School's Out!!

School's Out!!  

Can you believe it?

I think every year seems to go faster and faster ... 

... What great teachers they all had this year! Each of the Littles came home with special momentos from their teacher.

This girl finished middle school STRONG with multiple achievements! I know we don't always make a big deal about such things, Mollybug, but we are Super Proud of the very special, talented, beautiful daughter that God saw fit to bless us with. We are truly honored to be your parents!!!

Next year ... she moves on to High School!!  

No, ... I just cannot believe it! 

Brynn was especially emotional on her last day ... when I went to pick up the kids from school, she was in a red-hot, sticky mess of tears.  I thought something had happened to her and I was about to roll out my 'dukes' but then she told me the reason she was crying was because she was going to miss her teacher  too much!!  Awe ... this year provided Brynn with her most favorite teacher yet! It really is wonderful to see a child really admire and grow positively because of a teacher.  

Only one more year of elementary school for this girl!! 

Very proud of how far these little guys have come! So thankful for the patience, attention, and kindness of their teacher and also the aides that worked with them.  It certainly was a challenge in the beginning, ... I know this ... Jonah and Rees walked into that school unaccustomed to ... well ... everything!  There were lots of tantrums and tears and sometimes even outright refusal to complete a task.  They went to school in January still mostly only speaking Chinese and now they barely remember their native language.  

They were exposed to so many different things, they experienced such a variety of emotions, and they were encouraged to form multiple relationships with children and adults.  

It was so great to see how much of their learning was "hand-ON".

They worked really hard and they've grown so much!! 

We're excited to see how much more they will progress over the summer as we continue building on what they've learned and experienced.  Jonah will move on to First Grade but Rees will begin next year in Kindergarten because he missed so much school after all of his surgeries and hospitalizations.  It will be good for the boys to be in separate grades, ... classes for sure.  As close as they are, we also want to encourage them to realize that they are separate boys and they don't have to do everything and be everything THE SAME.