Last Days of K, 4th & 7th

We all wrapped up our school years last week and are thrilled to be on Summer break.  

Let's do a little recap of the year for each of us.

Olive // 7th Grade

Olive worked so hard for straight As all year.  She has the sweetest friend group.  She advocated for herself.  She won awards, did some really cool projects, earned awards and great compliments from her teachers and managed the deadlines, workload of honors classes and fun so well.  We're so proud of her! 

Fletcher // 4th Grade

He worked hard, learned a ton of history, projects were his favorite, made some new friends, ended up on the honor roll, excelled at Chess club and is beyond excited for Summer.  His favorite things are all outside of the classroom - fishing, traveling, trying new foods, making new foods and researching the best fishing tips.  We're so proud of him!

Leo // Kindergarten

Leo had an awesome year of kindergarten!  He finished the year with top scores, has become a great reader and writer, lost a lot of teeth, loves to do so many things on his own, is a great artist and has some good buddies.  It was so fun to be in kindergarten together this year.  We're so proud of him!

Whitney & Kevin // Ready for Summer!

I finished another fun year of kindergarten.  My new assistant was wonderful and I can't wait to work with her again next year.  We navigated lots of challenging things in our room this year and loved working together.  A favorite part of my job will always be going to school with my boys.

Kevin hit some exciting milestones at work, is waiting on some big news for his program and is welcoming his fourth group of graduate students into his program this Fall.  Exciting things ahead!

Hooray for Summer break!

First Week of School Recap

Whew!  The first few days of school wore us out!  My alarm clock goes off at 5:30am every school morning and my day goes full speed until bedtime most days.  I'm working hard to get to know 22 kids and their families and lots of new things at school.  It has been a huge blessing to me to see my kindergarten kids from last year in first grade.  They make me feel like a celebrity with hugs, waves and big smiles in the halls.  The start of year 2 has me feeling more confident and more settled than year one.  I'm thankful to have made all the connections I did last year so that this year wouldn't feel so new.  Overall, we had a great first week and tried hard to rest this weekend so that we could handle five full days this week.

Leo and I had the best first days.  It is SO fun to have recess and lunch together plus see each other a lot throughout the day.  My class is cute.  I've got a few big personalities to learn and am making some changes this week to make everything go smoother.

Olive is off to 7th grade and she loves junior high.  So many friends.  So many teachers.  She has lunch with her besties and sees them throughout the day.  Her daily schedule is highlighted and her routes to classes are filled with friends from elementary school and volleyball.  The newfound independence that comes with junior high is exciting - gum, no assigned seats, option to eat lunch inside or outside and being in charge of lots of things - are perfect for her.  She's feeling confident and so excited for the year.  Her BFF Mr. Mittens was sad to send her back to school.

Fourth grade Fletcher.  He's getting the nicest compliments from his teachers.  He's working hard to make some new friends and keep his same friends from last year.  And I love seeing him at school.  He's so happy to not be the new kid this year and he has his own celebrity status around our building since my current and former kindergarten kids love him!

Kindergarten Leo.  He's working hard and has the funniest stories to tell me at the end of the day.  His teacher is one of my best school friends so that is really fun for both of us.  He has PreK friends in his class and in my class.  Being called Leo's mom by my own students has been a treat!  I love getting to know the kids in his grade.

Overall, we're adjusting and doing well with our new routines.  I'm packing 20 lunches and 20 snacks each week.  Thank heavens for grocery delivery.  I'm laying everything out the night before.  Sharing drop off and pick up routines with Kevin and we're doing it!  We're excited to see what this new school year has in store for our family.  Kevin's college schedule doesn't start until the end of August which means that he's been able to be extra helpful during our busiest time of the year.

Wishing you all a wonderful school year ahead!

Back to School Feels

I have all the feels about going back to school today.  It's the first day ever when all the kids + me return to school on the same day.  A family milestone.  I think the kids are feeling all the feelings, too.  They are excited to see their friends every day, a little nervous about all the new and a little sad about early bedtimes and early wake ups.

We're all navigating new pick up times, new routines, new teachers and new schools. 

3 different grade levels.

2 different schools and school systems.

2 different school calendars.

And 12 different teachers.

20 packed lunches a week.

And more!

I'm so thankful to be returning to kindergarten.  Year 2 feels a lot better than Year 1. I feel more confident.  I love knowing lots of families, have made lots of teacher friends and am no longer a "newb" as my kids say.  I'm hoping my students from last year will come see me.  I know I can't wait to see their cute first grade faces in the hall.  We have a lot of new things happening at school this year.  I'm just thankful that I've got a year under my belt and I'm not new.

We're sad to say goodbye to Summer.  It was a really good one.  But I'm confident that we spent every moment together relaxing, playing, enjoying Summer break to the max.  I am very thankful that my career and schedule lines up so well with my kids.  We love our Summer breaks together and I love that our daily schedules are in sync.

Wishing my family and your family the very best school years!

