It was our second to last week of school and I am getting so sad that it is nearing the end. I am sure next week will be even worse, so I’ll save my sadness for next week’s post. Plus, this week was AWESOME and I’m just so filled with joy after a particularly great weekend.
Tuesday was field day for Xander. His class won tug-o-war against the teachers and I think it was a very fun day! I heard most about the popsicles at the end, but I know he enjoyed the activities a lot too.
On Thursday, MPA welcomed new students with the Panther Party. They set up a scavenger hunt around the school and each station had very cool swag for Augustus to pick up along the way. He got a bag, a hat, a tee shirt, a book and a water bottle. Xander got some sibling swag as well. They had a nacho bar set up at the end. It was a very nice event and Gussie is excited to do another year of pre-K, this time at the big kid school.
Nate’s been doing a lot of work on our yard the last few weeks and it turns out bulldogs love gardening too. Hudson is obsessed with the hose and doesn’t hesitate to get right in the dirt afterwards. “This is why we can’t have nice things” is a phrase that I find myself shouting often. 2 bulldog puppies… what were we thinking?!? He also added a sun shade to our backyard, which I am SUPER excited about because our backyard gets ridiculously hot, so this will be a game changer for hanging out in the back yard.
Xander’s teacher does such a nice job of sending LONG updates every week and I love hearing about everything he is up to in kindergarten. She also sends us random cute stories about Xander, which I really appreciate and always makes me happy to read. This was the note we got this week-
I wanted to share this sweet and impressive moment today. Xander picked out the melon seed that was in his snack and said, “I want to bring this to the school chefs so they can plant it for us.” I found a good-sized envelope for him and he wrote a note on it. He spelled this out with zero help from me! I wish you could see the confidence and ease with which he is sounding out even tricky words like honeydew using his phonics knowledge and his phonemic awareness skills. He also felt completely comfortable walking up to the school chef Ronnie, handing him the seed packet, and explaining his idea to him.
This is my hope and dream for all my students – for them to have the creativity, agency, and skill to pursue ideas that are meaningful to them, all because they feel grounded in a community where they are nurtured, safe, and empowered. I really couldn’t ask for more.
I will miss Xander so, but he is also VERY ready to level up! He’s going to do great. Thank you for all your support and kindness this year!
How sweet is this note?! I LOVE his teacher so so much. She has been amazing!
The Panther Party was great, but just one party wasn’t enough for us this week. On Saturday it was the Youth in Government 75th anniversary celebration gala and I was SO excited for this event. Nate and I met at YIG and I have volunteered for this program for 17 years. I could write pages and pages about how much I love this program. It just so happens that my new job gets to be involved with YIG- both with midlevel donors and also with alumni. I am so excited to be able to not just volunteer but also work with this program. This event has been in the works for a whole year (before I began my job). I have had approximately 100 conversations (maybe more, for real) about this event. I have enjoyed every minute of the planning and feel so lucky to have a job that includes YIG. Grandma Debbie came to stay with the boys and the dogs, and Nate and I got a hotel room for the night (the event was only 10 minutes away, but I knew it would be more fun to be able to stay).
I wasn’t just a guest, I also got to help, which I was really excited about. We got there early and Nate got to relax for a while, while I helped out at the check in table. It was fun to greet everyone as they arrived and I was really glad to have been asked to help. I like parties, but I like being part of the behind the scenes stuff even more! The event had 315 people and the energy was AMAZING. It was such an incredibly fun night. I got to see so many people from current and past YIG conferences and it was just wonderful. The decorations were gorgeous. The dinner and program were fantastic. It was so gratifying to be part of a million conversations leading up to the event and then see it come together just as we’d all imagined. I was really proud of the staff and volunteers that made it happen. It was a truly spectacular event.
I was wearing a very sparkly dress and I was feeling good. The glitter was floofing off of the dress as if I was a fairy princess- the floor around me, the chair I was sitting on, even my face. I happen to love glitter, so I was ok with it- surrounded by a cloud of glitter- sure! Until midway through dinner when Nate said, “is your eye ok?” It was very itchy, painful and red. I was trying not to touch it since I had make up on, but eventually I had to go back to our room to do some first aid. I took off the make up and then sat with a wet washcloth on my eye. I didn’t take a photo, but you’ll see a screen shot from the video message I sent Christine. My eye was bright red and swollen! Glitter in my eye! I managed to get the itching to stop and I re-applied my makeup. My eye was still swollen and goofy looking, but I went back to the party because I wasn’t going to miss out because of a glitter injury. It was an absolutely wonderful night (swollen eye aside).
This morning, we slept in until 8am (that is basically noon to me!) and relaxed all morning. Then we headed to Holman’s Table for the after-event brunch with the planning committee. I was so happy to be able to debrief with everyone and re-hash the night. And then, as if going to an awesome party with a bunch of people I really love wasn’t enough, Orville gave us all fantastic, beautiful gift boxes. Um… ok! Fabulous event, brunch, presents?! GEEZ!!
I LOVE events anyway, but this one was really special. I have been bursting with gratitude, joy and energy all day.
The boys and my mom woke up this morning and went to her house to go swimming. They had a great time with Grandma and I really appreciated being able to have so much fun without worrying about our kiddos. After I picked them up, they spent the day playing while Nate and I got some things done around the house (mowing for Nate, groceries for me). The week ahead is BUSY, so I’m trying to get organized and ready for everything ahead.
