School's Out!

School's out!!! Our elementary school days are officially over. An end to an era. It's bittersweet and yet we are SO ready to move on!!

Annabel had to navigate her last week of school on crutches. Our 7 year running streak of walking to and from school EVERY day abruptly ended that Monday morning. (We had a pretty good run of it walking to/from school every single day for 7 years straight- rain and snow and all that! I'm darn proud of us! We joke we're going to have adopt a Kindergartner so we can keep up the walking, haha!) Her teacher let us arrive a little early so we could get Annabel settled in her class before the halls got crowded. Mrs. Matteson found a chair for Annabel, since she could no longer use the ball chairs that her class uses exclusively, and even a foot stool for her to keep her foot elevated and propped up for more comfort. We brought in a pillow for the stool to make it more comfortable. Annabel's teacher was SO supportive and we're so grateful for all of her help.

Monday was Field Day and Annabel still very much wanted to go with her class to each station. Some stations she could even do- like the shoe kick, instead of kicking she threw her shoe, and then someone had to go get it for her, but hey it worked! But mostly she just watched, sitting on the camp stool we took for her to use that day. She had some very helpful classmates who carried her stool for her and helped her all day. Annabel also got more signatures on her cast that day, too, as her classmates really wanted to join that fun. I got to help at Field Day, too- I was at the finish line at the 50 yard dash station. So fun to see all the kids come through and even visit with my daughter when it was her turn! I also had many teachers stop and ask me what happened to Annabel- I felt like I was a broken record all week whenever someone, teacher or parent, saw her and asked what happened. Everybody was thinking of her and hoping for fast recovery! It was nice to hear all the support and thoughts. 

Monday was also the day Annabel had to give a small presentation about Battle of the Books to the third grade class. She hobbled down to Mr. Damery's class and enjoyed sharing all about how Battle worked. I'm glad she could still do that! She had been looking forward to this. We also got a copy of the book list and Annabel was still keen to read all the books (even though Battle is only for 4th and 5th grade in our district). Lynne, my friend at the library, had even texted me (yes, we're on a texting basis! She's amazing!) to say the books were all on the shelf and of course when I told Annabel this, she immediately wanted to go to the library and check some of them out!! Nevermind that she'd just spent all day on her crutches outside at Field Day! She was tired but that didn't stop her. Plus, she was reading a ton because what else do you do when you have a broken ankle?! To the library we went. Lynne also wanted to sign Annabel's cast, which was so fun! Annabel grabbed a big pile of books and steadily worked through them all week long. 

Annabel also received her prize for completing the NFL (Never Finished Learning) Challenge. It's a trophy complete with her name and all! It's actually really nice and we're so proud of her hard work. She was so excited to bring this home and show us! Such a fun thing she'll treasure and always remember!

Tuesday was a big day for Daniel- he got a phone!! He was very happy to finally have a phone and immediately started putting contacts in it and making it his own. I'd planned on a phone for Daniel going into 8th grade all along, and wanted him have it in the summer so we could get some ground rules set and work on managing it together. And I wanted him to have it before school got out so he could round up his friends' phone numbers and all that. It's worked out very well so far this week and I know he's excited to be able to communicate with his friends and make plans. It was definitely time, despite my hesitations and reservations, which only speak to my personal feelings about tech use and not to Daniel at all because he's an AWESOME kid and has proved himself trustworthy and responsible. We will see how long we make Annabel wait now...but again I'm still not in any hurry. Eleven year olds don't need phones! Anyway, very exciting week for Daniel and I'm so glad we finally did this for him- like I said, it was time.

And then before we knew it, it was Friday!! The Last Day of School!! Daniel wore his "Please don't make me do stuff" t-shirt to school on the last day- very fun choice and so perfect!! I loved it! We of course took Annabel to school that morning and that meant I could grab a few last pictures of Annabel at school- in front of the elementary building and sitting at her desk in her classroom. It was fun to be able to get these last pictures of life as she knew it. It's a little odd to think that we'll never set foot in this building again. 

Annabel spent the day enjoying a special 5th grade breakfast with her friends, a couple assemblies, time to sign yearbooks, and more. And then it was time for the big Clap Out Celebration for the entire 5th grade!! They all walk through the whole school, in and out of every classroom, and then onto the blacktop all while teachers, students, and parents are clapping and cheering- it's a fun tradition and I'm so glad we could do it this year! I only cried a little bit. Annabel did fabulously on her crutches and her face lit up when she saw us...I was holding a Stitch Graduate Plush!!! Ben took a video of Annabel walking by, I waved Stitch around and took pictures and enjoyed the moment! Grandma Cheryl and Grandpa Gary came to clap and celebrate with us, too, which was wonderful. We took lots of pictures of Annabel with her friends and Annabel with her teacher and Annabel with her Stitch. 

