I am now the mother of a first grader . . .

And, frankly, I don't care for it one little bit.


But, apparently, Claire couldn't care less about my sentiment because she is bound and determined to keep growing up whether I like it or not - which I don't, just in case you were unclear.


She had a great, great year, great class, great students, and really wonderful teachers.


She was excited to start her summer and was very excited on that final happy day of Kindergarten.



<----First Day







Last Day -------->

That morning - Thursday - her school held the annual Awards Ceremony for students. Claire was grouped in with all the other kindergarteners, first and second graders in the school.

She was recognized for completing her reading homework all year long.

She was also called up and recognized for her work in math that year. The school was involved in a computer-based program this year, and Claire, along with 2 other boys in her class were the ONLY kindergarters in the entire school to receive recognition for their excellence in the program. To say we are proud of her is a sorry understatement. I felt like my heart was going to come flying out of my chest. I was so happy for her.

See her? She just to the left of the teacher and has scary demon-eyes!

She's on the left of the bottom row. The two boys next to her were the other kindergarteners that was rewarded. The kids behind her are first graders and behind them are the second graders.

Claire's class did so well in this program, they were recognized as placing 17th in the ENTIRE state of North Carolina!!

Claire was also awarded an Excellence in Art certificate, along with quite a few of her fellow students.

She's in the second row from the bottom, second from the right.

We are all so proud of her, including her little brother who was tired of me taking pictures of his sister, so he asked me to take one of him.

I obliged and managed to also include capturing me telling him to "shush!"

On her way out of the auditorium.




Back in her classroom.

Her teacher gave her another award for reading over 300 books during the school year.

Showing off her awards.

Her teacher, Mrs. Boles

Teacher's Assistant, Mrs. Matthews.

She's excited to be a first grader, for sure, but apparently I'm not the only one who is sad to see time go by so quickly.

Someone's eyes were just a little wet when she got into the car that afternoon too.

Don't tell her I told you.

Wrapping Up Scouts

This Tuesday, Claire had her final Daisy Scout meeting of the year. The girls worked hard all year to learn the characteristics of the Girl Scout Law, and they were rewarded this meeting by earning 4 more Daisy Petal Patches.

Three of the other girls in her troop go to her school but are in different classes, and one little girl goes to a different school altogether. So, it was nice for Claire to make friends with people she wouldn't have otherwise. They all ended up very close.

Showing off her new patches for learning about being: Courageous and Strong; Responsible for What I Say and Do; Respectful of Authority; and Kind and Considerate.

Each Daisy meeting always ended with a circle where each girl would close her eyes and make a wish and then squeeze the hand of the girl next to her. When the wishes made a complete rotation, they would say, "Goodnight, Girl Scouts" and spin to face the outside of the circle while keeping their hands connected. Tonight's circle included 2 new girls who are planning to join the troop next year.

Claire really had a great time this year, and I'm happy about what she is learning and the friends she is making.

However, she is currently trying to decided between doing Daisy Scouts again next year or trying something new.

The two current options are soccer and karate.

Karate???!

Field Day (otherwise known as "exhaustion 101")

This Monday marked the first day of Claire's final week as a Kindergartner. And what better way to celebrate the occasion than . . . FIELD DAY!! (Actually, I can think of several ways to celebrate this occasion that would have been much less exhausting and far more celebratory, but I'm guessing a warm bath and a good book wouldn't have really "flown" with the kiddies.)


I remember looking forward to field day all year when I was in grade school. It was the highlight of the year for my competitive self. In fact, I can tell you that the very first year I participated in a field day was in the 4th grade. I was on the white team - which, as everyone knows, is bad news because the white team NEVER wins the competitions. Victory is ALWAYS reserved for the blue team who is every so often kicked out of first place by the red team. I mean, when you think of victory, do YOU think of white? Nope, me neither. The white team, as was the case that year, won 3rd.

So, I was actually looking forward to Claire's field day, ready to cheer her team on to victory. I was looking forward to it, that is, until I realized that standing for 2 hours in the blazing heat in the middle of a soccer field while trying to entertain a very bored, hot, and tired 3-year-old while attempting to snap memorable pictures of my daughter rates right up there with teeth drilling and bathtub scrubbing.


Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but I was absolutely exhausted by the end of the morning.

So, I think it only fair to exhaust you with an excessive amount of pictures.


Hooray for Field Day!!


The day included:

sack racing . . .

lining up for relays . . .

intense concentration . . .

log rolling . . .

hay bale jumping . . .

running . . .

kicking . . .

plunger torch bearing . . .

jump roping . . .

crazy dressing . . .

posing with best buddies . . .

ball chasing . . .

parachuting (with the help of one very excited little brother) . . .

toe fishing (yes, how disgusting is that??!)

big ball rolling . . .

little brother distracting . . .

hula hooping . . .

mom hugging . . .

And finally . . .

Finally . . .

Some relaxation.

I'm pooped all over again just thinking about it.

But, my girl had a blast, and that's all that matters.

Memorial Day Geocaching

Today, to spend some time together as a family, we decided to go Geocaching. I first read about this idea on a recent Triad Smarty Pants blog and thought it sounded like it would be fun.

What is Geocaching you ask? Well, geocaching (pronounced geocashing) is essentially a GPS guided "treasure hunt." Here's how the official geocaching website describes it:

"Geocaching is a high-tech treasure hunting game played throughout the world by
adventure seekers equipped with GPS devices. The basic idea is to locate hidden
containers, called geocaches, outdoors and then share your experiences online. "

All I did was to sign up for free on the official site, type in our zip code, and hundreds of geocache sites popped up. We just had to find one that looked easy enough for kids. Luckily, one cache was located in a near-by park.


So, off we went.
Daddy and Claire following the GPS coordinates.

Ben, huffing and puffing to keep up. He was not at all down with walking on the gravel path. The bits of gravel kept getting in his CROCS and that was NOT COOL with him.

WE FOUND IT!! It took a bit, but after Shawn figured out how to follow the coordinates, it led us straight to the base of this huge pine tree and underneath was the cache.

Another cool aspect of geocaching is that many of the caches are big enough to include little toys or trinkets left by others. The idea is to take something you want and leave something behind for the next seekers.

Here I am attempting to convince Claire that the beads were a MUCH nicer option than the dirty plastic Little Pony she wanted to take.

Me = 0 ; Plastic Pony = 1.

She left behind a plastic ring, and Ben left behind a miniature car in exchange for this:

Oh mommy, I always wanted a softball!

Huh, that's the first I've heard of this.


We re-hid the cache for the next seekers, and spent the rest of the morning together, walking the trails, and spying on some wildlife.

And since it was in a park, Shawn and the kids played on the playground while I got a few miles in on the running path.

We will definitely be trying this again in the future!

Strawberries!

We have a bit of a family tradition every May. An old MOPS friend and her family own a gorgeous strawberry farm just at the foot of Pilot Mountain. We made our annual trip up there last week, and came away with tons of strawberries.





This was on the car ride up. I sincerely hope they always love each other this much. Doubtful, but I'm still hoping.



Ben, will you grow up and pin your sister down only to drool saliva into her face?



No, he wouldn't dare because that's disgusting, and only big jerks do that to their sisters. Do you hear me Jesse, Seth, and Zach???! Do you?!


Ahem . . .

Ben, scoping the scene.

Claire, wasting no time filling her bucket. Check out the rain boots. They are perfect for picking in a muddy field.

Ben, why is your bucket empty?

Oh, this is why.

Caught ya!

Though I often feared that more berries were going into tummies instead of into buckets, we did finally manage to fill them up.

That's 4 gallons of berries, people!!

Why I think that 4 gallons of berries is a good amount to have is beyond me. Do you know how quickly rained soaked berries start to rot? I was in panic mode baking, freezing, and canning to get all those berries used up.

No doubt next year we will return and do the exact same thing. After all, everyone has to have his/her own bucket. It just wouldn't be fair otherwise.

And we wouldn't dare miss out on the happy, berry-stained faces that the day brings.