Last Day of School

Here's a brief reminder of how our first day of school looked:

And here's the last. Watch Eve's face:

 Something made her mad . . .

  . . . then madder . . .

 . . . then Dad started pulling funny faces behind me . . .

 . . . and she cheered back up again.

This series of photos makes me miss that tall, handsome guy on the right in the first photo. One year ago, he opened his call. He's been gone almost eight months now.

It was a great year for these kids.

Lily had her last Friday of school ever--she made the decision to attend a different high school in the fall. It was a difficult decision for her--to walk away from cheer and friends--and I'm really proud that she followed her heart. She's a sophomore now? How can that be?

Evie had the same kindergarten teacher the little boys had, and my girl had a fantastic year. Ms. J taught Evie to follow rules, to be brave, and most important--to love learning. Eve constantly pretends she's a teacher, mimicking Ms. J's phrases as she shows storybooks to her pretend class. Thanks, Ms. J! We will miss you!

Hyrum's teacher had to say goodbye to her very first class when Hyrum walked out the door, and she was teary with mixed emotions. Miss R was fantastic. Oftentimes, first-year teachers need a few years to get their footing, but she came out of the gate ready and prepared. When Hyrum pulled his report card, there was a small scrapbook inside the envelope. Miss R had taken photos throughout the year and made scrapbooks for each of the 25 kids in her class. She was a great teacher for Hyrum, and I appreciated how she went out of her way to teach him on his level. Thanks, Miss R!

Micah skipped the other direction after school, and I was unable to get a shot of him with his teacher, Mrs. H. Micah had a great year. He learned how to do big projects on his own, learned to defend his own position (and lose with more grace than he has before--still working on that one), and remembered than learning stuff can be fun. I'm forever grateful he was in Mrs. H's class this year. Thanks, Mrs. H!

And that was it. Last day of school. I remembered how sad and shy Eve was that first day of kindergarten. That girl grew up this year. No more kindergartners in this house. It's a little sad.

And if you're looking for great neighbors, the house behind me is up for sale. I'll bring you chocolate chip cookies . . .