You might want to buckle your seatbelt because our May blog updates are always long, but this one is especially packed. I’m not sure how we fit so many activities into one month. Between field trips, soccer, end-of-school celebrations, swim lessons, and a trip to the lake, there is a lot to cover. Here’s the not-so-short recap:
I kicked off the month by having “lunch” with Abigail on May 1st. Kindergarteners eat at 10 AM, so it’s more like brunch ;) She was glad I could come for lunch one more time before the end of the year.
That afternoon, I went to a PTA volunteer appreciation ice cream social that our PTA president, Josanne, planned as a way to thank everyone for their help at school this year. I love being involved at school and have gotten to know so many wonderful Mill Creek families through volunteering.
Brooklyn made this paper chain in her math class. It was apparently a competition to see who could make the longest chain by cutting strips from a set amount of paper.
Mrs. Borys created an “Area and Perimeter” safari for her class to review what they’d been learning in math. One of the activities involved mapping out their own zoo and measuring the size of each animal’s exhibit. Savannah said it was a lot of fun!
On May 2nd, I went on the 3rd grade field trip with Savannah to Cathedral Caverns. I went with Brooklyn on this same field trip when she was in 3rd grade, but that year we went in November. It was structured pretty much the same way this time around in terms of activities. We went on a tour of the cave, mined for gems, and ate lunch at the pavilion before heading back to the school. Even though it was warm outside, it was pretty chilly in the cave, especially for those who were wearing shorts. When Abigail goes, hopefully I’ll remember to have her wear pants no matter what time of year it is. Savannah enjoyed the tour, and thankfully this tour guide didn’t leave the lights off in the cave quite as long as the guide did on Brooklyn’s field trip ;)
It was fun to watch Abigail and Liv go head to head at soccer practice that evening :)
Brooklyn has always been an entrepreneur at heart, and it has been funny to see her business-minded ways rub off on her sisters too. There is always someone advertising or selling something around our house! :)
I have fond memories of playing four square as a kid at school, and it makes me happy that the girls have learned to love four square too. They like it so much that they invented a similar game called “two square” that they like to play on the back patio :)
It rained a lot the night before, so we woke up on May 4th and found out all the fields at Dublin and Palmer were closed. It’s been a rainy spring season, so we’ve had quite a few practices and games cancelled! Luckily for Brooklyn, Coach Theresa worked with the opposing team’s coach to move their game to Homestead Park off Gooch Lane, a neighborhood park about 5 minutes from our house. They played at their originally scheduled time of 10 am. The sun was out, and it was a beautiful morning! Savannah and Abigail were disappointed that they didn’t get to play, but they at least got to run around at Brooklyn’s game and play on the playground. The coaches marked off a field with cones, and the girls played a legit game with 4 normal length quarters. This was probably the best team they’ve played all season. They played them the first game of the season and tied 0-0. Today they won 6-2! Brooklyn scored 1 goal and had a couple of other chances to score. I thought this was the best game they’ve played yet (that I’ve seen)….her team did a really good job passing today! Brooklyn played the whole game and played mostly center defense and center mid.
Speaking of businesses, Brooklyn created her own bookstore/library called Brooklyn’s Books as another way to make money. She has certain books that can be checked out and others that are for sale. A few times, she even hired one of her sisters to work at the store for her ;)
We celebrated Savannah’s birthday at Cici’s house on May 5th, and Cici made a really yummy ice cream cake for dessert. Ever since Brooklyn got an over-the-door basketball goal for her room, Savannah has been wanting one too, so she was thrilled to get that for her birthday. She also received some more filament for her 3D pen, some new sleeveless dri-fit shirts, and a new sermon notebook for church.
Speaking of basketball, we attempted to give the girls an outdoor basketball goal for Christmas, but our Amazon order never showed up after being on backorder. Travis had gotten a really good deal on it, so we waited around on it for a good long while before finally giving up and picking out a different one. The second one came in April, and we finally got it put together on May 4th (good timing for two of our soccer games to be cancelled so we would have more time to work on it). The girls couldn’t wait to get out there the next day and try it out. We were happy with how it turned out…hopefully it will hold up for a long time!