Annabel was SO happy to be done with 5th grade, done with the elementary school, and is so VERY ready to move on to middle school! She is just beyond excited to move up and do more. Annabel was beaming! And we're so ready to see what adventures lie ahead for her, too. So proud of all her hard work thus far! Way to go, Annabel! Congratulations!

And there we have it- school is out and summer is here! Now all we have to do is get out of the cast and off the crutches!

Here are this week's many pictures!

Annabel is ready to go to school on crutches for the first time... Smart girl that she is- she wore her biking gloves to school every day so she wouldn't get blisters! (Her hands hurt so much by Sunday night, after just the little bit of walking with them that first day.) Such a good idea of Annabel's!

Field Day fun!!

Annabel got a special photo op with Rocky!

Rocky borrowed Annabel's crutches while she enjoyed her popsicle at Field Day!

Annabel's NFL Challenge Trophy!! Very cool!

More classmates and friends signed Annabel's class that Monday!

Even our friend at the library, Lynne, signed her cast, too!

We took a bunch of pictures of the signed cast again before our doctor appointment on Tuesday since we knew they'd take it off and re-bandage her ankle.

Tuesday was the big day for Daniel- he got his phone!!

I took this picture of Daniel for my contacts in my phone- isn't it just the best picture?!! I LOVE it!

Finally- it's the LAST day of school!!! 

Goodbye 7th Grade! Daniel wore his "Please don't make me do stuff" shirt to school- how perfect is that?!

Annabel proudly sported her new middle school spirit wear sweatshirt, which she LOVES and lives in these days! Goodbye 5th Grade!!!

All done at this school!!

And look at this blast from the past!! (Aug 2015) This was the year Daniel went into 1st grade, the year we moved in to this house. So cute! And so young! Oh my heart!!

One last picture of Annabel in her classroom! It was nice to arrive early before everybody else.

CLAP OUT!!!! HOORAY!!! Way to go, Annabel!!

Annabel and Mrs. Matteson, her wonderful teacher!

Annabel and the cutest Stitch Graduate!!! Such a fun find! As soon as I saw him online, I added him to my cart! And oh it was hard to keep that a secret!! Annabel LOVES him! Isn't she darling?! Can you believe she's going to middle school next year?!

Pictures with friends! (Aggie, Mia, Taylor, Annabel, Elizabeth, and Zeynep, with Briella in front)

Two best friends!! Again- wild to think of these girls at middle school!

More pics with friends! (Aggie, Elizabeth, Annabel, and Laila)

Grandma Mary Kay saw Annabel on Facebook on the school district's post featuring our school's clap out! How fun!

 

 Look at this sweet message her teacher wrote in her yearbook...now this made me cry!!

We celebrated the 5th grade "graduate" with Lou Malnati's pizza for dinner and a homemade cookie pizza, too!! Yum!!

And Shutterfly sent me this tearjerker picture...Daniel's last day of Kindergarten! Cue more tears! So sweet.

Now bring on middle school!!

Middle School Bound!!

I simply cannot believe it!

This little girl...

is middle school bound!!

Annabel's class got a mini field trip to the middle school for a quick tour, about two weeks ago, and her teacher took this fun picture and emailed it to the parents immediately! So sweet!

We also had a parent/child Orientation Night where we got to learn more about middle school curriculum, stop at various booths to learn about extra-curricular activities, intramurals, and even band, and tour the building together, too. Such a fun night. I was crying a tiny bit this night already! Here's Annabel with some of her friends, ready for the Orientation Night spiel.

And now we're in our last week of school, Annabel's middle school spirit wear finally arrived (she was SO excited to put it on!), and Annabel is counting down the days to the end of 5th grade and even to the day we learn her 6th grade schedule in August! Bring it on!!

Fractured!

This is how we started our last week of school unfortunately...Annabel has a fractured ankle from a trampoline accident at a family graduation party. Boo!! 

We left the party, with Daddy carrying our teary and hurting girl out to the car, and went to immediate care where an x-ray confirmed a salter fracture. We left Urgent Care a couple hours later just in time for Annabel to go to a party at a new friend's house- all her friends would be there, there would be food and movies and she was not deterred by her ankle one bit- she would not be left out of this. I literally texted the mom and said we're running a few minutes late but on our way from Urgent Care on crutches but we'll be there! And oh my goodness Annabel's friends were so helpful at the party and gave her all sorts of attention. They even signed her cast!! It's actually a half-cast with mostly bandage wrapping- but they didn't care, they still signed it! So fun! Annabel is such a good sport and has been so tough through all this. I'm proud of her. We just keep moving forward- that's all we can do with this new normal.

