School's Out for Summer!

Finally, the day arrived.  It was Evan's last day of Kindergarten.  He kept telling me that he didn't want the last day of school to arrive because he was having too much fun.  That was so nice to hear.  However, the last day of school arrived whether he wanted it to or not.  There wasn't anything special going on at school, just lots of hugs and extra playing with his buddies.

They had lots of good recess time that morning and I went outside to watch them for a few minutes.  I remember the beginning of the year, really the first half of the year, when Evan would say that he didn't hang out with anyone on the playground.  This time, he was running around with several kids including his good friend Zach and his "girl friend" Ursula.  Apparently they were on the playground together every day discussing Minecraft, and Evan claimed that "she gets a bit kissy sometimes"!  Apparently, those two were so alike and I'm really glad he found a kindred spirit he could connect with.

What a great year Evan had.  I know that Kindergarten has put him in a great place for first grade next year!

(Evan on the first day of Kindergarten)

(Evan celebrates on the last day of school.)

Mrs. Joshua-Wilson and Evan on the first day.)

(Mrs. JW and Evan on the last day of school.)

(Evan with Mrs. Viola, his teaching assistant)

(Evan and his good buddy Ursula)

A Sweet Send Off

I already miss all of our good friends from Durham.  It's hard to leave such fantastic people.  What makes it even harder is if they throw you a fantastic going away party.  It was hard to realize we were going to have to say goodbye to all of these people, but it was so nice to have the opportunity to see everyone before we left.

My awesome friends and neighbors Nathalie and Jill took on the task of organizing the affair.  The cul-de-sac was all set up for a great barbeque.  The weather was beautiful.  Everyone came, brought delicious food, and it was so nice to see everyone.  The kids had a great time playing in the grass, cul-de-sac, and on the treehouse while all the adults chatted and ate as much food as they could!

It was one of those moments where we just sat back and wondered why we were really leaving all of this-great neighbors and great friends.  Some we had known for more than a decade, others we had just met recently, but we will definitely remember everyone and definitely see them all when we come back to visit!

Thanks for a great evening, everyone!

(The kiddos play in the front lawn.)

(It's a party!)

(having a great conversation)

(the three original founders of Phd Posters together again)

(Oh, we will miss our sweet neighbors and friends!)

A Few Final Playdates

Ben was officially out of school after his graduation, but Evan still had a few more weeks before his year was finally over, and before we shipped off on our new adventure to St. Louis.  So, of course, Ben and I had time for a few more trips out with our buddies Kara and Anna.  Since Ben and Anna's big brothers were both still in school it was the perfect time to go out and do a little exploring.

First, we headed over to check out the new location of one of our favorite stops, Monuts.  They had just moved to a new, bigger location, so of course, we had to check them out.  Last time we stopped by the big boys were with us and we had to try every donut they had on the menu.  This time, we weren't feeling quite so hungry, but we still had to sample a few.  The biggest adventure of that outing was when Kara accidentally filled her water glass with simple syrup instead of water, not quite the taste she was looking for.  I guess we definitely got our fill of sweet on that outing, HA!

Another morning while the boys were at school we headed back over one final time to the Museum of Life and Science.  They had been renovating their outdoor playground and finally had it finished, so we had to come see what we thought.  Although it was raining, Ben and Anna had some fun playing around on the new wooden play structures before we went inside to get out of the rain.  Oh yeah, and of course, we started that morning with a trip to a new French bakery I hadn't tried yet.  It always makes the day better to start it with a little sweet treat.

There was one more great Benny and Anna adventure before the school year was over.  This time we started off the morning at a local lavender farm that Kara had found.  Turns out, it was only about 10 minutes away from my house.  Their picking season is only about two weeks, and we made it out on their first or second day!  I absolutely love the way that lavender smells so this was perfect for me.  The farmer handed us some scissors and a basket and we went out into the field to cut our own lavender.  We had to carefully instruct Benny and Anna about how to cut at the bottom of the stem and they quickly figured it out.   Soon we had two big bundles of lavender to take home.  I, of course, found a few other lavender goodies to buy, and we finished off the outing with some games and a sample of their delicious lavender ice cream, yum!

You can bet we didn't tell their big brothers about any of these fabulous adventures!

(Ok, so this one is not the best picture, but it's the only one I had of those little cuties eating their big donuts!)

(Ben and Anna concentrate on picking their lavender.)

(a close up of one of the varieties)

(a view of the whole farm)

(the two buddies-I can't believe how big they've gotten!)

