End of School 2018

We had a wonderful school year at our new school. The kids loved their teachers, made lots of friends and learned so much. What more could we ask for? 

I cannot believe how old Rowan looks right now compared to the beginning of the year. His face has slimmed out even more, he's wearing a size larger in shorts, and his teeth are (finally) growing in. Rowan went through two pairs of tennis shoes this school year, not because his feet grew, but because he destroyed them at recess. Rowan loves playing sports at recess. This was a huge help to him in making new friends. Whether it was soccer, football, kickball or any other sport, he had a great way to connect with other kids. Rowan excelled in all subjects this year. His grades were exactly what we would expect from him. Rowan's teacher Mrs. Baker was a huge blessing to Rowan. She really took the time to get to know each of her students strengths and weaknesses and really focus in on those. She did weekly Bible study during lunch with the boys and the girls separately. She had fun projects, ways to learn and she encouraged each child in their academic strengths. Mrs. Baker presented each student a character trait that they excel in and she totally nailed Rowan. I have to be honest, sometimes I think about how nice it would be not to have to make a monthly tuition payment but moments like this remind me that every penny is worth it. We ended fourth grade by laying our hands on the kiddos and praying over their summer and their transition into fifth grade.

Oh, Cruz Emerson. He is still as sweet as ever! He's grown several inches over the year. Cruz has also gone up a size in shorts. He managed to stretch his sneakers through the end of the year though the left one has a hole in the bottom! Cruz made several really good friends this year but he is a also a friend to everyone. It seems that everyone loves Cruz. He's just a sweet, likable kid. Cruz did great academically this year. His spelling and handwriting improved tremendously, he reads like a pro and is a whiz at math. Ms. Maher was so sweet and calm with the class this year and Cruz just adored her.  Ms. Maher was so encouraging to Cruz and super sensitive to his insecurities. Cruz won the award for Extraordinary Thinker for thinking creatively and outside the box in all situations. We are so thankful for his wonderful second grade year. It is mind blowing to me that he's about to be a third grader! 

A photographer mom in Cruz's class took this sweet class photo. 

Our beautiful little girl has grown so much this year! She is in desperate need of a hair chop but she really wanted to see how much it grew this school year before we do! She's taller and her hair is longer but I have seen so much growth in the way she treats her friends. She has been a positive leader in her Pre-K class this year. She knows all her letters and sounds, she can count super high, she has a bunch of Bible verses hidden in her little heart. Cora has begun reading books! She loves to write, draw and make cards for the people she loves. We are so proud of the little girl she's growing into. She is more than ready for Kindergarten, even if her mama is not! I am so thankful for her sweet, soft spoken teacher Ms Joni, who saw Cora's strengths and really worked to bring them out. She helped Cora to be a positive leader this year and she most definitely inspired a greater love for Jesus in Cora's little heart. 

Cora's Pre-K Graduation

Baby girl graduated from Pre-K this week. Our last baby is headed to elementary school! I cannot even believe it. I was so incredibly thankful to have this bonus year with Cora. Since she missed the school cut off date just a bit, we decided not to push her ahead and give her the gift of being one of the oldest kids in her class. This year provided her with time to flourish both academically and socially, it gave her the opportunity to enjoy both dance and gymnastics in the mornings without having to drag her brothers along and it gave Cora and me some super special memories. 

Cora's class sang a bunch of songs, shared some prayers and Scripture they had memorized through out the year. 

Ms. Joni called each student up one by one to talk about them. She said that Cora is an enthusiastic learner who always has her hand raised. She is loved and adored by her peers. Ms. Joni also noted Cora's leadership qualities. I pray that she grows into a leader of all good things. I pray that she is a servant hearted leader who above all, leads other closer to Christ.

Cora is a lover. She was busy all year hugging both her teachers and friends. She would come home in the evenings and make pictures, cards and notes for her friends. The kids in the class made word webs to describe each other. Several of the qualities listed by Cora's peers were kind, confident and pretty. 