But still, we are navigating all the emotions of ending our year this way and starting our summer this way. Everything is on hold (I mean, we have all these active camps lined up!) or cancelled and it's so frustrating and disappointing. Annabel is already feeling the sting of being left out of things- no last Field Day for her, walking out on the last day of school on crutches, no recess fun, etc. She is half-casted and using crutches as the fracture is on her growth plate and she is to be non-weight-bearing, not to mention she's in a certain amount of pain. My poor baby!

It's ironic- I was SO careful to not get anybody sick for this week's last blast of school fun, but then this happened. At least she can go to school, but then again this is zero fun.

Here's hoping Annabel heals faster than the 6-8 weeks they say it can take!! Please cross all the fingers and wish on all the stars for us!!

Such fun friends!! So thankful for their good spirits and kindness!

Resting...lots of resting in our future. Lots of Gilmore Girls and movies and reading!!!

5th Grade Glimpses

We were finally allowed back in Annabel's school building to attend Open House in mid-May. 

Ben and I went during our assigned time slot (because the school wasn't that open, you know...) and Annabel showed us around her classroom. I had been in for parties most of the year (I was the photographer for Annabel's class, so I got to attend the winter and Valentine's parties), but we're pretty sure Ben hadn't set foot in the school in over two years. It was a quiet night in the classroom, very laid back, mostly just show and tell, which by 5th grade is pretty mellow anyway. (I was rather nostalgic for the early years when the kids were SO eager to show us just everything! Those were cute days. There was never enough time those years to see it all...) Annabel had projects to show us, some to bring home, and she showed us around the classroom. Daddy got to see Essie (the tortoise we hosted for Spring Break) in his normal classroom setting and that was fun. We also went down to Annabel's PI/Honors Math classroom and looked around in there, too, bringing more projects home. And then that was that- we were in and out in about 20 minutes altogether, a quick visit. Our last glimpse of Annabel's life in elementary school forever more. You bet I made sure to take pictures! This is all a little bittersweet for me, but we are definitely ready to move on, too!!

Enjoy the few pictures I took!

Here's Annabel and her teacher, Mrs. Matteson. They were well matched. Annabel loved her teacher and I did, too! I'm so glad she had Mrs. Matteson this year- it was a wonderful way to end elementary school! I'd known Angie for years from my work with SFCP and we were all thrilled Annabel was in her class- Angie really wanted Annabel, too. It was just a really great year for Annabel!

Annabel's desk with a pile of projects to take home!

Moon phases shown with Oreos! So fun!

Essie's classroom home! (Also shown- the kids' homemade sundials, though not Annabel's in this particular picture.)

Annabel was one of only two kids who finished the NFL Challenge for the year! (NFL= Never Finished Learning) She made it to the Hall of Fame and would receive some kind of prize at the end of the year for this hard work. Annabel was so proud. (Remember, this is the challenge Annabel started literally the second day of school and practically finished within the first week or two...she was all in with this project!!)

Classroom jobs they rotated through during the year. Mascot care was popular as was the one where you get to pick the wax melting scent of the day.

And that's where Annabel spent 5th grade this year! Such a good year!

Y Guides Spring Campout

The first weekend in May was another Y Guides camp out for Ben, Annabel, and Daniel! Only one night was offered this time for the camp out, but they were happy enough with that and all wanted to go. It was still a night out camping together and they were looking forward to it! Annabel was delighted that Aggie's family was going, too. It's always nice to have friends along.

They got very lucky with the weather. It was literally supposed to rain and storm all day all weekend...but they just had a quick downpour of rain after dinner, and were otherwise totally fine. (The same applied for me here back at home- I had a quick storm just before dinner and then another quick one after...mind you, a tornado warning was possible for me, but it never came- I just made sure to come home after my workshop that day instead of running more errands.)

Anyway, because the weather was nice enough to hold off until nighttime, they were able to do many activities during the day. A ropes course, archery, climbing wall, some whittling, and so on. It was a fun day for them. And then Sunday morning they had time to explore and even go canoeing before they headed home, too. The cabins were really nice, food was good, weather held out...it was a great weekend all around for them!

Enjoy the pictures! 

Here's the ropes course the girls did...

Archery fun!

Daniel took some time to whittle.

Climbing wall time for the girls.

I got this sweet picture in a text from Ben. :)

Cabin time while it rains...

The rain stopped and then they could do a little hiking...and they even found where the ice cream was!

My post-storm weird yellow sky back home...it was so very weird.

Sunday morning fun!

A canoe ride and a little time wandering the campgrounds. 

These lucky kids got to stop at A&W on the way home for lunch, too! They enjoyed their chance to grab root beer freezes!