Chloe's a First Grader!

Last Thursday, August 13th, was a big day for Chloe. It was her first day of First Grade!

I truly believe that this girl will change the world one day. She has so much ambition and drive for such a little person. She is confident in her abilities and that makes people trust her. I love the she has such a pure love for Jesus and wants the world to know of Him and His love for us. Maybe she will be a missionary one day, and maybe she won't, but I hope and pray that she never loses her pure love for Him! She makes me proud every day and constantly amazes me.

Here's a link to Chloe's first/last day Kindergarten pictures for comparison. (Try to keep the tears at bay while looking at these.)

We met Chloe's new teacher, Mrs. P, at Open House on the Monday before school started.

I can already tell that we're going to have a great year! Chloe wasn't so sure about summer ending and the start of the new school year. However, since Open House, she's been re-energized  and excited about her first grade year.

After Open House, we let the kids play in the school's garden for a bit.

Chloe received these bubbles in her back-to-school goodie bag from Mrs. P.

 

On the morning of her first day of school, we celebrated with a special back-to-school breakfast. The last couple of years, we've had a back-to-school lunch to celebrate, but it seemed more sensible to have a breakfast this year. It wasn't anything fancy, a few decorations and a breakfast casserole (that I prepped the night before) to start our day off right! I had Chloe's backpack monogrammed and bought a new school outfit for her doll, Marin.

Chloe wore her matching jumper on the second day of school.

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I was allowed to walk with Chloe to her classroom and snagged this picture just before she rushed me off. "Quickly, Momma."

It always seems like I get a little more emotional around the start of a new school year...another year closer to my babies leaving the nest:(  My ultimate goal as a parent is to make sure that my littles are prepared for the world, but it still makes me long for the days when I was their world. 

Have a great first grade year. Always let your light shine, my smart, confident, caring, sweet, and beautiful girl!

Happy 4th of July!!!

Happy 4th of July!!!

I hope that everyone has a safe and fun 4th as we celebrate our great nation's independence! God bless America!!!

Blueberry Pickin'

Earlier this month, when we didn't have anything in particular to do on a Saturday, we decided to pick blueberries. I had seen a few pictures on social media of friends at blueberry farms and thought that it would be a fun summer activity to do with my littles. 

I also had ulterior motives. (Insert sinister laugh.) It was the perfect backdrop to take outdoor pictures. I already knew which dress that I wanted Chloe to wear. I would have dressed Evan in a plain white tee and blue jeans, but he didn't have a white tee, so we went with the next best thing, a navy tee.

Here were a few of my captures from our photo shoot the farm.

I intended to wake up early, so we could pick blueberries first thing in the morning. However, we didn't get out until after lunch, so it was hot. Despite the heat, the littles enjoyed themselves. They especially liked snacking on fresh blueberries all weekend. Yum!

Chloe's Last Day of Kindergarten

Here we are, less than a week away from the start of a new school year and I have yet to share Chloe's first day/last day pictures! I've been a total blogging slacker. I hope to have a few more summer posts up soon as well. (I'll be back-dating this post, so that it doesn't seem out of place if I ever get around to printing blog books in the future.)

Chloe's last day of Kindergarten was May 22, 2015.

Where does the time go?! Chloe lost her bangs during the school year and shot up a few more inches. She's longer and leaner, but that's mostly due to her love of all things outdoors. She has the bug bites, scrapes, and bruises to prove that! Her face is also more mature to me. She's turning into lovely little lady. (I would say a few more words, but I need to save some for her first day of 1st grade post:))

Since I'm in the blogging mood this evening, I thought that I'd also share her Kindergarten Honors Program.

" I see you!" I love the smile that Chloe flashed when she saw the fam and Nana in the balcony.

Chloe received her Kindergarten diploma from her teacher. She was announced by her teacher, Mrs. Wannamaker, but presented her award by the Principal.

She was also went on stage a second time when she was presented with a Principal's Award for making all G's (or A's). She was one of three kids in her class to receive it. To say that this momma's heart was bursting with pride would be an understatement. I'm so proud of my girl for her successful completion of kindergarten and first grade curriculum in one year! Since she attends an academic magnet school, she will be completing second grade curriculum during her first grade school year.

The finale was "First Grade, First Grade," set to the the tune of "New York, New York," being sung by all of the Kindergarten classes.

It was such a proud and sad moment realizing that my baby girl is growing up. She has a good head on her shoulders and goes into this world with such confidence; I know that she'll do just fine. I can't believe that I'll have a first grader in less than a week! Eek!

May the Force Be with You! {Evan's 5th Birthday}

We celebrated Evan's birthday a little early this year with a Star Wars themed party on Saturday!

Evan decided that he wanted to have his 5th birthday party at the Planetarium, just like big sister Chloe on her 5th birthday. I thought that it might be cute to have a space-themed party since it would be at the Planetarium, but while looking for party ideas on Pinterest, Evan decided that he'd much rather have Star Wars party. Yes. My boy loves Pinterest...and party planning! Ha!

Here were a few detail shots of the party that I took before it started. (The free collage maker that I once used is no longer free, so I'll be posting them individually. If anyone has any recommendations for a collage maker that I can use from my laptop, please let me know:))

We also served "Yoda Soda" and and "Luke Skywater". 

Check out the awesome cake that a local baker made for us!

We decided to take a few pictures before the party...because we always forget once the party starts.

I just don't seem to have luck with birthday banners.

 

I couldn't resist putting up Chloe's hair in little side buns! (Gwen Stefani's "Harajuku Girl" keeps playing in mind when I see these pictures of Chloe.)

 

Chloe had had enough pictures at this moment! Can you tell?

Then, the party began!

The light sabers I made from pool noodles, and Evan's number one reason for picking this party theme, were a big hit! Literally!

The birthday boy getting ready to blow out his candles - Thank you for taking a moment to satisfy this picture-taking momma's heart.

Then, it was time for the show.

I wasn't able to take many good pictures due to the darkness and my shutter speed, but here were a few of my captures.

The hallway leading to the planetarium was very cool.

The birthday slideshow

We had such a good time, especially the birthday boy! We had a lot of different activities to compete with in the month of May, but were so appreciative of the friends and family that came out to make Evan's party epic! May the Force be with you!

Birthday Invitation Printable found on Etsy - https://www.etsy.com/listing/222831962/starwars-birthday-scroll-invite-party?ref=favs_view_15
Tent Card and Banner Printables found on Etsy - https://www.etsy.com/listing/129804971/star-wars-tent-cards-instant-download?ref=hp_mod_rf