fabulous team who taught Reese when she was four), we took him out for ice cream.

Last night I had to prep all of the school supplies for our Kindergartner and Second grader.  Yes.  Two Thirty-One Large Utility totes to get all the supplies to school.  So much stuff!

Wyatt's desk was all set up for him.  It was all official and big kid-looking.  With a planner. I didn't get any pictures of him because I was helping him distribute supplies and talking to his teacher, but I think he's in for a fun year in second grade!

After we got Wyatt situated, we brought him back home and picked up this Kindergarten cutie.  She went to her classroom, met her teacher, and then begged to go to the library!  She wanted to browse all the different sections and books.  She is very excited that the Kindergarten classes get to go to the library every week!

We visited the PTA table, the Spirit wear table, and finally headed back home. And I will be spending the weekend filling out mountains of paperwork!

And then on Tuesday I'm sending half of these kids off to school!

Last Day!

It seems like the first day of school was only yesterday.

It really does. This school year flew by so quickly.

They have all gotten so big since school started way back in September - and they have learned so much.

His favorite thing to learn about at school this year was math!

He really enjoyed making, saying, and talking about H's.  Seriously.

This picture cracks me up.  She saw a bird...

Which is fitting because learning about and coloring pictures of birds were two of her favorite things about Pre-K!

 

Now we're on to our summer of fun.  But first - Mommy Boot Camp.  I might lose my mind if I have to ask all 3 of them 3 times each to put plates away and put clothes in the hamper!  Crazy kids!

Reese's Spring Program

We had Spring Programs at school last week.  Reese and Hudson had their performances on different days, so we got to go twice!

Last year was bittersweet for Wyatt because it was his final time participating at preschool, and this year was Reese's final performance.  We think. We think.  We are really going back and forth constantly about what to do with her.  We LOVE their preschool, but we feel much more at peace with the idea of sending her to public Kindergarten than we did when we were making the decision about her big brother!  We know the public school now and we love it, so it's making the decision a little tougher.

This scatterbrained mom forgot to grab the SD card out of the computer before we left for school, so even though I had my Canon (and even got snap happy with it before I realized my mistake), all I've got to show for the day are iPhone pictures!

They sang their songs and then went back to class for their party.  They followed the party up with an Easter Egg Hunt!

And of course the Easter Bunny showed up to surprise them all!

4 year old class

3 year old class

I can't believe how big she's gotten since she started school three years ago - and she's learned so much!  I know she'll miss her preschool, but she is soooo excited to go to school with Wyatt again next year!

Reese's Christmas Program

Reese's Christmas Program was the day after Huddoo's, and it was also the same day as Wyatt's class Christmas party.  I felt a little rushed that morning, but she was so excited and cute that I definitely felt less anxious!

Is this her last Christmas program?  Maybe?  I'm so, so, SO torn.  I would love for her to have the same Kindergarten experience as Wyatt (seriously, I can't say enough about how phenomenal their school and Kindergarten program is - I literally tell everyone I know to send their kids there.  And I send text messages out when it's application time - after I send mine in, of course!), but she's using up her tuition budget in Pre-K this year!  HA!

She LOVES her programs.  The singing and "the moves."  Obviously, this smiles proves it.

BFF'S.  I don't even have to ask Reese who she plays with at school.  The answer is always Emma and Griffin!  They're already making "Ring Dancing" plans for high school.

Ready to eat!  She ate less than I have ever seen her eat at a program - she didn't even ask for seconds!

This was Hudson's "December smile."  Seriously.  He spent our whole Disney vacation giving us real smiles, and apparently forgot to show his teeth at Christmas!

Presents from her teachers and goody bags, oh my!

Reesie and Daddy! He had vacation time to burn at the end of the year, so he basically had the last three weeks of December off of work.  His first day back at work in January was painful for the kids. 

(Okay, and me.  Because Finley stood at the front door screaming for him all day.  Before his vacation she only wanted me.  Bummer.)

Reesie and Mommy. Brian gets the "Most Improved for Taking Pictures of Mommy with the Kids" Award for 2013,

She wanted a picture with her class elf, Carlos.  Sadly, you can only see Carlos' hands at the top of the tree in the picture.  Oops - don't tell Reesie!

That box wrapped in princess paper had a puzzle in it - that she put together every. single. day. over break!  Teachers always know the best thing to get their students - and this was a home run.  At one point I walked in her room over Christmas to find the carpet replaced by puzzles - her puzzles, Wyatt's puzzles, Hudson's puzzles.  It was insanity!