End Of Year Festivities

End of school year that is. Tuesday was Carson's last day of preschool and yesterday was Avery's last day of Kindergarten. The Pre-K class and the Kindergarten class join up to put on an end of year program which was last Friday night.

The theme for the night was Paris in the Springtime as a send-off to the owner of the school and another of the teachers whose husbands were whisking them away to Paris the following morning! The theme was really great, and the program was a lot of fun. They sang to us in French as well as English and had dances prepared as well.

Before the main program the gymnastics class put on their own cirque du soleil. Avery didn't take that class but some of his friends did.



After an intermission for cleanup and setup, the main program began. Pre-K on the left, K on the right. Avery is of course the tall kid in the middle of the back row.



The next shot I took made me giggle. We're just barely starting the program (Bonjour Mes Amis) and can you tell what Avery thinks of all this?


Avery wasn't the only one though, this cutie from Pre-K just kept yawning the whole way through.


Hi Avery!


Super cute dance from the Kindergartners with the boys in top hats and the girls had cute red and black umbrellas.




Oh, look, he does sing! He actually did do pretty well. Only during one song did he really zone out and stop singing, but then realized and started singing again. I had Travis record video with the point and shoot while I took pictures, so I have that on video. Au Revoir Mes Amis!


After the show, the kids had to collect their stuff. For the Kindergartners that was a big hot air balloon each had made and an awesome Claude Monet{esque} vase of flowers done with oil crayons (or something like that?). Additionally, a teacher informed the crowd that the backdrop would not be going back to the school, so if anyone wanted a part of it, they were welcome. 30 seconds later when Avery came to me and I congratulated him on a great program, he completely ignored that and asked:
Did you hear Teacher Sarah say we could take stuff home?
Did you have something particular in mind?
The Eiffel Tower Mom (as in, could there be any question what I would obviously want. Duh.)
So here's his Eiffel Tower. We will hang it in the playroom.



As these kids are at a private Kindergarten, most are separating off to their respective public school next year. Avery happens to have four of them joining him at his school, so that will be nice for them walking in and knowing someone. So Saturday evening, the family of one of the boys in Avery's class had an end of year/goodbye party for the whole class + families + teachers. They have some amazing property which they've done some amazing things with. Here's the view from their deck. Near to far, they have yard, pathway, big stone steps, huge patio with grand fireplaces, playset, expansive yard, massive garden, more yard with a spiral rose garden in the making and a super cute chicken coop.


This is the spacious patio. By this time of the evening, several of us wives had gathered around that fire back in the corner...


Looking through the pergola to the big grassy area with the rented tent for the occasion and the rented hit of the party. The fenced back is what surrounds the garden section and beyond that is the chicken coup area.


The big hit! Carson and Emmett are waiting impatiently there at the corner for their turn (they kept the numbers inside manageable and rotated groups in and out, also separating the little ones from the big ones. Thinking about it now, they should have had an adult rotation too! It wasn't just a big room, it had an obstacle course section, a central open area and a giant slide!


Outstanding party. We may be parting ways with many of these families, but some of those parents still have years ahead of them at this school like we do with Carson and Emmett (who will start the 3's this fall!) and we've made some good friends.

Easter

Here is a post with gratuitous pictures from the Easter happenings around here and with family.

Coloring Easter eggs


Not sure what this is about, or what that hat is about


Carson likes the hat though.


Hey look! They're all smiling and looking at the same time!


Emmett's doing this leaning in thing in pictures lately. It's really cute, but he doesn't smile when he does it. I think he's trying to put on the face of serene love or some such.


Eggs!


I like Avery's magically appearing invisible guy.


What's funny here is a squirrel went by and they all had to jump up and look. Next thing I know, Avery's telling his brothers a story about how squirrels attack people. Great. But Avery is all seriousness as he explains how once a squirrel almost attacked Uncle Kevin. Okay... So there he is, being extreme Mr. Serious telling this story that sounds like it should have a evil soundtrack and a flashy title of "When Squirrels Attack!" and all the while he's wearing his ridiculous St. Patty's hat from school. I couldn't help it, I busted up.


