Ramblings: End of Year Festivities

Today began with Maddie's preschool graduation. Yes, world--she has arrived. They had a program with all the kids in the preschool, complete with singing and dancing. Each class peformed 2 songs. Her class' choreography required her to repeatedly jump as high as possible three times every time they sang the chorus, so she probably jumped about 348 times. And every time she showed her purple and white Hello Kitty undies to the entire audience because all the girls in her class agreed last week to wear dresses. And NO, Maddie's dress was not a hoochie dress, she just jumps that high and flails around that much while doing it.

She's been watching alot of American Idol and afterwards I think she fully expected a guy that talked funny in a tight black t-shirt to tell her that her performance was irrelevant bad karaoke/cabaret singing at a high school talent show. Or that someone with big hair in a drunken stupor and sparkly dress would tell her she was a fabulous person, looked stunning, and that her performance was true to who she really is as a performer. And then she looked around for David Archuleta because her dad wanted his autograph...and a piece of his hair.

Anyway, she got to wear a black paper plate/bowl combo graduation cap to receive her diploma. They also gave her a graduation briefcase that contained drawings of herself and what she wants to be when she grows up...please note her tutu in all its pink spikey-ness.




She has loved her teacher, Mrs. Beth, and even though I have also really loved her teaching both Alex and then Maddie, I was still mean enough to post a picture of her where she's licking her lips. Whoops. Sorry! And after the program they were even nice enough to have a huge breakfast spread for everyone. I was just happy that someone included chocolate donut holes, which is the twins' equivalent of winning the lottery.



Then at lunch time, I was off to Alex's first grade awards ceremony. I wasn't going to go because the boys were napping and I hadn't been able to line up babysitting, but when I broke the news to Alex this morning, he busted out crying. Yikes--he was most traumatized that I would miss THE SLIDE SHOW. YOU MUST SEE THE SLIDE SHOW. And if you miss it, apparently your head will explode into tiny bits of confetti...at least that's what I guessed based on his reaction. So I scrambled at the last minute and Aunt Dee saved my bacon by coming over to sit with the boys.

They give awards based on "core" values sponsored by Chick-fil-a, which is awesome because every kid gets a free kids' meal. Alex received the Initiative award--for "seeing what needs to be done, and doing it." Frankly, she would probably like him to have a bit less initiative, because he is always busy "helping" other kids or trying to take charge of everything and anything. I call him our "cruise director."

He also made the A honor role and then along with almost everyone in the class, received about 20 different awards for various math, reading, and other academic programs. And yes, the slide show was definitely the highlight. The kids LOVED seeing pictures of themselves and remembering all the fun events and parties throughout the year. I was just happy that his hair was presentable and his clothes at least matched in 98% of the pictures he was in. And, oh yeah, during the slideshow I was mostly just glad I wasn't sweating trying to keep two two-year-olds happy and quiet.

And this is a very bug-eyed Alex because in the two shots before this, he blinked and his eyes were closed in them. He was determined to keep them OPEN--he saw what needed to be done and did it, I guess.

KINDERGARTEN and SECOND GRADE.........HERE THEY COME! (or at least after three horribly long, hot, unbearably boring months of summer). Two outta four in school all day ain't gonna be too bad.