Feeling Grown Up

So after Ben graduated from preschool he was apparently really feeling like a big boy!  The weekend after that we went on our final bike ride to Rise as Durham residents, boo hoo!  We started off as usual at Herndon Park and took off on the two-ish mile ride to our favorite donut stop.

I was riding up with Evan and Ian was riding a little slower with Ben.  Apparently at the beginning of their ride Benny and Ian decided they could take the training wheels off.  This was a big deal because he had up to this point refused to take the training wheels off for long periods of time.  He had a nasty run in with a parked car on our street when he first got that bike and I think that made him really cautious for a while.  Anyway, Evan and I had stopped and I see Ben riding up proudly on two wheels with Ian following.  I was so proud.

He rode on two wheels all the way to Rise.  We stopped, had our delicious donuts (and biscuits), climbed the walls a little bit (yes, Evan was literally climbing the walls of the shopping center), then we hopped on the bikes again for our ride home.  Again, Ben rode the whole way back again on two wheels!  Once he figured it out there were no nerves and no going back.  I guess now that he's a Kindergartener, there's nothing he can't do!  Watch out world!

(Ben cruising with Daddy)

(Look Ma, no training wheels!)

(a much needed treat at the halfway point of our ride)

The Little One has Gotten so Big!

So, Evan wasn't the only one celebrating the end of his school year.  Not to be outdone, a few days later, Ben had his official preschool graduation from Resurrection United Methodist Preschool.  This one hit me harder than any before.  I'm not sure quite why, probably for lots of reasons: Benny is my youngest baby boy, we've had both kids attend RUMC for the past five years and we had to say goodbye, or that we would be saying goodbye to a lot more in a few weeks with our upcoming move.  I'm not sure what was going on, but this one definitely made me emotional.

Before I had kids, I was always a bit cynical about the whole cap and gown for preschool thing, but after watching two preschool graduations, I have to say that the kids proceeding down the aisle in their cap and gowns is one of the cutest things ever!  Of course, Benny looked super handsome and was smiling the whole way.  Then, they all performed some songs, and Ben did a great job singing and dancing along.

Finally, it came time for the presentation of the diplomas.  This was really sweet because their teachers Mr. Joe and Ms. Myra took the time to say some words about why each child was so special, and they were so soft hearted that they spent most of their speeches in tears.  Of course, they talked about Ben's positive attitude and how he puts a smile on everyone's face from the minute he walks in the door.  That's my boy!

After the proceeded back down the aisle and finished up with a little dance party, it was time for a celebratory lunch.  Ben had a great time sitting with his friends and just being silly one more time with his buddies.  The teachers even gave them a goody bag with a framed picture of the class and even little mustaches to wear-so cute!

Ian left and headed back to work as I walked out of RUMC with Benny one final time.  I had really held it together pretty well until that moment, but I did happen to lose it in the parking lot.  Oh well, after some hugs from some nearby supportive moms I was put back together and on my way.  I think a mom is definitely allowed to show some emotion when her sweet little baby boy is off to Kindergarten, don't you??

(Ben proceeds down the aisle.)

(Mr. Joe and the graduate)

(Ms. Myra and Benny)

(hugs with our big graduate)

(Ben with his friends Jackson, Emerson, and Cole)

(in disguise, but I think the name on the hat gives it away!)

(more silly buddies-Blaise, Ezra, Asher, and Cole)

(one more shot with his awesome teachers)

(Ben's first day of preschool in the 2's)

(his first day in the 4's)

(my big boy on the last day of preschool)

Not a Graduation, a Promotion!

Now, Evan has been pretty lucky the past few years.  He has actually had graduation celebrations for the past two years-in preschool and in transitional kindergarten.  This year, while the teacher didn't technically call it a graduation celebration, it felt a whole lot like one.  It was a way to celebrate all of the kiddos and their accomplishments, and everyone had a great time.

It was the last celebration of the year, and as a room parent, it was our last opportunity to help out Mrs. Joshua-Wilson.  She brought us in one day and told us her vision for the celebration.  Apparently, they had done something similar the previous year and it had worked out very well, so my and the other co-room parent, Jill, were feeling the pressure.  Mrs. Joshua-Wilson wanted a Hollywood themed party, and we were in charge of the decorations, food, and awards for the kiddos.  It was actually a lot of fun, and I think we did a great job with red carpet, gold stars, popcorn and sunglasses for all the kids, and even little individualized Academy Awards for each student.