On May 6th, we attended the Kindergarten Dinner at the Mill, which was “celebration” themed. The kids were supposed to wear their best/fanciest party clothes, so Abigail picked out this fancy pink dress. It doesn’t get much cuter! Her class, along with one other class, performed a couple of songs led by the music teacher, Mrs. Stewart. They sang “I’m On My Way” and “Celebration”. Abigail seemed a little nervous and told me afterward that she purposely didn’t look at us while she was up there, but she did great. I loved all the hand motions they did while singing. Abigail was excited that Mrs. Curry came to watch. It was hard to believe that her kindergarten year was almost over!
The girls found some honeysuckle growing on a bush on the walk home from school on May 7th. Every day after that, they wanted to stop and see if they could find more to eat :)
Mrs. Curry got an “ice cream shop” for one of the stations in her classroom, and Abigail was so excited :)
On May 8th, I went with Brooklyn on a field trip to Bob Jones for a Super Citizen program that all of the 5th graders from the local elementary schools attended. Students from each school went up on stage to honor a hero, and a group of Mill Creek kids chose to honor Mrs. Smith, the 5th grade science teacher who had passed away a couple of months earlier in the year. They did a great job! This was Brooklyn’s last field trip in elementary school, and I was glad to be able to go with her.
May 6th-10th was Teacher Appreciation Week at school, and Savannah and Abigail made these sweet cards for their teachers. Brooklyn didn’t draw anything for her teachers ;) but I loved that she wrote in her math teacher’s card: “Thank you for helping me understand that math can be fun.” She has never loved math, so that was a big compliment!
When a tornado warning keeps you up past your bedtime, you make the best of it with bowls of popcorn ;)
“Look, Mommy! I did my own ponytail!”
Mrs. Borys’ class made robots and measured the area of their heads, arms, legs, etc. Savannah really enjoyed having her friend Gabriella in her class this year!
On May 10th, Abigail was supposed to dress up like what she wanted to be when she grows up. Mrs. Curry’s class had been learning about different careers at school. Abigail had been saying that she wanted to be a singer when she grows up, so that’s what we prepared for. Then she tried to change it on me at the last minute and say she wanted to be a farmer instead…haha. Unfortunately we didn’t have any farmer clothes on hand, so she had to dress like a singer instead :) She still had fun!
Abigail’s soccer team played a makeup game that evening at 5:30 pm since their game last Saturday was rained out. We had to leave the game a little early to get to school for Math and Munchies night with Mrs. Curry, but Abigail got to play the first 3 quarters at least! The other team had some REALLY tall girls…they looked at least as tall as Savannah and maybe Brooklyn! That didn’t stop Abigail from scoring 2 goals though. Her team ended up winning 8-5!
Math and Munchies night was a lot of fun in Mrs. Curry’s room. The kids sang several songs, and then Mrs. Curry had different activities set up around her classroom and a math scavenger hunt that we could do as a family outside. All of the girls enjoyed the scavenger hunt, making shapes out of toothpicks and marshmallows, making patterns with starbursts, etc. Mrs. Curry is an amazing teacher, and this is just one reason why!
That evening after it got dark, we were amazed to be able to see the Northern Lights in our own backyard!! It was due to a very strong geomagnetic storm. The view was definitely better through the cell phone lens, but we could even see them faintly with our own eyes. It was really cool!
The next morning (May 11th), Abigail’s team played first at 8:45 AM on Dublin 4. Not much rest for the weary! Abigail’s team ended up winning 4-3, and she scored 2 goals again, including her team’s first goal! She is still working up the courage to tackle the ball away from the other team, but watch out if she gets the ball on a breakaway! She is a quick dribbler, and before you know it, she’s made it down the field to the goal!
Savannah’s team played next at 11 AM at Palmer 9. We had time to go home and make lunches before heading to her game. Her team played well and won easily. I think the final score was something like 6-0. Savannah didn’t score today, but had an assist when she passed it to Yenni, who scored. She played good defense against a really tall player on the other team. She also got the chance to play goalie during the 4th quarter and made several saves. None were super close to going in, but she did a great job for her first time ever playing goalie in a real game!