I'll be back soon - hopefully Friday - with a round of up our first week of school favorites!

School Day in the Life: PreK, K, 3rd and 6th

We juggled a lot this year!  We all had to make changes to our routines and schedules and day to day life to make life work with two working parents.  Many of you know the juggling and scheduling required!  I wanted to document a school day in our life with us at three different schools mostly so I could remember what life was like my first year back to teaching.

A PBJ for me on the days when I just couldn't handle packing one more lunch or fixing one more meal.

5:45am My alarm goes off.  This is easily the worst part of going back to work :)  My night owl tendencies struggled to adjust to this early morning wake up call.  Time for me to get ready.

6:00am Fletcher's alarm goes off and he's ready to tackle the day.  He gets ready fast and is downstairs quick every day.  No wake up call necessary.

6:15am I'm done getting ready for the day.  Time to start breakfast for everyone - usually oatmeal - then wake up the house by opening curtains and turning on lights.  Fill 8 water bottles and assemble 4 lunch boxes.

6:30am Wake up Leo.  He is not a fan of any wake up plan.  Mornings were easier on the days he woke up on his own.  That only happened about half the time.  We all eat, the kids have some screen time and then we get ready to leave for the day.

6:50am Wake up Olive.  She prefers a mom wake up vs an alarm.  We said goodbye to her and to Kevin and we headed to school.

7:20am I eat a protein bar in the car and chat with the boys.  We arrive at school with the boys.  Drop off Leo to before school care to play with his buddies and head into school with Fletcher.  Turn on lamps, lights, log into all the things and be ready to greet my students at the door.

7:30am School starts!  Fletcher helps out in my classroom for a few minutes, chat with my students and then heads to his class.

7:30-3:05 TEACH non stop.  I did everything from morning meeting, read alouds, phonics and check class work.  Then my kids go to specials and I plan.  I tried to get as much work as possible done during my plan, my recess breaks and my lunch every single day.  We're lucky to have two recesses and a full time assistant to keep life in K running smoothly.  Then I handle dismissal for my class and walk to pick up Fletcher at his class.

3:10pm Close down my classroom for the day.  I'd wrap up and tidy up all the things.  Fletcher would pass out morning work for the following day, put up the question of the day and eat a little snack.  Once my room and desk were all clean, we'd head out.

3:30pm Pick up Leo.  We'd walk in and grab him from after care.

4:00pm We got home to Olive!  Some days we were early enough to meet her at the bus stop, some days Kevin met her at the bus stop and other days she handled drop off on her own.  Every day was different.  That was true for most things in our life.

4:15pm Smoothie and snacks for everyone!  I'd grab an iced coffee for myself and catch up on socials, emails and any last minute work things that needed attention before tomorrow.

4:45pm Prep dinner, work on homework, let the kids play

5:30pm Dinner time.  We eat dinner together most every night.

6:00pm Clean up dinner, pack 4 lunches for the following day and tidy up the downstairs.  More time for the kids to play upstairs, outside or with friends.

7:00pm Hit the showers, finish the homework, watch a show and relax.

7:30pm A little snack for everyone before bed.

7:45pm Start bedtime routine!  Bible with Kevin.  Snuggles with mom.

8:30/9pm Kevin and I hang out and chat about our days.  Finish all the things that didn't get done earlier - dry dishes, pack snacks in backpacks for 3 kids, lay out backpacks and every single thing we need to walk out the door in the morning.  Each kid gets a pile.  Shoes, backpacks, jackets, homework, important items, etc.  Different pile of lunch boxes and water bottles on the counter so that I can fill them in the morning.  Sometimes the kids help with laying everything out and sometimes I do it all after they go to bed.

Kevin heads to bed.  I work on blog things and enjoy the quiet house for a minute.  The house gets picked up and cleaned up every night before bed.  The kids help with their stuff and their zones.

11pm-ish I head to bed.  Always wishing it was earlier, but that never happens.  5:45am always came too early.  

We did it!  We all learned to do new things and new skills this year.  Yay for us :)

Last Week of School Favorites

The last week of school was BUSY.  We all had events and we all finished on different days.  We packed in the fun and the memories.

My last day of kindergarten was also my 10th year of teaching milestone.  I learned to love kindergarten!  It's the sweetest age, the kids come in ready to learn and I'm so happy to be there.  I can't wait to not be a newbie teacher next year.

Last day of 6th grade.  She's ready to be done, but feeling sad to wrap up her elementary school years.

Last day of 3rd and thrilled for Summer.

Fletch won the friendliest friend award which felt like a big deal when you changed schools and had to make all new friends this year.  He's a sweet guy!

He had a great teacher this year!

Honor roll, Tech award and friend award.  Go Fletch!

Leo's PreK teachers surprised us with graduation pictures of the kids.  He looks so grown up!

Last day of school and ready for lots of home days!

