School's Out for the Summer!

It's official: School's out for the Summer! 

It was easily the fastest school year ever! I mean, I swear they just started. But as of 3:50 PM, Dylan and Lexie joined Lily and Liam on Summer Break. They reluctantly said their goodbyes to their friends and their absolutely amazing teachers, and they headed home for a Summer full of fun!

5th Grade was a tough transition for Dylan AND for me.  Everybody warned us, but I guess I was in denial.

The work load was intense and Dylan's great grades didn't come as easily this year as they have in the past. Dylan had to work hard to get good grades. He had to learn organizational skills and he HAD to study. It was a wake up call for both of us and it took several months before he found his groove.  I found myself, along with many other friends walking this path for the first time, often saying "I HATE 5th Grade!!!"

In our school district, the 5th and 6th grade building is very much like a junior high.  The kids are starting to join cliques and the rules are strict.  School isn't as much fun anymore because it isn't elementary school.

If I'm going to be completely honest, I'm not a fan of this setup. Kids in 5th and 6th grade are still kids and I feel like Dylan was forced to grow up faster than he should have this year.  I really did notice a difference between him and family members and friends his age who were attending a traditional K-6 school.  This year was about his clothes, his hair, how he looked, and girls. I certainly wasn't ready to deal with that stuff THIS early!

Thankfully, Dylan enjoyed going to school. We had a rough patch at the beginning, but he soon adjusted. He had great friends and he adored his teacher. He had an incredibly supportive teacher who helped him out along the way. I can only hope that one of my other children is lucky enough to have her for a teacher someday!

Lexie, on the other hand, breezed through 3rd Grade!

Lexie loves school!  On the two days that we forced her to stay home because she was sick, she begged to go.  It definitely helped that she had an awesome teacher who made each day fun!

Lexie excels at school. She was a "model third grader" according to her teacher and she took pride in her hard work and excellent grades. Lexie came home with fun stories to share about her teacher and her friends each afternoon and was excited to go to school every single day. Any teacher that can inspire a child in that way is a hero in my book!  I'm really hoping that Lily and/or Liam have him as a teacher in the future. If only every teacher Lexie gets could have his dedication and enthusiasm!

It was an amazing school year for Lexie!

I'm so proud of BOTH of my kids for their hard work this year. When I looked at them before they headed to school this morning, I couldn't help but wonder, "Where did time go?" They truly looked so grown up and it happened in the blink of an eye! 

When I did the traditional first day of school/last day of school comparison, the changes were evident. Especially with Dylan! Who are these big kids and where did my babies go?!?

 

These big kids got off the bus this afternoon and their enthusiasm was lacking. Dylan's tween attitude was in full force. He's just too cool these days. He thrives on going to school and seeing his friends, but he was too cool to admit that he would miss his friends and his teacher. Lexie was crying because she ALREADY missed school, she missed her friends and she missed her teacher. She just didn't want school to end and her emotions were spilling over. I just stood there, completely stunned. Where was their last day of school excitement???

But I get it. I understand how difficult it is to say goodbye to something you know.  They trusted and loved their teachers and felt completely comfortable in their classrooms. It's hard to face the unknown of another year ahead of them and only hope that they win the teacher lottery again.

I get it, because that's how I feel, too.  I liked how things were. Time is moving entirely too quickly and I'm trying desperately to hold on to life as it is at this very moment and I'm not succeeding whatsoever. Time...and my kids...are slipping out of my grasp much faster than I like.

But that's the point of raising kids, isn't it? It's incredibly bittersweet. You want them to grow and thrive but it's just so hard to let go of the past.

And here we are.  5th Grade and 3rd Grade are officially over. It seemed like decades before we would reach this point and now I'm just wondering where time went!

I'm looking forward to Summer Break with my kids. I just want to spend time with them and enjoy the NOW.

I just hope I don't lose my sanity along the way...I'm just keeping it real.

I have three kids camping out in our living room for their first night of Summer Break. The oldest two bickered all afternoon. The tween couldn't control his attitude and lost his iPod. The 9 year old cried all evening about school being over. The toddler is trying to fight off a fever. In the morning, my niece will be arriving to spend the day with us.  And did I mention that it's now 3:30 AM?

In just a few hours, Camp Mom is about to begin! My kids, and their cousins and friends who will be spending most weekdays with us (I told you I was crazy), have a fun Summer ahead of them. I've been browsing my Pinterest boards, writing down ideas, shopping for supplies and loosely planning our weeks. 