Brooklyn’s team played last at 1 pm at Dublin 5. We had just enough time to get to her game after Savannah’s ended with time for her to warm up. Her team won 5-0, and Brooklyn scored the first goal! She played great defense and made nice passes today. She sat out the 4th quarter, but played the first 3.
We drove down to Trussville after the soccer games, and on May 12th we celebrated Mother’s Day and Savannah’s belated birthday. Savannah blew out a candle on a giant cupcake and opened several gifts: new books, roller skates, a Star Wars Lego set, and some stretchy capri leggings. The biggest hit of all though was the gift that Abigail got: a skip-it toy! Similar but not exactly like the kind that were around when I was a kid. All 3 girls wanted to play with it on the back patio after that. Abigail is still trying to get the hang of it, but the other girls caught on pretty quickly! We enjoyed celebrating Jenn’s first Mother’s Day with her too.
On May 13th, I ate one last school lunch with Brooklyn as a 5th grader and elementary school student. She wanted to invite a few friends to sit with us too, so Bella, Paisley, and Whitney joined us.
Brooklyn hosted a “book club” after school that day, and they ate heart-shaped cookies and milk in her room :)
Field Day for Kindergarten-2nd grade was on May 14th. This was Abigail’s first Field Day, and she was so excited after hearing her sisters talk about it for years. I was glad to be able to volunteer and see her at some of the stations. The weather forecast wasn’t looking great, but it never rained either day. It felt especially cool and great on Abigail’s Field Day. She had a blast! She said her favorite activities were the sponge relay and eating Jeremiah’s Ice 😊
By this point in the school year, not much real learning was going on ;) Brooklyn came out that afternoon with these creepy claws on her fingers…haha. She said a friend helped her make them during free time.
3rd-5th grade Field Day was on May 15th. I helped out at the Tug-of-War station in the morning and enjoyed seeing Savannah and Brooklyn come through. Savannah had a great day and said her favorite things were all of the “water stuff” (sponge relay and leaky bucket) and the inflatables. She was especially glad to make it through the entire day without getting sick like last year in 2nd grade.
It was a bittersweet day since it was Brooklyn’s last ever Field Day. She had a lot of fun and said her favorites were the dunk tank (which was new this year! She said she barely missed when she was trying to dunk Ms. Mckee) and playing volleyball.
On May 16th, the girls happened to all wear bright pink. I tried to get a picture outside before we walked to school, but not everyone was feeling cooperative ;)
At the spring book fair, we were buying a few books for some of the girls’ former teachers, and Brooklyn asked if we could buy one for Mrs. Waite as well. None of the girls ever had Mrs. Waite as their teacher, but she has been Brooklyn’s “house mom” since kindergarten, and Brooklyn has loved being part of her house family. I said yes, so Brooklyn picked out a book from Mrs. Waite’s wish list, and we bought it for her. Mrs. Waite told her soon afterward that she would love for Brooklyn to come to her classroom and read the book to her class, so Brooklyn was finally able to do that on May 16th. Brooklyn normally doesn’t like to read out loud in front of others, so I was proud of her for doing that!
Savannah’s class welcomed a group of 2nd graders to their room that day so they could tell them all about what 3rd grade is like :)
Thankfully, Abigail cheered up by the time her end-of-the-year party was held that afternoon ;) The party was on the track behind the school, and all of the kindergarten classes came out for it. The kids had fun eating popsicles and just running around with their friends. It doesn’t need to be complicated for kids that age!
Brooklyn and some of her classmates made this “map” in social studies. They had to include landmarks and a compass. She was proud of how it turned out!
May 17th was the Senior Stroll for all of the high school seniors from JC or Bob Jones who went to Mill Creek in elementary school to come back for a parade down the hallway and celebration in the cafeteria. I happened to be there for a PTA meeting and caught Savannah high fiving the seniors as they marched down the hall :)
A few other pictures of Savannah at school – playing games/Legos, reading with her kindergarten buddy, and working on a end-of-the-year memory book.
