End of School

 We made it! "The days seemed to drag on this year but when you look back on it, it went so quick." Wise words from Rowan. :)

 

Rowan:

Sophomore year was a good year. Rowan went to his first homecoming dance, became a lot more social, took his first AP class and just had an all around fun year. Chemistry was a breeze for Rowan, AP World History was his biggest challenge. He finished his years of required Spanish and is thrilled to be done with that. Rowan is becoming quite the driver and spent many hours taking us back and forth to school this year. Hard to believe that next school year he'll be able to drive on his own. Rowan will take the SAT this summer as well and enjoy his last "childhood" summer (his words) before work and his future take over. 

Cruz: 

It's always hard to imagine being ready for a milestone but somehow, by the time you get there, you are ready. Cruz had a great eighth grade year full of lots of learning and growth. He earned his first high school credit in Spanish I and will be officially starting high school with a unweighted 4.0 GPA. I wrote more about Cruz in his 8th grade graduation post. 

Cruz was award the Blazer award for Flag Football. This award encompasses athletic talent, leadership and just being a good teammate. 

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Cruz also passed the 8th Grade PE challenge. In order to receive this award, the kids must do the following: run the mile in under 7:15, 54 sit-ups in a minute, 42 continuous pushups, broad jump 7 feet, shuttle run in under 9 seconds, 8 pull-ups and do the 40 yard dash in under 5 seconds. Cruz was determined to get this award this year.

Coach Bo is leaving next year and we will truly miss him. He was Cruz's favorite teacher. 

Coco: 

I pretty much summed up her year in her graduation post as well but she had a fabulous fifth grade experience. Her heart for her friends is truly admirable- she is a friend to all. She is tall and she carries that well. She is confident. She worked so hard academically this year and did so well. The most important thing about that though was that she was proud of herself.  Like Cruz, she is more than ready for this next milestone. 

The fifth grade had a picnic the day before graduation. They all wore their special Jesus Way shirts and signed each others. Such a special way to end the year. 

 

Bring on summer! It will be busy with travel, basketball, baseball, dance and appointments, we will be deliberate about slowing down and cherishing the slow days together. 

Cora's 5th Grade Graduation

Happy 5th Grade Graduation, precious girl! There are no more elementary schoolers in the Baum house. We are officially Middle and High School only! Crazy! 

Row had a tough Math final and was unable to make Cora's graduation but sweet Cruz finished his Spanish final with enough time to pop in and support his sis. 

Grammy and Grampy were in attendance.

It was SO sweet of Deona to drive up to see Cora. Thank you for the card and gift although I guess I didn't get a picture! 

Receiving awards for Patience, Honor Roll and Safety Patrol 

Some years you get a teacher who is just what you needed. This year was that for Cora with Mrs. Boehm

"Jesus Way" 

Coco and Hadley

Piper, Maya and Lawson 

Thank you, Grammy and Grammy

Every year since Kindergarten, I have had Cora's teachers write in the book "Oh, The Places You'll Go." They wrote many sweet things about Cora but her friendship and leadership qualities were mentioned by almost every teacher. It was so fun for Cora to read those today. 

Wise owl with our wise girl. 

Graduation cupcakes for our graduating kiddos! 

Coco-

We are so so proud of you. We have watched you grow from a Kindergartner who struggled to be a friend to a 5th grader who is a loyal, compassionate, kind friend. That fact is noticed by teachers and classmates alike. We are so proud of your love for others and your love for Jesus. Your sassy spirit keeps us on our toes and adds a little spice to our lives! You are more than ready for Middle School sweet Coco! We can't wait to watch and cheer you on every step of the way.

-Mom and Dad 

Cruz's 8th Grade Graduation

My precious baby Cruzy has graduated from 8th grade and is off to High School in the fall! 

 

Slide show baby photo! 

Ready to graduate! 

We met up with Linda, Grandpa (missed you Deona) and Grammy and Grampy at Outback for dinner before graduation.

Thank you Grandpa and Deona!

Thank you, Linda! 

Thank you, Grammy and Grammy 

 

Grandma brought a gift when she visited last week! Thank you, Grandma! 

 

Sweet brothers. Cruz would do absolutely anything for his big bro. 