The four girls in Coco's class grew super close this year. They are all so different which I think helped them get along so well.

On to Kindergarten!!! 

We are so proud of the little girl you are growing into Cora! We can't wait to watch you shine for Jesus in Kindergarten! 

Wrapping Up

It's hard to believe the end of another school year is here. Its so bittersweet for me. I am beyond excited to have the kids home all summer but the end of school means they're one grade older. That's a little hard for me to take. Anyway, we have three and a half days of school left including Field Day, Pre-K Graduation and Blessing Parties so next week will be full of fun stuff. Here's what we've been up to so far this Spring. 

Lets Rock:

The Friday after we returned from Europe the boys had their Spring Musical at school. It was a fun production called Let's Rock filled with songs, dancing and Jesus! 

Coco was happy to watch her brothers alongside a bunch of her preschool friends.

Rowan is in the back on the left.

Cruz in the front on the right.

Baseball Wrap Up:

Baseball season is officially over. Both boys had great seasons. This handsome boy grew up so much this season. We saw a maturity in him on the field, his swing looks great, his hits are solid and he's found a natural position in catcher.

Rowan also hit his first in the park home run. He's hit a few before but they were only home runs because of fielder errors. This one was all the way to the fence all on its own. I feel like this season was a long time coming for Rowan. He gained a lot of confidence and passion.

Well, I got his home run at bat.... but I kind of let the camera fall because I was distracted so you can't actually see the hit.

I got him again rounding to home! This hit got Rowan an RBI and bumped his team into the lead. They ended up losing the game but Rowan was really proud. 

Just a few catches in their first play off game. Rowan usually catches for their #1 pitcher Christian. 

Cruz has had a fantastic season as well. He only had one strike out during his entire season at bat. His coach has him playing third base because of his killer arm. Our little Cruz can throw a mean ball from third base to first base.

Super serious.

4th Grade Wax Museum:

The fourth graders each chose a famous person from history. They completed a display poster and a short presentation. They were required to dress as their person. On the day of the museum, all of the fourth graders lined up in the gym with their posters. Each poster had a sticker on it that said "push." Parents and students walked around the gym and would push the sticker on each child's poster. When they did that, the child came to life as their character and gave a short speech about their life. It was so much fun! Rowan chose Christopher Columbus.

I happened to be there the same time as Cruz's class so it was fun to see him!

Lucky Ladd's Farm:

I got to join Cora's class on their last field to Lucky Ladd's Farm.

It was such a fun time!! Cora only has three other girls in her class this year and they've all gotten to be the best of friends. Her especially close friend Claire is the one she's hugging. 

Celebrations:

We celebrated Roger's birthday and Mother's Day last weekend. Roger's actual birthday (Tuesday) consisted of baseball so we ended up celebrating on Friday night with his favorite dessert (warm cookies with vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup) and some special gifts/cards. Rog and I got out for a date night on Saturday to one of our favorite Franklin restaurants called Cork and Cow.

My Mother's Day was perfect. The kids made me beautiful gifts, Roger got me a gorgeous lavender plant that we are going to plant in the backyard this weekend and we spent the day at church and playing outside enjoying the beautiful weather.

Cruz's Bible:

Misc. Spring:

The pool is warm(ish) and the kids have already logged several hours of play time. I am so looking forward to being out there all summer long.

The kids were so excited when a couple of hot air balloons landed in our neighborhood the other night.

Apparently this is a common occurrence in our neighborhood. I guess since we're down in a valley, sometimes the air is hard to navigate and for safety, they have to bring the balloon down.

Rowan giving Cruz some baseball pointers.

A little rain didn't stop this bunch from having fun! 

Coco reads "Mat":

Cora is starting to really enjoy reading! She successfully read the first series of Bob books. Here she is reading Mat, which was also one of the first books her brothers read.

Coco Two Wheeler: 

Cruz got a new bike for his birthday so his old two wheeler was just sitting in the garage. One day, Coco just picked it up and started riding. So proud of her!