Brooklyn’s advanced math class worked in groups on a Geometrocity project, which involved making a 3D city. It took a lot of work to make it, and Brooklyn enjoyed the process!
Savannah got a Star Wars Lego set for her birthday, and she and Brooklyn worked on it together after school.
May 18th was the last Saturday of the spring soccer season. The forecast was looking stormy and rainy, so we weren’t sure whether we’d get the games in or not. Savannah’s game was up first at 8 am on Dublin 9. We didn’t know until we got there that the Ice Pops would be playing the “other Savannah” today. Savannah ended up sitting out the first quarter, and the other Savannah scored two goals during that time. She scored another goal during the second quarter, I believe. However, it really shouldn’t have counted because she wasn’t behind the buildout line when the goal kick was taken. Gabriella scored one goal for the Ice Pops, so they ended up losing 1-3. It was the Ice Pops’ first loss of the season. Our Savannah played really hard. She had a nice cross to Yenni toward the very end of the game with her left foot, but Yenni couldn’t knock it in the goal. Savannah was happy to get a medal from Coach Bob and didn’t seem as upset as I figured she would be after the loss. She doesn’t like to lose, but maybe she is learning to handle it better as she gets older. Or maybe the post-game doughnut helped 😉 We were excited that the Johnson family came to watch the game too.
It didn’t rain all morning, and Brooklyn’s game was next up at 10 am on Palmer 2. Her team won the game easily 7-1. Brooklyn sat out the 3rd quarter, and played center midfielder the other 3 quarters. She scored the first goal of the game and scored another goal toward the end of the game. She also took a penalty kick (although missed it) and had several other shots on goal too. She had fun!
Abigail’s team played at 12:30 pm at Dublin 4. We had time to run home first and eat a quick lunch. The rain and storms were moving in, but Abigail’s game was able to get through the first half and a minute or two into the 3rd quarter before they closed the fields. It was lightly raining the whole time they played. We were surprised and excited that Sarah and her girls came for part of the game! Abigail scored the first goal of the game, and I believe they were winning 2-1 when the game was called off. Abigail amazes us by how hard she runs and how fast she is. She is still learning how to play defense, but she is great on breakaways and we love seeing her strong left footed shots! She had a fun season and definitely held her own even playing up with older girls in 8U. It was especially fun for her to play with Liv and get to know her better!
We had a small group dinner that evening that Wendy hosted at the Monrovia Middle School library where she works. She set up some games for us to play, including a cake walk and ring toss. We came home with all kinds of sugar afterward…haha. The girls loved it!
Savannah got a new sermon notes book for her birthday, and I loved seeing what she got out of the sermon on May 19th :)
We have a growing Squishmallow collection at our house!
May 20th was an e-learning day at home. With it being the last week of school, there weren’t too many assignments. We enjoyed the slower pace at home and doing school in our PJs :)
We had a heart-to-heart conversation with Brooklyn one evening after the other girls went to bed where she didn’t exactly understand/agree with our rationale for not giving her something she was asking for. Then this card and candy showed up on our bed the next day. I think she appreciated how much we care about her and love her even if she doesn’t always agree with our decisions.
On May 21st, Brooklyn had her 5th grade graduation in the school cafeteria. We would have loved to invite others to attend, but due to space constraints, each student was only allowed 2 tickets for family members. The graduation was more involved than I thought it would be with quite a few awards given out. All the kids got to walk across the stage to receive their folder with their certificate, and then some kids came back up to get medals after that. Brooklyn received 4 awards: A honor roll (which she worked really hard for in math especially), Academic Excellence in Science and Social Studies (highest GPA in her block for that subject), and Outstanding Achievement in Reading. They also gave out some House awards for good character as well as a couple of other awards. There was a slideshow with pictures of the kids at the end, and they had ice cream floats outside afterward. It was a really nice morning! The only time I got teary was when the 5th grade choir sang a couple of songs. We took some pictures before Brooklyn asked to check out early. It was a half day, but she got to come home a few minutes early at least 😉 It still didn’t feel right that we were about to have a middle schooler soon!
