End of Year Awards

Oh, be still by heart! He may not be my shy and quiet little boy any more, but he is still smart!

 

 

 Today he was awarded academic excellence in math and science.

I Now Have Two Middle-Schoolers

Keagan and Mrs. Spence

 

 I might have been a little sad at Keagan's elementary school promotion ceremony today except that it was so blazing hot in the school gym it was all I could do to keep from passing out. I stayed focused long enough to hear his name announced, not once but twice! He was voted by his peers and teachers as the top class citizen. I'm so super proud that other students and teachers deem him role-model worthy.

After the ceremony, we took pictures with the classmates and the girlfriend. How cute is she?












This afternoon we celebrate another successful school year with ice cream! I think I might celebrate with a strong drink instead; I just realized that I now have two middle-schoolers! God be with me!

One Day Away From Summer

Today was the last full day of the school year. Evan had field day, and normally I would be sure that he spent the day persuading everyone the importance of winning. But since I'm not sure I really know my 13 year old any more, this may not be accurate.

Here's a picture I lifted from his IG account. Outside my own classroom filled with exclusively military dependents, I promise I've never seen a more diverse group of friends. This is the absolute best reason to love our middle school.

Keagan celebrated the last full day with fourth quarter awards. He met his reading goal this quarter, made honor roll, and got the music award for his fingering skills with the recorder. 

After school was the fifth grade celebration and party. Keagan can make friends with anyone and always seems to be meeting someone new. Today I met two of his new friends.

Last week he told me his lunch account was low because he was buying icecream every Wednesday for himself and a friend. He said he felt badly for the kid because on Fridays the school counselor always brought him a bag of food to eat on the weekends. He said, "It's not fair when everyone gets Hostess cupcakes and he doesn't, so I decided to make sure he got a dessert, too." He has a heart of gold, People.

I can almost see the day where I get to sleep in past 0500. Oh, how I've missed you, Summer!

I Don't Even Know You Any More

First, let me mention I had to stand on my tippy-toes to get this pic.

Next, the name of this pseudo-award system in language arts is The Duckie Awards. Ducks remind me of farms and nurseries, not advanced language. The hemisphere of my brain that tends to interpret everything in a very literal way is struggling with this. My brain says no when my heart wants to love a unique idea. 

Finally, it's like I don't even know you any more, Big E. You come home from school every day taller, changing before my eyes. Then, you get in trouble for talking when you barely say ten words on any given afternoon at the house. And today you leave language class with the microphone award for being the LOUDEST student in the class. Who are you any more? 

Be sure that your dad will remember this when he asks you to repeat something for the third time because you don't talk loud enough.

Another Winning Season

Keagan had seven games this weekend, and although his basketball team didn't make it to the semi-finals, his soccer team made it to the finals and won! Last weekend he had a much easier schedule, and Sunday evening, he was driving us crazy with all of his pent up energy. Tonight, though, he can't get off the couch. That's evidence he had a great weekend!

We spent many hours in the sun watching games, field marshaling, and eating ice cream. While watching another team play today, Keagan randomly said, "I really like that center ref - even if he gave me my first yellow card." I have no idea how he remembers who was reffing a game two years ago; I don't even remember the play. 

We said good-bye to one of our players and friends, and we celebrated the last tourney of the season with Kung-Fu pictures. Someone needs to point out what this has to do with soccer because it's lost on me.

As co-captain of the team, Keagan gave his end of year team speech congratulating the guys for a winning season!

Champions Five Times Over

Champions again! Last weekend this team qualified for nationals in the state AAU tourney. This weekend they played up and still won first! Icing on the cake was playing an older team from our town in the championship and beating them!

Evan had a rough start Saturday morning, but by Sunday evening he ended the final game with 8 points and 12 rebounds. 

He's now been home only a couple of hours and he's already outside shooting hoops. Truly, this kid doesn't know how to relax without a ball.

Soccer Saturday

Because it is almost summer and spring soccer season is about to come to a close.

 

Next year the team will look completely different. Here's to great friendships both on and off the field!

Art Fair

Another last...this time it was our last Art Fair. Keagan proudly stood next to his art and allowed me to snap a picture or two. However, Thursday nights are basketball nights, and in his mind, sports rank well above the arts. We compromised, and I agreed to let him skip the recorder concert if we could at least walk the halls to view the art on display. 

On a positive note, we have said good-bye to weekly spelling lists and nightly reading logs. The evenings are ours again! The countdown to summer vacation has officially begun!

Mother's Day

Keagan made me the sweetest card and wrote the most heart felt letter for Mother's Day. He's got a heart of gold!

On the inside he wrote, "I love you more than Maybelle." It was reassuring to know I land one step above the cat. 

Evan had nothing for me. He came down the stairs this morning, and said, "This is a no card holiday, Mom, as in no yellow card." After five yellow cards in two weeks of games, this was the perfect gift. He speaks my love language! He followed through, too, because he went through all of today's game without even a foul called on him. 

To top it off, his team went undefeated and won the weekend tournament. 

Happy Mother's Day!

Rain, Rain Go Away

It's raining and all of the practices got cancelled for this afternoon - even the indoor practice because the school gym's roof leaks. All of this rain means I have a couple of hours, the ultimate gift, to grocery shop, buy teacher gifts, and shop for Mother's Day. I'd never been more excited for extra time.

Until I got home, unpacked the groceries, and a full gallon of milk fell on the concrete and exploded all over the garage. I told Evan I would pay him $5 to clean it up. I suggested using buckets of water and a mop. He had other ideas. He pulled out the leaf blower and tried to blow the milk into the yard. That was until the leaf blower ran out of gas. He tried to refill the tank and the garage took on a distinct smell of gas and oil. After searching high and low for fuel, carefully spilling gas everywhere, and trying to start it, the leaf blower still didn't turn on. So now I had a garage covered in milk and smelling of gasoline. 

I was left asking myself why it had to rain. 

It's All Good

I got an email today from a teacher. And it was not good news. Evan got in trouble in class for excessive talking and because this same teacher has referred to him as Ethan for almost half of the year, I had to wonder if she had the right kid. Here's why. My kid? He answers every question with the one syllable "good." My boy? He says fewer than ten words per day at home. My guy? He has never been in trouble before, except for the broken spoon in first grade. So I had to ask him about it, and he said, "Yeah, I got moved."  And that was that. He had used up his word allotment for the day in language class and had no more for me. 

Soccer in the Scenic City

Someone needed their soccer fix and drove ten hours to Chattanooga to see the boys play in this weekend's tournament. Keagan's team played in the top division and lost only to the number one team in the state. 

They left the tournament as finalists. Keagan's highlight of the weekend was scoring the game winning goal in the semi-final game just seconds before time ran out. 

Evan's team tied, lost and won, but the highlight of his weekend was scoring a goal while playing defense and (observing some of the worst reffs known to mankind.) 

Our fun on the road, soccer filled weekends are making us memories, wonderful memories!