We did well with the decorations, but I think the students and teachers clearly outshone us, as they should.  With the room crowded with other proud parents and families with balloons, cameras, etc, the class put on the cutest program.  First, they walked down the red carpet, then they sang the Creekside song and each had a little part to say.  Evan and his little group helped with the pledge of allegiance.  One of the best moments was watching Evan sing the Creekside song.  He's always been so hesitant to sing in any school performance, and watching him sing along with his class in front of the parents showed me just how much he's grown this year!  They each got their award individually presented to them.  Evan received the award for being a savvy scientist, no surprise.

All of the kids were so proud.  We hung around afterward to have some treats and take some pictures of our almost-first grader.  It was such a great year and Evan had such a neat little class.  That year did exactly what I had so hoped for.  It turned my little nervous somewhat hesitant boy into someone who really liked school and didn't want the year to end.  I truly hope he likes school as much in our new home!

(Evan receives his award.)

(the red carpet)

(my little kindergarten graduate)

(Evan and his proud daddy)

(my boy and I--look at those eyes!)

(Evan and his wonderful teachers-Mrs. Joshua-Wilson and Mrs. Viola)

Great Wolf with Great Friends

It's been our tradition for the past few years to have some great sleepovers with the South family. This way, all the kids could play for as long as they want, and the adults could also have time to play games, chat, and have fun!

We decided to have the biggest sleepover of them all as one last celebration before our move.  So, one Saturday morning, we popped all of us into the van and drove the 2 hours down to Great Wolf Lodge!

On the way down we stopped at Steak and Shake for a pre-lodge meal.  It's always so expensive to eat actually at Great Wolf and Steak and Shake is always so kid friendly.  The kids wore their hats, built their little paper cars, and dined on mac and cheese and shakes to hopefully give them enough energy to make it through the day at the waterpark.

Then, it was off to check in!  We got there about noon and our room wasn't ready yet, but we were allowed to head in to the waterpark.  The check-in desk gave all the kiddos their wolf ears, and after some obligatory photos we were off!

The kids had a great time playing.  The big boys were finally tall enough to go down some of the bigger slides and once they discovered the mat racers they wanted to do nothing else.  Benny was a bit less sure of the slides and wasn't tall enough for the big ones.  He loved playing in all the various pools and spraygrounds though.  Anna wasn't sure of it all, but toward the end she warmed up and she and Benny had some great playtime in the little kids' area.

The great thing about going with another set of grown ups is that you can have some times to ride some of the slides with just the adults.  Now, people had been talking up this Tornado ride to Kara before she came.  It is the only one there that the big boys weren't yet tall enough to ride, and it certainly has a big drop in it that will take your breath away.  Kara was petrified and had built it up in her head. So, after we had been there a little while I dragged her up to give it a try.  We got done with the ride and she looked at me and said-was that it?  She had it so built up that the real thing turned out to not be that big of a deal after all, but it was fun anyway.

After we'd had our fill in the waterpark we went to check out our hotel room.  The kids had their own room and the grown ups had theirs.  We also had a little back porch where the kiddos had a great time climbing the fences.  We all cleaned up and headed down for a buffet dinner at their restaurant where the kids got to chow down on as many rolls and as much mac and cheese as their wanted.  Again, they just loved being able to do it all with their buddies.

The night wrapped up with a trip to the arcade where the boys got to spend money to play games and get tickets which bought them the tiniest trinkets you could ever imagine.  That's ok because they had a great time and came home with some great bracelets and other plastic treasures.

Then, it was back to the room for bedtime.  Well, we put the kiddos in their room to jump around noisily for a while and we broke out the wine!  Since we all love playing games we tried one that Mark had brought this time and had a great time playing with stops every once and a while to tell the kids to settle down or get quiet.  Finally, after midnight, with Anna sleeping in our room with the light on, we all settled down and got some rest.

The next day brought more fun at the waterpark.  We checked out of our room and headed down for a little more play before we had to go home.  It was more of the same and more fun for everyone.  When we hopped in the car to go home everyone was happily tired.  The big boys managed to watch movies the whole way home, but the little ones passed out and got some much needed rest.

It was a great weekend, and boy do we miss these guys now!

(our pre-lodge meal)

(Love this picture of our little wolves!)

(Please Mom and Dad, can we go in?)

(Evan aims and fires!)

(a silly break with my big boy)

(Benny has a ball on the teeter totter.)

(Monkeys!)