Meanwhile, Savannah’s class spent some time with their kindergarten buddies outside playing with chalk…
…and Mrs. Curry sent me this picture of her with Abigail on their second-to-last day together. She’s just the best!
That night, Brooklyn received the Outstanding Leadership award from Coach Joe at her end of the season soccer party. He saved her award for last and complimented her on her game and how her teammates follow her lead on the field in terms of effort and intensity. She sure makes us proud!
The girls’ last day of school was May 22nd, and of course we took some pictures to commemorate it ;) Here are their comparisons from the first day to last day. The last picture (with Brooklyn’s first day of kindergarten picture) really got me! It doesn’t seem like that long ago that she was starting elementary school….the time has really flown!
It was Brooklyn’s last time to walk to school and home (and the last time for all three girls to walk together). I thought I might cry, but I actually surprised myself and didn’t…
I can always count on Mrs. Borys for pictures, and not surprisingly, she shared several pictures of her class on their last day. I loved the big group hugs before they all went their separate ways for summer!
Mrs. Pride (Savannah’s 1st grade teacher) caught up with the girls in the hallway before they left. We were so sad to leave Mrs. Curry, but hopeful that Abigail would have Mrs. Pride next year for 1st grade :)
So excited for SUMMER!!
For the last couple of years, we’ve planned a pool date with a group of friends on the last day of school to celebrate. This year we had it at Kirsten’s house instead of our neighborhood pool. The girls enjoyed swimming and eating cookie cake and snacks!
Off and on while the girls were in school this year, Savannah and Abigail would play school at home during their free time. Savannah was the teacher (Ms. S), and Abigail was the student. Savannah made worksheets, gave tests, and even handed out report cards 😉 When the school year ended, Brooklyn took over as the summer school teacher named Ms. B. They literally started summer school on May 23rd, the first official day of summer break…haha.
At least we got to have a “picnic” lunch outside even though summer school had already begun :)
Brooklyn went to Diana’s birthday party that evening and was her usual silly self ;)
We also celebrated the start of summer at Gena’s house with some of the kids from church on May 24th. They ate pizza, watched a movie, and played outside.
Savannah has had two loose teeth for a while now, but one is looser than the other. She usually just lets her loose teeth fall out on their own because she is scared for someone or herself to pull them 😉 But tonight (May 24th) she let Daddy pull the loosest one because it was really bothering her. When he pulled it out, she didn’t even realize because it was so loose! Tooth #7…she said it was her first tooth she’d lost since 1st grade!
We had a great weekend at the lake for Memorial Day weekend. We drove down on Saturday in time for lunch and stayed until Sunday after supper. The girls had a blast playing on the lily pad, swimming, going down the slide, going on a jet ski ride with Rae Rae, and playing with the dogs. Jenn, Chandler, and Christian came, along with Walter and Champ (just for Saturday). It was quite the crew! It was Christian’s first trip to the lake as well as Walter’s first time/first time to go swimming! He wasn’t sure what to think about it, but the girls were entertained 😉 We had a fun time!
On May 27th, Travis and Matt ran the Cotton Row 10K AND 5K (first time doing both races in the same day!).
That evening, we grilled steaks and yummy squash/onions for dinner. It was delicious! After dinner, we played a family game of Horse on our new basketball goal. It was the first time all of us had played basketball together. It’s obvious that the girls have been practicing a lot! The first game of Horse came down to Brooklyn and Savannah, and it took a while before one of them was out. They just kept making shots! Savannah won the first round, and then we shuffled the order. Abigail won the second game of Horse on a “Granny bank shot”. She and Travis were the last ones standing, and she called that shot and made it….haha. And then Travis missed! It was hilarious and she was so excited! The next day she made a couple of backwards Granny shots…haha. I hope the girls get a lot of use out of the basketball goal over the years to come because it was definitely a labor of love when we put it together a few weeks earlier. We were up til midnight finishing it in the dark on the driveway!
