Awards day!

OK, so I said I was going to go to bed, but I remembered one more thing that I wanted to share!
We're so proud of both E & N! Last week at school they had an awards ceremony. Every child in the school was awarded a certificate for a particular lifeskill (think patience, cooperation, citizenship, etc..) or area (like gym, music, spelling, etc..). Families were invited to attend these award ceremonies. So, I went on Tuesday with daycare children in tow and we watched as E got an award for library and for citizenship. Her teacher mentioned to us that she had a hard time selecting with award to give to E, because she felt she was worthy of all of them! In E's report card the teacher called E the "Mary Poppins" of the class, practically perfect in every way. We were so pleased with the entire school year and this was just an amazing finish! She was blessed with a fantastic teacher that we will miss very much next year! E enjoys reading chapter books and is trying to keep up with her older brother in spelling and math!

On Wednesday, the daycare children and I were back at the school for another awards ceremony. This time it was for N and the 1st graders. We watched as the class awards were handed out. It seemed a bit odd when N only got one certificate and the rest of his class got two per person. We could see a little bit of disapointment on his face, but he was a trooper. He kept a smile on his face and continued to applaud for his fellow classmates. Well, fast forward through 7 more 1st grade classes and at the end of the ceremony I had to slip out to go to E's class for her b-day celebration. Luckily, dh was still there to watch the finale and had video camera in hand! After I left apparently they announced some 'special awards'. Yep, leave it to me I just had to miss it! lol..

They had selected only 2 children from the class to receive an Academic Excellence award for all around acheivement. Those children were given a metal. N was one of the students to get the award!! We're so very proud if him! He continued to stay focused this year and always stayed on task. Even when things were a little 'boring' for him he still stuck with it and even made sure to help out his struggling classmates. His teacher continued to challenge him as they went along. We are consistently amazed at his abilities. What is even more inspiring is his humbleness and his compassion for others and desire to help them to be the best they can be.
His latest goal is to be in the national spelling bee some day! I can't wait to cheer him on! Seeing as how he aced all of his spelling tests this year, he is well on his way. His teacher doesn't give the typical 1st grade spelling tests either! She tried everything to come up with words that could trick him. We're looking forward to another school year with the same teacher for him. She is a looping teacher and will stay with the same class two years in a row. It is a fantastic program that really helps the children and teacher become bonded. She's able to establish each individual's learning ability and work with them accordingly. When they start back in the fall there won't be any first day nerves as they'll all be familiar and be ready to dive right into learning! I love, love, love this concept! We have several looping teachers in our school district and I truly hope it will be introduced in more schools every year!

C had a great year at preschool and is looking forward to another year there! He made some great friends and adores his teachers. We're very familiar with the preschool since it's the same place that N & E went for a few years before school started for them. It's our second home and we're so glad that we found it! All of my children have benefited from the academic and social opportunities that they offer. Each of the older two went on to kindergarten with several friends from preschool and that eased the transition greatly!

We can't wait to see what the next school year brings for all of our children. It's been a priviledge watching them develop into such wonderful people! What a true blessing from God all three of our children are to us!

Happy Birthday to my sweet girl!

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday my sweet diva girl, happy birthday to you! She's 6, how did that happen?

She was a quiet one in my belly, hardly kicked and rarely moved. I thought to myself, what a calm and easy baby! Well, that lasted for a short while! Once she figured out how to become mobile it was all over! She's been going non-stop ever since. This girl has more energy than anyone I know and has SOOO much to say about everything. I love listening to her tell stories, they're so dramatic and detailed.

When asked what she wanted for her birthday she said a scooter and an 'American Girl' doll. One of her wishes was granted today! She opened up her brand new doll and was so excited! She decided to name it Chelsea Abigail (though she has changed her mind at least 4 times today). We'll see what she comes up with in the morning! She was over the moon to see that there was also an extra outfit to put on the doll. It's all about the wardrobe you know!

Last weekend she had a ball at her friend party. We went to the local paint-your-own-pottery store and they all had such a great time! The pieces turned out so cute and they were all so proud! Today for her actual bday we took her to the park for a picnic and playtime and she chose homemade pizza for her dinner! Tomorrow we're heading out to IL to visit with family and celebrate her bday with them. I have a feeling her second wish will be granted at the family bday party, but shh... don't tell her!

Right now it is 12:21 AM here and I should be in bed resting up for the busy weekend ahead. But, instead I'm doing the 100th load of laundry so that we'll have something to wear on the trip! It's amazing how quickly this stuff adds up! Who wears all of this stuff anyways?

I'm off to fold yet another load of clothes. Hopefully the power will manage to stay on long enough for me to finish it! There are storms rolling through and I have a feeling they're getting mighty close!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my beautiful and sweet girl! You're now a kindergarten grad and the ripe old age of 6! We're so proud of you!