and just like that...we have a middle schooler

I knew the day would come sooner than I thought it should.

I knew it would be exciting yet sad at the same time.

I knew that, for him, it would only be exciting.

He has graduated from elementary school.

He is a middle schooler now.

Grandma and Grandpa came for the graduation ceremony.

And it won't be long before he will be looking down at me.

Someone please give me my baby boy back!

Love him.

He preferred no pictures.

No such luck.

The very last day of elementary school.

(A long time coming, too, since we didn't get out until June 6th!)

Fifth Grade Clap Out.

On the last day of school, right before dismissal, the 5th graders get to parade through our school as the other students, teachers and parents line the halls and clap them out one last time.

It's possible I shed a tear or two.

It's possible that lots of the girls were crying.

It's possible that our guy was only happy about the entire situation.

Don't let him fool you.

He had a great time with great teachers and great friends the past 6 years.

He will miss it.

But he is so ready for middle school.

the real world

Elliott's 5th grade class got to spend the morning at the JA Biztown near us.

It's put on by Junior Achievement, and the kids have been working on this for months.

They applied for the jobs they wanted, learned to balance a checkbook, learned the responsibilities for the jobs they were given, etc.

Elliott spent the morning as the CFO of the news station.

Such an appropriate position for him - working with money, everything is orderly, he gets to be the boss.

Love his bow tie?

Here he is in his "office".

So fun to watch him work!

And I had my own gig. (And so did Brian - at City Hall - but I have no pictures)

I was the adult at Build-a-Bear.  The kids could use the money they earned at their jobs to buy things during their breaks.  So some of them came and stuffed a bear.  All of the bears that were stuffed went to a charity - pretty cool.

Loved this day!

camp adventures

Unexpectedly at the last minute I ended up helping at camp the week that Elliott was there.  He was happy that it was only for half the week and I totally acted like I didn't know him.  But I was able to get some fun pictures while I was there.

The Blob.

My kids' favorite part of camp.

The scene the next morning after the faculty hunt.

It was pouring, so all of the kids' shoes and socks were soaked and muddy and left outside.

Not sure we could fit anymore wet clothes or towels on this line!

Lots of games

Awesome worship times!

Ethan went to camp the next week.

I didn't stay so these are the only pictures I have.

He had lots of friends there, and they had a blast!

more drama

Ethan participated in two other dramas at church this spring.

The first one was a short production called "I am a Friend of God", where he played the role of "Johnathan".  He was the new kid in town and trying to fit in despite the hurtful words of a bully.  It was a fun way to send the message that we should "taste our words before we spit them out".

Drama friends.

I have a feeling we will be spending lots of time with these awesome kids in the future!

And the last performance of the spring was the Kids' Drama Camp production - "The Little Mermaid".

Ethan was the pilot of Prince Eric's ship.

He opened the show with a solo, which made this mama very nervous and proud all at the same time!

He did great, though, and it was a very fun production!

with Ursula

with our friend, who was a seagull in the show - such a funny scene!

with Ariel

Ethan and Tammy have spent a LOT of time together this spring.

She is the one behind all of these productions, making sure they are awesome.

And they always are!

And he was so excited that Andy came back from college to direct the show again this year!

blue skies

Love this sky.

We've had so many really nice days here this summer.

Really just awesome summer weather.

Praying for more of this.

oh ya got trouble....

with a capital T and that rhymes with P and that stands for POOL!

For a few months this spring we saw Professor Harold Hill and Marian the Librarian almost daily and thought for sure that the Wells Fargo Wagon was bringing us something "thepethal" (special).  All the while reminiscing about Gary, Indiana and playing in the boys' band at the ice cream sociable.

Yes.

The Music Man.

Ethan decided to do the spring musical at church.  They needed some boys for the boys' band and Ethan was excited that he got to do it.

There were long rehearsals and they were almost every night for a while there.

But he had the best time with the other kids that were in the production and met some really great adults that became like family to him.

And I'm pretty sure that we know every word to every song.

And have been known to just spontaneously break out into singing during any kind of road trip.

I almost cried during the curtain call of the last performance.

They all worked so hard, were together so much, and had so much fun.

I was just so sad for them for it to be over.

But there's always next year.

{with his "family" during Iowa Stubborn} 

{singing with some other River City kids}  

{the boys' band - he even got to "play" a sax, just like his dad}

{hanging out with Professor Harold Hill}

{some of the River City boys}

{Grandma came to see one of the performances}

{cast picture}

{posing with some of the cast}

my love-hate relationship with fireworks

The love part:  

They are beautiful and sparkly.

They are fun to watch.

They remind me that there is something to celebrate 

(and if you live in STL you apparently celebrate lots of things.....at lots of different times during the year....St. Louisans LOVE their fireworks)

They usually mean that I get to hang out with friends and family for a night.

They make great photography subjects and are such a challenge to capture.

They give my boys great joy.

The HATE part:

They are loud.....really loud.....

especially in a neighborhood where the sound just keeps bouncing off all of the houses 

(or you are just really really close to them - as was the case this year).

They raise my anxiety level to new heights as I worry that someone is going to lose an eye or a house every year.

The cleanup the day after is never-ending.

They cause my kids to become beggars - like 24 hours a day they ask to go to the fireworks tent.

If only those red and white tents would just not show up every year!

I would say this year was mostly a "LOVE" relationship with the fireworks.

It was a beautiful night - we even had to get the blankets out.

We had our own personal fireworks show - thank you A and company!

And we got to spend the evening with some of our favorite people.