No longer a Kinder...

Today was Mayah's last day of Kindergarten. It's really weird for me to think that I have a first grader now. I think this stage is more of a shock for me than Kindergarten was because when she was going to K this fall it was only 1/2 day and she still seemed like my little baby, but now she'll be gone all day long and entering the real world of elementary school. This year flew by way to fast...I mean, I might as well pack her bags and send her off to college at this rate!! Sniff, sniff. All I know is that I'm going to really enjoy having her around all day to hang out this summer vacation so I can get my Mayah fix before I have to send her off to school again in the fall! **I also have to give a little background story about her school pictures shown here...I had just delivered Ava and was still in the hospital for picture day, I gave Jason specific instructions about her outfit and hair (because I am anal). I also reminded him that he needed to make sure that she brushed her teeth in the morning so her teeth wouldn't be yellow for the picture. So the morning of the pictures he brought her by to the hospital for an okay from mom...well, lets just say he at least got the outfit right! I had asked him to keep her hair down and blow dry it so it was really straight (I love her hair and love it when it's down), but he came back with this slick-rick look. And you might notice her smile looks a bit "off" in the picture too. Well, daddy forgot to remind her to brush her teeth so she was really self conscious about her teeth being yellow so she was trying to cover her top teeth with her top lip so you wouldn't see it in her picture. Although we don't have the picture I imagined, we at least have this story to go with it :-)

For their last day they had a field day where they set up little stations with activities at them. Some of them were a water balloon toss (you should have seen the look on Mayah's face when her partner dropped the balloon on the first toss!!), face painting, sponge races, dance party, hula dancing and limbo. They ended the day with a pizza party...fun, fun, fun!

After school I took Mayah to Borders to pick out some summer reading material...just a little treat to cheer her up...she was really sad that she wouldn't be seeing Miss L. and her friends for 2 and a half months. She ended up picking out some Magic Tree House books (her absolute favorites) and I actually managed to forgo buying anything for myself - shocker (I am a sucker for buying books). But I did manage to stop by the library right after and get a bunch of stuff for me :-)...I, of course, proceeded to let Jason know of my frugal move and the fact that I saved us at least a hundred bucks.

Mayah made some great friends this year and we're planning on keeping up with lots of play dates this summer so she's really looking forward to that part of her vacation. I assured her that we'd be super busy with all the swimming, beach trips, house guests, and any other childhood summer activity that her little heart desired so I know these couple of months will fly by way to fast for all of us!

Morgan, Nikki, Mayah, Kayla and Elina

Morgan, Nikki, Mayah

Mayah was loving this "station". They did hula dancing and limbo (or lumbo as she always calls it by accident). She is obsessed with limbo and is always trying to get me to do it with her at home with a jump rope...either that or she'll tie a jump rope to some door handles or something for a make shift limbo contest.

Mayah and her beloved Miss L.

Elina & Mayah

Balloon toss



**Warning the following might be extremely boring for everyone except grandparents and parents (unless you're a loyal Mayah fan, that is!!) I had to include the following journal entries from Mayah's kindergarten journal. She is really into writing her own stories and stapling them together, she also has a purple journal that she keeps under her pillow and writes in every night before she goes to bed. At her open house we were given a TON of books that documented the progression of her work...I am soooo thankful for that b/c I was trying to save bits and pieces of stuff throughout the year, but it's so much nicer to have it all in these cute little bound notebooks. So the following entries are from her first day of school and from sometime near the end of the school year. I was stunned by the difference, I guess I didn't realize how much she'd grown until I saw the two entries side by side.

First day (above pic translation...The first day of school was going well until Shrek was dancing. Hy trippet and fell. the casle was mess.)

End of the year (above pics translation...At my school if you don't follow the rules on the playground, you will move your numbr down. You can also go to the principals office. You would be in big trobl! the teacher will be mad at you. I have nevr wanted to be in trobll. They would call your parints. On the secint day you would mic reses. I would hate to miss reesus.

The above entries are solely for your enjoyment Grammy!! I was laughing so hard when I saw that she wrote about this little incident...do you remember?? Man, that huge umbrella was so worth it though!! Here's the translation... Special Relative. My Grama is special to me because she like miky mows. She also macks the best chicen soop. One time she got stuck up in the car she laffd so hard that she almost fell over.

The above entry is from about mid year. Each week they would do "weekend news" and write about what they did over the weekend. (translation...Over the weekend I went on a bik ride. My bruther and baby sisder sat in the traler. I ridid a tou weler. My mom and dad hav a bik. I also can get on by my self. Some times I fal down. I can rid my bik to skool. I can also go on tralse. When I slo down I pres my foot backwrd. Whene I get to cros the sckyt (street) I wakc my bik acras. Wene I gut home I'm tird.