I tried to stick to the same plan each week: Two outings, one craft, one recipe and one DIY activity.  It was a lot of work, but I managed to come up with enough ideas for each Summer weekday plus a few extras, just in case! The best part is that none of it is time-consuming and most things can be done at any time throughout the day!

Stay tuned...I'll be sharing the project next Tuesday and I'm going to attempt to recap each week of Camp Mom fun throughout the Summer!

My hope is to make memories with my kids over the Summer and enjoy each day. Before I know it, Fall will be here and all FOUR of my kids will be heading to school. I'm holding on to the now with all my might!

ALL FOUR KIDS IN SCHOOL. I can't even think about that without crying! Motherhood is a tough gig!

What are your plans for Summer Break?

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Lexie's Field Trip - Behind the Scenes at Heinz Field & PNC Park in Pittsburgh

Chaperoning a field trip is a coveted job in our school district. This year, I was miraculously chosen to chaperone both Dylan and Lexie's field trips!

Dylan's field trip to the Carnegie Science Center was a few weeks ago, and on Friday the 13th, Lexie and I headed into Pittsburgh with her class to go on a field trip that made my husband very jealous! We were going to get behind the scenes tours of Heinz Field, home of the Pittsburgh Steelers, AND PNC Park, which is home to the Pittsburgh Pirates!

I was very apprehensive about the field trip.  It was supposed to rain all day, so I was prepared with coats and umbrellas. The morning started out a bit rough. As we were walking (okay...RUSHING) out the door, my entire cup of hot tea spilled all over the floor. As I was lifting up the play kitchen to sit towels on the puddle of tea, the play kitchen tipped and all the play food and dishes ended up all over the floor. There wasn't any time to make another cup of tea or clean up the mess, so we just left it as it was!

The chaos continued...

We boarded the bus full of overly excited kids (and the most dads I have ever seen chaperoning a field trip) and pulled away from the school.  We made it one short mile before we had to turn around and go back to the school to pick up the school nurse.  We apparently forgot her in the midst of all the chaos!

We finally made it into the city, and it was worth the wait. Not only did it turn out to be a beautiful day, but the tours were amazing!

Our first stop was Heinz Field! 

 

I have never been to the new field, so I was excited to see everything!

Our first stop (after a bathroom break, of course) was the locker rooms.  Although it was neat to see the Pitt locker room, the Steelers locker room was what we really wanted to see!  When Dylan went  on this field trip a few years ago, they weren't allowed in the locker room, so this was exciting.  I have to admit, it was nothing like I pictured it would be! For some reason, I expected it to resemble a high school locker room!

Another thing I wasn't expecting was how plain and simple the area where they interview the players was.  It looks so much different on TV!

Lexie's favorite part of the tour was slapping the football emblem that all the players slap for good luck as they exit the locker room before a game!

We got to walk through the tunnel the players walk through to enter the field. It was so neat seeing the field from that perspective! 

Unfortunately, we couldn't go on the field this time, because they were removing the grass and replacing it with foam flooring for their summer concert series.

After leaving the field, we started the descent down the ramp to visit the rest of the complex. The view of the city is just as beautiful as it is from PNC Park!

As a blogger, I really liked seeing the press box.  It must be an exciting but stressful job to be a sports reporter!

We also got to see a luxury suite.  They start at just $49,000 a year (HA!) and go up to well over $100,000 a year, depending on the size.  I begged Lexie to give up her college education so we could get one, but she thought that was a terrible idea! Oh, well...I can dream!

We finished up our tour in the Great Hall. We didn't have much time left, so it's definitely something I would love to spend more time visiting one day!  I know Grant would love to see it!

I mean, just look at all those Super Bowl trophies!!! ;)

We loved visiting Heinz Field for the first time! Hopefully my entire family can go see a game soon!

We grabbed our lunches off the bus, and headed down to the river walk for a very quick lunch break. We picked a little pier for our picnic spot, which gave us a great view of the city.  As soon as we were done, we headed down the river walk toward PNC Park! 

We visit PNC Park at least once a year for a Pirates game. It is such a beautiful ball park! 

This time, we got to view the field from the press box!

We also had the opportunity to tour the locker room, but no cameras were allowed. Such a bummer, because it was really cool to see! But let me just share that Lexie's favorite story to tell about that tour is how the Pirates are messy and like to leave their underwear hanging in their lockers!

From there, we headed into the Pirates dug out!

I have never seen the field from that angle, so I really liked that part of the tour!  Unfortunately, they were working on the field, so the kids couldn't run the bases this time.

