The Last Day of 3rd, 5th, 9th, and 11th Grade

 

The last day of 3rd, 5th, 9th, and 11th Grade was over a week ago, but I’m a bit behind, as always. 2 of our 4 kids were very sad about school ending, 1 was excited, and 1 goes to school for 8 days in July. Truth be told, I think our girls would go to school year round if they could!

This school year was one of the few - if not only - years that school ended before Memorial Day. It was nice, but it felt so early. May was definitely much busier than it usually is!

It was a good year overall. It felt more normal than the past two pandemic years, which was great. It was a stressful year for our family, so we are glad school was the easy part!

I never know who to start with. Oldest to youngest or youngest to oldest? Either way, all equally as important! 

Liam - Third Grade

Liam loves school, and loves the set routine! It’s really tough getting him going in the morning, but he gets so excited when he gets in the car to go to school. In November, Grant started driving him to school while he was on paternity leave, and Liam loved it so much, that Grant kept driving him to school the rest of the year. 

Liam matured so much this school year, and he is finally doing a bit better with expressive speech. It’s definitely a work in progress, but every inchstone counts! He had a fun year, and finally got to do normal school things again - his favorite was going on his first real field trip!

In the Fall, Liam will be heading to 4th Grade. Before then, he will attend 2 weeks of Extended School Year in July. We only opt for 2 of the 4 weeks, but it’s a great way for him to get his therapy sessions over the Summer, and stay in that school routine! 

Liliana - Fifth Grade

Lily loves school so much that she came home crying on the last day. She was so nervous on the first day, because she was in a new building, and she didn’t have any friends in her class. She ended up making two new best friends in her class - Lydia and Neva! 

Lily is smart, and fiercely independent, so she had a great year academically, which she did all on her own! In 5th Grade, they have a home room teacher and a switch teacher, which eases them into middle school. I think she ended up enjoying the bigger school, and having more responsibility.  

Lily did end the year with a fractured wrist, so she wasn’t allowed to participate in field day or the kickball tournament or her band concert, which was a bummer. The field trips started again this year, after the pandemic break, and I was able to be a chaperone, which was fun. In the Fall, Lily will be in 6th Grade! (I can’t believe it.) Honestly, I think her growth from the first day of this school year to the last was the most shocking! 

Alexandria - Ninth Grade

Lexie is our go-getter! She adjusted to high school very fast, connected with her teachers, and loved going to school each day. She made high honor roll, already planned her future, and is lining up classes to meet her goals. She knows exactly where she wants to go, and what she wants to do after graduation. I absolutely love her motivation and dedication!

Lexie is very loving, kind, empathetic, accepting, and loyal, but she also has confidence and grit. She is never afraid to speak up for what is right. Lexie is an incredibly special human being, and I admire her so much. Unfortunately, we did have to deal with a bullying incident in April (while we were in the hospital following Hayden’s open heart surgery), and the cops ended up getting involved. Thankfully, it didn’t slow her down much!

Lexie ended the year with a bold look - her (temporary) pink hair! It already washed out once, and she reapplied it. We have a few no-budge rules in our home: no cell phones until 13 and no dating until after freshman year. Guess who has her first boyfriend and went on her first “date” on the last day of school? (Mom and dad are NOT ready for this.) In the Fall, Lexie will be a sophomore! I think she is ready to go back to school right now! 

Dylan - Eleventh Grade

Dylan had a good year, but he doesn’t like school very much. It’s more of a means to an end. He made honor roll, and by the end of the year, he switched career interests, which we are excited about. Somewhere along the line, he became very interested in nature documentaries, and he started following nature photographers on social media. He now wants to pursue a career in that field. 

I get a lot of crappy comments about Dylan’s  appearance, but appearances can be deceiving. Dylan constantly changes his style, but one thing that DOESN’T change, is his spirit. He is incredibly kind, loving, and respectful, and has great manners. I may prefer his former clean cut look, but we can’t force him into a mold. The truth is, behind his intimidating style is a really GOOD kid! Dylan’s appearance changed so much from the first day to the last day, and since school ended, he cut his hair short. 

Dylan is actually a little bit excited about 12th grade! Thanks to cyber school in 9th grade, he only needs 1.5 core class credits. He will be taking business, art, cooking, personal finance, and photography classes. Senior Year, here he comes! (Please don’t go by so quickly!)

As for now, we are almost 2 weeks into summer break, and we are enjoying the more relaxed routine! After our emotionally trying year, we are looking forward to family time and fun outings. We will be going on vacation, but we will be postponing it until September. There is still plenty of fun headed our way!

(First Day picture for comparison!)