Since all of our schedules were different, I was able to volunteer at Olive's school on her last day.  I helped serve pizza and worked a game station.  It was so fun to see her with her friends.

My favorite 6th grader!

The school planned tons of fun things for their last days.

I got some sweet end of the year gifts and gift cards.

Leo had an end of the year program.  He knew all the words and the motions.  It was adorable.

Big year for both of us - me learning how to be a teacher/mom and him learning how to be in school full days.  It was a great year for both of us.  We are SO excited to go to kindergarten together next year!

So proud of Leo and how well he adjusted to going to school this year.  He learned so much!

Whew!  We needed this week to recover from last week!  We are all so excited for Summer :)

4 Field Days

We just wrapped up four fun field days and the weather mostly cooperated for all of them.

Olive's was first.  She was chosen as a volunteer for one whole day for the younger kid's field day and then had hers the next day.  She loved to help the little kids.  On her big day - It rained and poured and then the sun came out.  She participated in flippy cup, wheel barrow races and tug of war.  Her class brought home the big trophy and bragging rights.  Thankfully, Kevin could be there for her all day.

Besties since 3rd grade.

Field Day #2.  The rain stayed away and Fletcher had his first field day at ECS.  He had a great time with his buddies.  Kevin got to be there and watch him play.

My class got to go have field day with the preschool and look who I found!  Leo!  He was so proud to show me his field day shirt.  We were in different groups going through different stations, but it was so fun to bump into him throughout the afternoon.

The popsicle station was a BIG hit.

So much fun, but so exhausting.  I'm glad to have these fun days behind us.

Back to School 2024

The whole family is headed back to school this year!  Olive and Fletcher started back last Monday.  Leo and I went back on Wednesday and Kevin heads back soon.

6th grade Olive loves recess time where she can meet up with her friends from other classes.

3rd grade Fltcher says his teacher is probably his nicest teacher ever.

I'm so proud of these two.  They are navigating so many new things really well this year.  I'm thankful they are in the same school for one more year.

Kindergarten teacher mom.  I learned a lot this week.  The pacing of K is so different than 3rd grade.  I have better ideas and plans for week two.  I'm learning tons of new technology and hopefully soon enough I'll hit my kindergarten stride.

PreK Leo.  Day 1 was a struggle, but things turned around for him on day 2.  He's got a wonderful teacher and all of us cheering him on.  He is already learning lots in PreK.  He told me his teacher talks all day, he works so hard, he's making friends but has no clue what their name are and loves showing us the right way to line up.  

I underestimated the amount of scheduling and planning that it takes to have two full time working parents and five people to plan around.  I'm making more lists than ever before.  Kevin's helping out with all the things.  Last week went as smooth as possible because of all his help.  We're coordinating pick ups and drop offs.  My mom helped us last week.  My MIL dropped off dinner for us and Door Dash made dinner easy on us.  We're doing it.  One day at a time and a lot of praying and planning.

I look forward to commuting to and from school with this guy.  We were stopped at a stoplight :)  

My classroom is the happiest room.  I'm thankful to have an experienced assistant.  Thankful for the pretty bouquet of flowers Kevin delivered on Day 2 and thankful for the opporutnities that have come our way this year.

My kindergarten team has been wonderful!  They are so helpful and welcoming.  Love them!

Back to school week had plenty of high highs and low lows.  Tears and smiles.  Now it's in the books an we all have our first full week of school.  Whew!  We're learning a lot together this year and working as a family team to keep things running smoothly.  If you think of my family, will you pray that it's a wonderful year for all of us?!  We are all doing lots of new things!

5th Grade, 2nd Grade & Year 4 in Review

The kids wrapped up another great school year!

5th grade, 2nd grade and year 4 were good to us.

Olive was devastated to see 5th grade come to an end.  She had an amazing teacher that will forever be one of her favorites.  And some of her best friends were in her class.  She learned a ton.  Learned to advocate for herself and become more confident doing presentations.  She's so self motivated, organized and a Canva master.  She had 7 different jobs around the school.  And her proudest accomplishment was working so hard in math that she earned a spot in honors math for 6th grade.

Fletcher was thrilled to see 2nd grade end and say hello to Summer break!  He had a great year, but this guy loves to be home.  He learned a lot about fossils, started a fossil collection of his own, learned about pollinators, dinosaurs and more.  Math comes so easy for him.  He'd prefer to keep all of his school work short and sweet unless it's math or science time.  He made lots of good friends and is hoping Summer lasts forever.

Leo is loving being 4.  He stays up late.  Sleeps in late and snoozed through before school pictures.  He loves being my sidekick.  Making plans with his buddies and playing the days away.  He's a happy side kick as long as I keep the snacks flowing and do what he says.  Just kidding.  Kind of.  He knows exactly what he wants and usually can't be budged.  Cars, swinging, bike rides and playgrounds are his favorite.  He loves being the baby of the family and tells everyone that he's going to school soon.  He's headed for Pre-K this Fall.

Hooray for Summer break!