The Graduate

Evan has officially graduated from preschool and will be entering kindergarten in the fall.  What?!  Did I really just type that?! 

Time has certainly flown by, but we couldn't be more confident that Evan is ready to move forward.  He has grown so much over the past year and we are excited to see him take this next big step - not to mention, he gets to be with me! :)

The graduation ceremony was precious and definitely brought tears to my eyes.  We beamed with pride as we watched Evan walk across the stage to receive his diploma.  It was a bittersweet moment for sure simply because it's sad to see him growing up so fast, but exciting to think about what lies ahead in the future.

Congratulations to our baby boy! 

Summer is Here

I went into summer mode over Memorial Day weekend - parades, backyard cookouts, bike rides to the pool,constant sunscreen application, ice cream outings and later bedtimes.

 
This was a great thing except that I still had one more week left of school that I needed to be concentrating on...and I can't lie, it was tough.  Almost to the point of torture.  My students were so DONE - they too had summertime on the brain and certainly didn't want to be stuck in a classroom.  Well, we finally made it - and as exciting as it is to have summer here, it is always sad to see your students go.  Especially this year, being a brand new school and facing so many challenges and obstacles.  It will be a year I will never forget.

This year will also be unforgettable because I received an award that means more to me than any other award I've ever received.  I was honored as Teacher of the Year!  There is nothing sweeter than being recognized for doing something you love.  From the bottom of my heart - I thank all my peers for their support, especially Krista, my teammate - who has worked equally as hard to make our kindergarten classes the BOMB!  I am so excited for next year as we move into our brand new school with space to move around.  Great things are gonna happen!

The first official weekend of summer we spent at the pool with all the other neighborhood families.  Mattie would simply drown if you'd let her - she demands that you put her down in the pool even though she has no flotation device attached to her.  She is such a daredevil - it scares me.  She jumps off the side of the pool with no care in the world, trusting that someone will be there to catch her - luckily we are.  Evan, on the other hand, is way more cautious and reserved.  That seems to have come with age because he used to be more like Mattie a couple of years ago.  He's still sportin' the water wings, but I'm hoping we can get him swimming on his own by summer's end.

I'm gonna try to really enjoy the next few weeks.  I start my Master's at the end of June, so that will start taking up some of my time, as well as my magazine writing.  When school starts back mid July, Lord help me.  I'm not really sure how I will find the time for everything - but I will manage.

Birthday Parties

This may sound terrible, but I am not a fan of birthday parties.  I haven't always felt this way though.  The realization hit me after I attended party #2 with Evan a month or so ago.  Much of my negativity - ok, all of my negativity - stems from my own child's behavior in the party environment.

Evan is, in no way, a social butterfly.  In fact, he is quite the opposite.  He prefers to run solo and seems to care less about what all the other kids are doing.  Case in point:  He was so excited to go to Payton and Ruby's party today at the Waccatee Zoo.  We show up ready to celebrate and he behaves like he knows none of the children at the party.  We urge him to sit down at the picnic table with the other kids to eat cake, but he refuses and instead walks down to feed the animals.  He never acknowledged the birthday girls and never even asked about the party while we were there - it literally did not exist in his mind.

This was the 4th party we've been to this year and all have resulted in similar behavior.  The only attention he's ever shown was throwing a few tantrums when he realized the birthday presents weren't for him.  Robert and I were super proud then.  We got to carry him out kicking and screaming. We can only imagine what the other parents must be thinking when our kid walks through the door...

Personalities are interesting.  We are extremely curious how Evan's will develop over the next few years.  His sister seems to be at the other end of the spectrum.  Watching their interaction can be very entertaining.

A few pics from our outing at the zoo...

Evan and Mattie fed the emus with great enthusiasm - that is until the emu got a hold of Evan's finger...

Breakfast With Santa

Last year Santa was just a character of sorts that didn't carry too much significance for Evan.  This year, however, is a completely different story.  Santa is THE man.  All we have to say to Evan is, "Santa is watching you!"  The change in behavior is miraculous.  I may have to purchase Elf on a Shelf and use it all year long.  Is that wrong?

We took Evan and Mattie to the Hard Rock Cafe to have breakfast with Santa this morning.  Evan was literally shaking he was so excited.  He walked in asking a million questions like, "Does Santa live here?"  "Will he be wearing red pants and boots?"  "How old is Santa?"

Breakfast was served first - Evan didn't eat a morsel probably due to the butterflies in his stomach.  Mattie, on the other hand, had seconds.  When Santa finally arrived he descended the stairs into clear view of our table - Evan's reaction...

Santa then made his way around the dining room and made a special visit to our table.  Evan was completely overjoyed - Mattie was a bit uneasy...maybe a little suspicious of the bearded man dressed in red velvet.

After Santa made his table visits, he headed to center stage where he sat in his chair ready to make Christmas promises.  All the children lined up, eager to rattle off their wish lists - Evan included.

 
Then, the moment we all had been waiting for...

Evan was in love - Mattie wanted the hell outta there!

Trick or Treat

Evan wanted to be scarier this year - but he certainly had his limits.  Blood, fangs and ghosts were out of the question - so he finally settled on Frankenstein.

 We stuffed Mattie Jane into a chick costume and she couldn't have been happier.

We spent an hour walking around Broadway as Evan diligently collected candy from every participating business.  He was so serious as he went from door to door - it was almost like a job for him.  We were entertained by all of the other costumes and I enjoyed a few pieces of candy myself - shhh!  Don't tell Evan.

Happy 1st Birthday

Happy Birthday, Sweet Mattie Jane.  We love you so very much - words simply can not express.

Yes, we celebrated.  Pictures of this party animal are coming soon.

It's Football Season

We always welcome the start of football season by drafting our Fantasy Football teams.  We are entering our seventh year as faithful members of the League of No Shame, aka LONS - a league made up of great friends who like to talk a lot of smack and have a lot of fun in the process.

We hosted a small draft party last weekend to kick off the season right.  The Santels traveled down even with Hurricane Irene quickly approaching -  did I mention how die hard we are about this league?  We played during the day, played harder at night and then finally drafted a team on Sunday we all hope will bring us a victory.

Just a few days pics after Irene decided to blow by...

 

This weekend so far has been devoted to college football - a win for the Tar Heels over James Madison and Tennessee is well on their way to a win over Montana.  Couldn't ask for a better season opener. Man, I love football season!