Bye, Kindergarten! Bye, Mr. M!

Today's was Fin's last day in her kindergarten class. It was also the last day with the wonderful teacher she has had for the past two years. He was so patient with her and with me, a fairly new mom trying to navigate the IEP landscape. He worked very hard to build Fin's trust. She was completely intimidated last school year when she first started in his class and I told her that I thought he might be part giraffe which helped a bit. I know she will miss him and I am betting he will miss her a little, too.

First Grade, Here She Comes!

Fin graduated from kindergarten today!

Nancy and I got to the school more than half an hour early to get a good seat. Think we got there in enough time?


The kids came bounding in...


and Fin's class was second on stage. She was a little nervous...


until the assistant teacher told them to smile. (Scary, isn't it?)


Surprise, surprise, she won an academic award! I could not believe it! She was one of three kids out of fifteen to win the math award. Wow! She did NOT get that from me. If this turns out to be her academic niche, I would be perfectly content. Math will get you far.


Then it was back to their seats and she could not have been more bored.


Until the girl sitting next to her moved and she had a boy to flirt with.


It was a great day. I cried all day long off and on starting with the drive to school and then I even cried in "How to Train Your Dragon", which I took her to see for a third time as a treat.

Kindergarten was hard. She spent two years chipping away at language and speech issues while the other kids passed her in reading skills which are all-important in school at this age. She also overcame so much socially. It was hard at first. The teachers didn't understand her, the kids didn't understand her. All of her friends from last year advanced to first grade without her and she had to make all new friends. If you had put me in that situation, I would have shut down. Instead, she opened up bit by bit. She became her charming, outgoing self with the people she knew. She made fast friends with her classmates. And the reading is coming, slowly but at a steady pace. Friday we were grocery shopping and she asked me if she could have honey. Honey? Then she pointed at the Honey Bunches of Oats box right at the word. Heck, yeah, my baby girl! You can have all of the honey you want!

I am nervous for next year. New teacher, the classes get remixed, and she will move to the big kids hall from the safe preK/K hall she has been in for the past three years. I think she has her confidence up now and she will be ok. She has unreal inner strength and you can't put a grade on that.

Long, Hot Summer Day

Today was packed full! First, there was Fin's end-of-school party at the park near their school. The kids at pizza and watermelon and they played in the playground. It was a near riot with two pre-school and four kindergarten classes together. That's almost 100 kids! I have no idea how teachers do it. I was ready to walk into traffic.


There was an almost grown bird who had fallen out of his nest way up in an oak. Somehow, I became the bird-guarding mom and spent most of the party saying, "Get away from the bird!" The little monsters couldn't remember that instruction for more than 15 seconds, so I said it over and over and over. Then, there was my daughter, who refused to leave the bird. She lectured him on how to fly...


He tried, which encouraged her.


So she gave him a big pep talk about how he was little now, but he would grow up to be a big bird, he just had to keep trying.


And, she let the other kids have it when they tried to crowd "her" bird.


She really is pretty sweet. To animals.

We left there and went to meet our friend Kim and her daughters Hannah and Noie. They were in town because Kim's husband had a conference. We took the girls to the Botanical Gardens and they had an absolute blast!

Fin being a zombie.


Beautiful Noie. She is such a sweetie and held my hand from the start. She knows how to win me over!


Hannah was fearless and danced through the big fountain from the start.


I think Fin was arresting Hannah. Noie was watching in case she needed to testify. Since they are sisters, who knows if it would be for the defense or the prosecution.


Our beautiful girls!



We were both exhausted and Fin was falling asleep as I tucked her in. What a great way to get worn out!

Wow, I MUST Be a Great Aunt...

Because I have some great nephews.

Tuesday, this boy graduated from high school.


OK, so he actually looks like this now.


And he's a cum laude and honor society grad. And he got a rainbow for his graduation. How many people can say that?

Sean has joined the National Guard and starts boot camp in the fall. We are so proud of him. He also loves rugby and he is good. He's a hooker. (How many aunts can utter that phrase with pride?)



His brother, Travis, graduates next year. He's pretty awesome, too. Since they are brothers, there is lots of this...


But, they also work together to rid the world of terrorists and save hostages.


I love them so much. And I can get all smooshy, gooshy like that because they are 1500 miles away and can't stop me.


Before my too short trip ended, Sean hit the carnival games at Dave and Buster's to win Fin a prize.



The first thing she said this morning when she woke up wasn't "Mommy's home!" but, "WOW! A DRAGON!" And he is waiting in the car for her to get out of school.


My sister and brother-in-law have two great boys. I can't thank them enough for making me a great aunt by giving me amazing nephews.

Three Years

There was a time before her. There were thirty-three years before her. Why do they seem like an old movie that I saw once? Fun, enjoyable, distant. After her, my life is in color.