Abigail was the only one who did swim lessons this summer. I signed her up for a beginner refresher class during the week of Memorial Day (5/28-5/31). It was one 30 minute lesson for 4 days in a row. There were 4 other kids in her class, and they all did great. I was really proud of how well she swam! On the first day, it took her a few tries to remember how to tuck her chin and not swim too far down in the pool. But after that she did great and wasn’t ever afraid to jump in from the side or from the diving board. By the 3rd and 4th days, Ashleigh told Abigail to try using her arms along with her legs, and I was so impressed at how well she used her arms when swimming. She tried diving on the 3rd day and said it was a little scary the first time. She did more of a belly flop than an actual dive, but it was good for her first try! Ashleigh says she is ready for beginner strokes next summer! I’m glad we signed her up for these lessons just to make sure she was comfortable and safe in the water for the summer.
The girls made a summer bucket list and got busy doing some of the things on it as well as some other fun things during the last few days of May. They caught a dragonfly, played more basketball, made fingerprint art, had a fashion show, and played with American Girl dolls. The summer was off to a good start!
Notes and Quotes from May 2024:
- It’s been a really special year having all the girls at Mill Creek. I spent a lot of volunteer hours there as part of the PTA board, and it was a good year to take on that level of responsibility. I really enjoyed being secretary for the most part, although it did add to my stress level during certain parts of the year. We had a great group of officers who worked well together, and I enjoyed creating and maintaining a new PTA website and newsletter. One thing I didn’t enjoy about being a PTA officer was how much time it took during the summer last year. I decided not to be an officer next year, so I’m looking forward to having a little less on my plate this summer.
- Brooklyn had a good year overall in 5th grade. Her math teacher, Mrs. Hess, was especially great. She made learning math fun and had so many hands-on activities to help the kids learn the concepts. I think Brooklyn was glad that she tried accelerated math, and she managed to keep an A average all year (just barely!). She enjoyed changing classes and semi-having her own schedule.
- Savannah LOVED having Mrs. Borys for her teacher, and we were so thankful for all the little things Mrs. Borys did to help Savannah with certain things this year. Savannah has trouble speaking up sometimes, and Mrs. Borys created a journal just for the two of them to write back and forth in. Such a thoughtful thing to do and Savannah loved having that as an option for communicating with her. She even told Savannah they could continue writing back and forth next year when she is in 4th grade. Savannah wasn’t ready for the school year to end! She did so well in 3rd grade and made a few new girl friends and tolerated the boys. She played them in soccer a lot during recess and enjoyed filling us in on how they cheated or didn’t play fair but sometimes the girls still won 😉
- Abigail had a really wonderful year in kindergarten. I can’t overstate how fantastic Mrs. Curry is – she is just the epitome of the perfect kindergarten teacher. She stresses learning through play and sings with the kids, has different stations set up for them to play, and they do crafts and just lots of fun stuff. I love her so much! Abigail loved her too.
- The night before the last day of school, Abigail told me “I feel sad.” When I asked her why, she said, “Because I don’t want to leave Mrs. Curry”. She couldn’t even get the sentence out before she burst into tears. For the rest of the week, she told me every day that she missed Mrs. Curry. She got up early on the last day of school (not unusual), but she took the time to make Mrs. Curry a card without any prompting from me. She told me she wished she could stay with her for “1200 days or probably a lot longer.”
- After school on the last day, I had her fill out a last day of school scrapbook page that I have the girls do every year. There was a spot to put her favorite subject, and I explained to her what that meant and gave her some examples. A few minutes later she had finished filling it out and showed me what she’d written. For favorite subject, she wrote, “Mrs. Curry.” I thought she’d just messed up because the line above it was for “teacher’s name” but she wrote “Mrs. Curry” for both. When I asked her why Mrs. Curry was her favorite subject, she replied, “Because I like her!” 😊
- We have been blown away by how well Abigail has learned to read this year. She is reading many big words with ease and has even read part of a Boxcar Children chapter book already! She isn’t nearly as fluent with math as reading, so we may have to work with her on math more intentionally. But it’s been really neat to see her growth compared to where she started the year out not even knowing all of the letters in the alphabet or how to write them! I think I’ve been more sad about Abigail finishing kindergarten than Brooklyn finishing 5th grade because we won’t ever have Mrs. Curry again. She is that wonderful and we are really going to miss her!!
