Wrapping Up Fifth Grade

Today wrapped up Grant's time at Longview. Bittersweet I tell ya. We've had a great 6 years at this school. While I'm thankful to watch him grow and move on, it's always a bit of a double edged sword. I like the comfort of elementary.... I know it. I know the people. I know the kids. In any case, here we go! Fifth grade graduation was tonight and I was happy  to snag ONE picture of Grant and his best bud Cooper. Grant is so anti picture right now and it drives his picture taking mother insane! 

I grabbed another when it wasn't too embarrassing (which was when we got home but I still got a lot of whining). Grant snagged the President's Award which means straight As all through elementary. Pretty impressive if I do say so myself! 

I did get to snap some pictures on picnic day so I could document who he was spending his fifth grade days with. Eli, Cooper, and Spencer were pretty much his crew. 

Kayli, one of his good girl friends. Two words there. Different from girlfriend:)

Friends.  

Breck. 

Boy and Girl Crew. 

Elaina joined me for these last days of school. This will be her last tag along time since next year she'll be a kindergartener! And, it looks like she's got plenty of people to pay her attention! 

Best Bud Cooper.

Girl bud, Sophia.

Awww. Me and G:)

Fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Moss. Mrs. Kofahl wasn't around to get a picture:(

Fifth grade has been an exceptional year! Middle School here we come! 

Fifth Grade Picnic

Grant finished out 5th grade this week with a class picnic at school. It seems that school always ends with a bunch of nonsense days but when I look back on it, they will be some awesome days that G will always remember. I can remember my own 5th grade end of the year party...it held more significance than Grant's since I was moving to another state and wouldn't really see my elementary friends anymore, I suppose. In any case, we sweated out the day hanging one last day as elementary kids. This was his gang of cronies this year: Eli, Cooper, and Spencer. 

Kaleigh has been a friend to Grant for a few years now and she's also a neighbor down the street. 

I was trying to get Grant to participate in a picture with some of his girl friends...(read that girl (pause, pause) friends...not girlfriends :) ) but he was being ornery and made his boy buds get in the picture AND between the girls and him. Gah. Anyway, Tyson, Reagan, and Olivia. Grant and Reagan "liked" each other for the better part of this school year and last but don't tell anyone that I said that:)

 Grant and his buddy Breck. It is here that I notice that G really need a mowing on that hair. The spikes have grown quite tall. The end of the school year is so busy! Who has time for hair cuts?

Friends. 

Elaina hung with me through several hot picnics and what-not for her brothers. As you can see, she had a terrible time and never got any attention from anyone.

Cooper has been Grant's best bud at school for several years. Cooper is a kid that keeps me laughing. I love that kid! 

I made G's friend Sophia stop for a picture. They did a lot of playground playing and would hang at church together. 

Oh, and here's me. I was at the picnic too:)

Grant loved his teachers this year. Mrs. Moss was his homeroom and he traveled to Mrs. Kofahl's room for math and science. Cade had Mrs. Kofahl too and we loooooved her. I have no idea why I do not have a picture of her because I KNOW I took one:/

Fifth grade has literally flown by. I think this may have been the fastest school year we've had yet. I cannot fathom that kid #2 is headed to the middle school already. I'm thankful though....thankful that God has given me so many healthy years to enjoy them and watch them grow, and thankful that they are maturing and developing into their own people. Fifth grade's just about a wrap. Only the graduation ceremony to go! 

Adios Elementary School!

How did this even happen? How did we go from this:

to THIS in such a short span??? My mother heart can't take it. Tonight was Cade's Fifth grade graduation. 

Bobby and I were so proud of him walking out of the ceremony with several awards.

He received the Principal's Award for having straight A's through the fifth grade and the President's Gold Seal Award for straight A's throughout his entire elementary career. To qualify for the Gold Seal Award he also had to test above average on his TCAP each year. So, that award was quite an accomplishment! 

 We are so blessed that both sets of grandparents are able to be a part of these special days in the lives of our kids. I know it's something they will look back on and treasure!

A quick graduation picture with 2 of our best school buds, Drew and Ryan. 

The week leading up to graduation is always full of fun things. Field day is always one everyone looks forward to. This year it was a complete wash out but no one really complained. These two still made their rounds to all the stations with smiles on their faces!  

 There was Fifth Grade picnic day which, of course, I was late to. Why do they have to put all my kids' picnics at the same time on different parts of the school campus? I mean, I'm only one mom and I don't have a nanny. I might look into that though. School Function Nanny. Sounds like a great idea! 

I can't let an "end of elementary school" blog post go by without including this picture. Cade and Taylor have been "in like" with each other each and every year of their Longview careers. Much to their embarrassment, I made them stand close to one another for an end of school pic. I would hand pick this gal so if in 15 years they want to get married I'll gladly pick up the tab for the rehearsal dinner:) 

 So here we are. One kid through elementary and three more to go. I hope Bobby and I do well entering this new stage of parenting: The Middle School Years. Goodbye sweet Mother's Day crafts and things like Watermelon Day.....hello zits, puberty, and attitudes....Oh, me!!! 

Fifth Grade Field Trip...Sniff

Cade has his last field trip....sniff sniff.....and it was a "big" one! The fifth grade class got to travel to Huntsville to visit the Space and Rocket center. I was scheduled to be a bus riding volunteer but as luck would have it (yes, I consider it lucky when you suddenly no longer have to ride the actual bus with a bunch of fifth graders) the teacher counted incorrectly and there were not enough seats to hold the chaperones. Traveling with some of my friends was a much better option:)

I still enjoyed spending time with Cade and watching him interact with his buds. I'm so thankful that he still wants me there and is not shy to snap a selfie with me in front of his friends:)

 He and his pal Ryan:

The kids had a workshop where they made little parachute men. 

And for memory's sake here is Taylor (in the green). She's the "like" of Cade's entire elementary career. 

After the parachute men were made they got to drop them off of the balcony. I believe there was some learning involved here but I can't remember what it was.

 I'm blessed to have spent Cade's final elementary field trip with him and these two great friends, Ryan and Drew. I hope they stick like glue through middle school too!