The Post That Wraps up the School Year

Dear Kiddos, 

This school year has literally flown right by! Nathan, you are about to enter 4th grade, Hannah, the 3rd grade and Hailey has one more year of pre-school before you start Kindergarten. 

Well, it's been over a month since I made my last post, so I'll try my best to remember all of these highlights. (A recent tailbone injury has forced me to rest a whole bunch and I'm happy to report that my brain is slightly less foggy. I guess it takes a tailbone injury to force me to slow down and rest.) 

Martial Arts

Hailey, you have been wanting to try martial arts for a long time. So on the last week of school, we decided to try it and you absolutely loved it! The joy that radiated from your face when you stepped into the dojo with Hannah's hand-me-down uniform was priceless. 

But then the moment you received your first white belt from Mr. Herman, that was even more adorable! 

The week before you two older kids had your belt test both of you received the never before seen (to me) honor of receiving 2 levels on your brown belts. I am so proud of you two! 

Last Day of School 

Hannah, your class threw an Oscars style party, complete with Oscar awards and ballroom dancing. You guys have been working hard the past 2 weeks learning different dance moves and I got to see you guys show them off during the party. I was very impressed and you guys did a great job. I know it was probably very awkward dancing with a....boy, but you pushed through that awkward feeling and tried to have fun. 

Hailey, you celebrated the last day of school twice since you are a part of 2 different classes at school. We finally found a vegan pizza that you actually will eat and you were able to eat pizza just like the other kids did for the party. 

Nathan, your class had a beach themed party. You guys had pizza, decorated shirts and played a few rounds of tunnel ball (once against the parents). 

Both of you big kids' teachers will be resigning this year. We have been so impressed with the teachers at our school so far and are sad to hear about the teachers leaving. Teaching in Texas is stressful and teachers definitely don't get the compensation that they deserve. 

Sunday School Wrap Up

Today we had a giant celebration for all of the families in the Bethany Kids program. We had sandwiches, but then a team came and hosted games for the kids to play and I even got a pie in the face. All the kids who wanted to participate got to join in on the action and it was such a great bang to end the school year. 

TP gun competition

The kids had to wrap their team leaders up with TP

Hannah got in the bubble and got to knock another kid down. 

Baseball 

Nathan had a great 1st spring season. Your team did very well during the season and ended up having a 9-4-1 record, but during playoffs, you guys lost your first 2 games and was out of the tournament pretty quickly. Nathan, your batting order improved over the season too. You started out last at #12 and by the last game, you were #6. You are always coming up with strategies (sometimes very crazy and conveluted) and have a goal to pitch next season. Can't wait to see where you go from here! 

He scored 2 runs this game! 

Dog Sitting

We dog sitted for a friend while they went to California. We figured dog sitting might be just enough to scratch our itch for having a family pet. We have another pup coming in a few weeks who will stay with us for a month. You kids are excited about being able to earn some money by helping out with the walking and the feeding. 

Other Miscellaneous Events

Nathan, your class has been working on a project that involves building kites. You guys worked so hard, only to have it be a windless day on the day of the festival. Nevertheless, all the kids were proudly pulling their kite along as they ran back and forth across the field. I'm surprised no one got clotheslined. 

Hailey, you are always comeing up with random creations. One morning you made a bunch of little pets with houses to boot! 

It's pretty fun to see your imagination come alive now that you are a bit older. I will often find you in saying a dialogue in your own little world. You tend to also play with the big kids better too! 

Hannah, you have picked up a new hobby: wool felting. I had passed on a felting kit that I received from a friend and you fell in love with the process. You declared that you wanted to spend some of your money on supplies, so I took you to a local felting store to pick out materials. You've made a bee on your own and I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with next! 

Dojo Picnic 

Every year our dojo hosts a giant party where families bring potluck items to share and there is an epic water battle at the end. This was our first year attending and it was a lot of fun. It was kind of nice to see all the other families ranging from kids who are just starting out to people who have their black belts. It really is a great community. 

So who knows what this summer will bring? We have a few plans, but much of it is very open. We will see. 

Excited to spend the summer break with you all! Until next post (which will likely happen in a week because we are expecting an exciting week ahead of us)! 

Love, 

Mommy