End of the School Year

Just days before the new school year starts, here I am blogging about the end of the last year.  Actually, it’s a personal victory—so glad to be catching up on the blog and our family pictures in general.  So, Ella wrapped up 3rd grade and Jack 1st grade in early June.  They both had fantastic years—they had awesome grades, loved their teachers, always had joy for school, and never missed a day of school sick (knock on wood).  After a very fun summer (more on that later), Ella will be starting 4th grade and Jack will be starting 2nd grade next week.  Here’s hoping for another great year!

{ella at the beginning of the school year (end of august, 2012) as compared to the end of the school year (early june, 2013).  by the end of the year, her hair was longer (though not for long), she grew maybe an inch and a half, and no more braces (!)—not to mention the developing tweenage maturity (a.k.a. sassiness) over this year.  :) }

{jack at the beginning of the school year (end of august, 2012) as compared to the end of the school year (early june, 2013).  his hair is longer, too, he went from good reader to great reader over this year, he got stronger and a little taller over the year, and has really come into his own little quirky personality.}

{and that personality is definitely ornery at times—i got my one picture and then that was that.  :) }

{and another little ornery boy, who doesn’t like to get his picture taken, was hanging out in the shade while i delayed the kids’ walk to the bus stop to snap my pictures of them on their last day of the 2012-2013 school year.}

{jack and his amazing 1st grade teacher, ms. parker.  ella had ms. parker for 1st grade, too, and we all just love her.  wish we could have her a few more times.  jack was kind of teacher’s pet this year.  sometimes it was hard to believe how well behaved at school he is (don’t get me wrong, he’s always a good kid, but he’s been known to make his fair share of bad choices)—he got on green every day this year at school—but jack’s theory about the mild juxtaposition here is that he “saves up all of [his] good behavior for school.”  either way, i hope jack holds on to that desire of his to do well at school.}