 

 

Our sweet boy received the award for Loyalty which is absolutely perfect. Cruz is such a loyal friend, a loyal son and a loyal Christian. He is not easily swayed and he stands up for and defends those he loves. 

Cruz- 

Thankfully your middle school years were not as tumultuous as they could have been. You started out as a brand new 6th grader at Sarasota Christian School. You had so many fun accomplishments and adventures from class president in 6th grade to basketball MVP to team captain in 8th grade. You learned a lot, made the honor roll and made new friends. The most important growth I saw in you through middle school though was the way you grew in your faith. I saw you stand up for what you believe and share it with others when they questioned. I saw you speak up for what's right, including for classmates, who were being teased. I saw you recognize that certain friends were not true friends at all and watched you walk away. You have a kind heart and a bright light, Cruzy Bear and this world needs more people like you. We love you and are so proud of you.

-Mom and Dad 

Most of May

May has been a whirlwind so far and it is not over yet!! 

Elementary Chapel:

The fifth graders led chapel for the last time as elementary schoolers. They sang the song "Jesus Way" by Phil Wickham and it was beautiful. I don't think there was a dry eye in the room. They are singing it again at 5th grade graduation so I will post a video after that. 

 

Cora got to share a Bible verse. 

Cora and Maya

ID Dance Competition: 

Our final dance competition of the season was ID Dance in Tampa. The very best part was that Haven, Cora's school bestie, was also competing with her studio. We got to share a hotel room and spend the weekend cheering each other on. 

Cora and Havey took a hip hop class before the competition started. Cora was awarded a hip hop scholarship based on her performance in that. 

Saturday was the first day of competition and both girls had some dances. 

Cora's Junior Production, Magic of Hogwarts, pretty much cleaned up and won every award. 

Saturday evening was Junior solo time. Coco was fierce and ready to go. 

Cora placed 7th overall for her lyrical solo, Invincible. Her teammate Molly placed 6th with her tap dance. 

Cora also received the Artistic Execution award for her jazz solo, "Like This Like That"

She received High Platinum adjudications on both solos too. It was a successful weekend for Coco solo wise. She has worked SO hard this season and I'm so proud of her. 

 

Cora's team dances all did well too! 

National Honor Society: 

The boys missed their induction ceremonies while we were at Meet in the Middle but both are official Honor Society members. 

National Honor Society 

This year was our school's first year having a Junior National Honor Society. Cruz was able to be inducted though as he's moving out of middle school, will no longer be a member. 

Elementary Choir Concert: 

Cora's final elementary concert was themed "Songs from Around the World." The kids dressed up in clothing from various cultures. Cora got one final use out of the dress she chose while we were visiting Dubai. 

 

Roger is 41: 

Portillo's, Key Lime Pie and silly cards from the kids sums up Roger's celebration. 

Mother's Day: 

These preteen/teen years are not for the faint of heart but I am truly thankful for the gift of these three. I love being their mama more than anything in the world. 

Athletic Awards Banquet: 

Rowan received a Scholar Athlete Award and a Pin for his Varsity Letter. 

Safety Patrol Field Trip:

Mrs. Kinsch took her Safety Patrol kids to Sun N Fun for a morning of swimming, water slides and celebration. The kids had the best time and an even better year being Patrols. 

End of 5th Grade Party: 

Some of the fifth grade moms wanted to plan a big bash for the entire 5th grade. We volunteered our house and yard as we have plenty of space. We had a water slide and a foam pit along with the pool, basketball hoop, ping pong and trampoline. The kids ate pizza, chips and drank way too many sodas. It was such a fun way to finish up 5th grade. 

Suncoast Basketball: 

Cruz's team couldn't quite pull off the win in the championship game but he was awarded the sportsmanship award at the end for being an incredible teammate and an incredible team player. There were ball hogs on the team but they were not our Cruzy. 

Grandma and Uncle Randy Visit: 

We finished up a fun but busy visit with Grandma and Uncle Randy. Roger, Randy and Grandma had some fun time together antiquing and visiting St. Armands for shopping. We met up for meals and had a lot of fun playing games in the evening. We discovered how much fun RACKO is! We are so grateful that Grandma and Uncle Randy could squeeze in a visit although we missed Aunt Nicole, Emmett and Otto! 

We are on the our last week of school including graduations and more parties. I cannot believe how quickly this year has flown!