Easter Sunday morning. Being the super duper awesome parents that we are, we made them all get ready for church before they were allowed to go down the stairs to find their baskets. And part of that time was spent discussing what Easter is really all about. BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE! Now you have to sit on the stairs nicely so Mom can take your picture too. Mwa ha ha.


Again, with the leaning in thing. His faces doing this crack me up.


So then his brothers decide to get cozy too.


Love the Emmett look away. If only I could get Carson's super shifty eyes to look at the camera for a change.


Easter Baskets!


Triple decker crabby patties!








Spongebob Easter eggs!


Monster trucks!


Easter dinner was at the in-laws of course and this time we were in charge of rolls and stuffing. I like my new basket I used for the rolls.


After dinner Emmett helped himself to a cupcake. I don't know why he's cleaning himself mid-dessert, but it's cute.


Who needs hands?


Grandma and Papa had a giant basket full of stuff for the grandkids.


Then they had a very small Easter egg hunt. Avery and Carson got those hats from Grandma's basket, but Avery's was definitely too small for him, so later that night we had him give his to Emmett. He was okay with that once we reminded him of the hats he already has.




On the way back home I attempted a self portrait in the moving car with my phone. Half a blurry face later, at least I'm documented as existing this Easter. Travis is too, just not in this blog post.


Back home we had our own Easter egg hunt




Carson, I see one very close to you, do you?






Time to compare.


It was a great Easter, with lots of fun as well as good refreshers on why the day really is special.

Easter at School

The show and tell theme the week before Easter was, of course, bunnies and such. Avery had yet to take Monkey to see his school for show and tell and with the year running out, the options to fit him in to a theme were running out too. Avery was pretty upset about that, so I came up with a plan involving card stock, a pink crayon and a hair elastic, to make Monkey fit the bunny theme. Avery thought that was awesome and apparently dressed up Monkey was a big hit for show and tell.


Carson's Easter celebration at preschool was Thur. Here's all the kiddies baskets lined up and waiting. That's Carson's blue plastic one in focus down the way there.


When the kids got back from the park to collect their buckets, Carson was holding hands with his best bud, Theo. I wanted a pic of that, but in a crowd of kids, a head popping in the way is all too common. Check out Carson's silly tongue though.


Off to Grandpa and Grandma's! The kids visit the neighboring nursing and rehab center weekly, but this time it was for an Easter egg hunt. The patients had the eggs.


Emmett was with me of course, but he just kept a hold on his stick and didn't seem to mind that he didn't have his own basket.


A hug for an egg!


Then it was back to the school for an egg hunt in the field... in the rain.


Time to come back in out of the rain before they get to check out their loot.


Many kids decided to try one of the hard boiled eggs the kids colored at school.


One bite: Hm, not bad.


Second bite: Whoa! This isn't good after all! Look at that face, he looks betrayed! That's okay, Emmett and I will eat all your hard-boiled eggs Carson.


Afterward, Emmett got to enjoy some play time outside at the school for a change while we waited for Avery to get out. Don't fall, Emmett, the sharks will eat you!


Future star in the making.


Friday was Avery's turn for their Easter celebration.


I took two shots of him picking up this egg, the first was just him picking it up, but I like this one showing him "oooing" as he spied his next one.




With friends


Checking out the loot, but refusing to look at Mom.


One of the things Avery brought home from the Easter celebration was this potted grass. I have no idea how long they've had them going in the classroom, but obviously the teachers have it down to a science when to plant the seeds with the kids. All the grass was perfect and pert, not a blade was bent over. It was well grown in and had never been trimmed but was an even four or so inches high. This picture was taken almost two weeks after and it was getting unruly.


It took us just over two weeks more to get around to cutting it. Avery had been begging to "mow his lawn" that whole time, it just didn't happen. Finally on Thursday Avery had his chance.


Here's a before and after. It was really out of control before.


The chick was so happy, he was dancing on the lawn.


Back on the windowsill! And as testament to how much grass likes to be cared for and properly trimmed, here we are only three days later and there's a good amount of those blades that have grown as much as two plus inches already!!! I guess I should have Avery mow his lawn weekly just like Dad does his...


Anyway, the kids had a great time with Easter fun at school!