They did, however, get to see the batting cages and training rooms!

By that point, all the kids were starting to fade.  It was a REALLY long day with lots of walking! 

Even though we have visited PNC Park many times, it was fun to get the behind the scenes tour!

 

We can't wait to go back for a game this summer!

 

After we left the park, there was a little mishap with the buses not being there to pick us up. That resulted in Lexie's teacher running through the city to find them, a bus driver coming to find us and leading us on a much longer walk to the buses, and Lexie's autistic classmate, who was walking with us, having a meltdown. (I managed to calm him down by distracting him with the news that we knew his sister.) We finally reached our bus and collapsed in our seats. What is it about field trips that leave you so exhausted?

I had a great day touring the home of the Pittsburgh Steelers and the home of the Pittsburgh Pirates with my sweet girl! Lexie really enjoyed having me there and it's definitely an experience we both will remember! (And just for the record, Grant WAS very jealous!)

Go Steelers!!! Go Bucs!

What was the last field trip YOU went on?

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Off They Go!

It's officially the first day of school!

Dylan and Lexie woke up so excited about their first day!  After our traditional Back To School doughnut breakfast, they put on their brand new Back To School outfits, and we snapped a few obligatory first day pictures!



Dylan is going into 5th grade, which means he's moving into a new building.  It's a much bigger school and actually looks very much like a high school.  He was a bit intimidated when we toured it, but he's looking forward to seeing his friends and having a locker for the first time! His three teachers are very nice and he found out there's another skateboarder in his class, so he can't wait to meet him. Dylan's a great kid and I know he's going to have a great year!




Lexie is starting 3rd grade! She's still in the same school, but is moving up to the top floor this year.  She has a male teacher for the second time in her short school career.  There are only a handful of male teachers in K-6, and I went to school with both of the male teachers Lexie was assigned!  I graduated with Lexie's kindergarten teacher and Lexie's new teacher was a year ahead of me in high school. Lexie can't wait to tell him that she saw his high school yearbook pictures! Lexie is going to have a great year, too!




Dylan and Lexie are a bit bummed that they won't be in the same school anymore (they won't be in the same school again until Lexie starts 9th grade!), but they still ride the bus together!



Lily doesn't start school until next week, so she was feeling a bit left out this morning! She watched sadly as Dylan and Lexie climbed on the bus and held onto my leg as the bus pulled away.  I think she's going to miss them!



Here's to a great 2015-2016 school year!  My "babies" are growing up way too quickly!!!



Did your kids start school yet?  If so, how is everything going? 

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School's Out For The Summer

It always amazes me how quickly kids change in nine short months.  It isn't really evident until you compare the first day of school pictures to the last day of school pictures!

A little over nine months ago, Dylan started third grade and Lexie started first grade.  They were nervous, excited, and oh so young.



Today was their last day of the school year.  Today, they looked so much older than they did on that  sunny morning nine months ago.



They both greeted the day with big smiles.  Even while they were trying to wake up, I could see the excitement in their eyes.



We headed down to the bus stop a few minutes early to take some pictures before the bus arrived.







They hopped on the bus, eager to give out thank you cards and gift cards to their awesome bus driver and awesome teachers. They were looking forward to a day full of performances (Lexie) and movies (Dylan).

I was waiting with my camera when the bus pulled up after school. The kids on the bus were so excited. Dylan climbed down the steps, and kids shouted out goodbyes behind him.  He had a huge smile on his face.  Lexie followed behind, with a pout on her face.  She immediately burst into tears and ran into the house.  It turns out she broke a flower off her shoe, and really really really missed her teacher and her friends.  She must be one of the few kids who is sad to see school end!  She finally cheered up and started to get excited about the summer ahead of her.

Dylan and Lexie learned so much this year.  They matured and became more confident. They worked hard and earned great grades.  Dylan is now reading at a 5th grade level and Lexie is very close to a 3rd grade level. I credit Lexie's teacher for that.  Dylan had her, as well, and she really pushed reading.  I will always have a special place in my heart for her.  She took good care of my sweet kids and pushed them to succeed!

Dylan and Lexie had a great year in school, and I am so proud of how far they have come!












It's hard to believe that they will be going to 2nd and 4th grade in 3 short months!



We celebrated the end of a successful school year with a trip to Dairy Queen for dinner!  Kids choice!



It was hard to say goodbye to their friends and their wonderful teachers, but they are looking forward to a fun summer break!