Graduations!

Our family celebrated at three graduation ceremonies this year. Lexi graduated from preschool; Gavin from kindergarten; and Tyler from elementary school. That's a lot of pomp and circumstance for children simply moving from one grade to another, but I was glad for the chance to celebrate the milestones and the children achieving them!

Lexi was first. Her graduation ceremony was May 21, and it was held in our church building since all the kids are LDS and the number of attendees was more than could fit in Ms. Rachel's preschool space. Lexi was adorable in her little mortarboard and received her diploma without her usual shyness. I'm always happy when she can overcome her fear of being in front of people and enjoy what is happening around her. She will miss her little classmates but will probably continue to see a few of them.

Tyler's 5th grade "continuation" ceremony was on June 2, the night before the last day of school. Sadly, Garry was out of town for work so he missed Tyler's and Gavin's graduations. The ceremony was simplified since last year, but Tyler still thought it was really special. He has had five wonderful years at Academy Endeavour, and we are so grateful for his good experiences there! After Continuation, I took Tyler to Cheddar's for dinner (he ordered shrimp!) and gave our gift to him: a book signed by all of Tyler's teachers. He teared up a little as he read the messages. What a tender soul. We plan to have the book signed by all of his teachers as he gets older, so hopefully it will be a treasured keepsake when he graduates from high school. We are doing this for each of our kids.

Gavin graduated on the last day of school. His dimples just slay me. Isn't he the cutest?!?  Gavin has had a great year full of so much learning and growth. He absolutely loves school and has done very well. It has been fun to see his reading and writing improve so much, and to see his horizons expand as he has been exposed to art and technology and culture and higher-level thinking. Gavin is a big almost-first-grader now!

During his graduation ceremony, each student read a "When I Grow Up" page he or she had written. Gavin's was great! The school also provided a free picture of Gavin in a graduation cap. So cute.

Zach didn't have a ceremony for finishing sixth grade, but it's a milestone nonetheless. We have all survived our first year of middle school! I, for one, hope that 7th grade is smoother! But we ended on a high note: Zach got all A's except one B+. Go Zach! He came home on the last day as a human yearbook. I rolled my eyes...

Here's a photo of all of the kids on their first and last days of the 2013-2014 school year. Gavin and Zach were grumpy...I guess that's just real life! So much has changed, and yet so much has remained the same.

All of our school-aged children have been blessed with wonderful teachers this year. I have finally arrived at being glad that school is over for a while. I look forward to a more relaxed schedule and more free time. Ask me again in a few weeks, though...I might be making a paper chain for August 18th.

The entreprenuer

This year Tyler's school required two significant end-of-year projects for the fifth graders: a science fair project and a legitimate business endeavor.

Tyler dove right into his science project, which turned out to be a survey: What color of soda do people like best? He colored several bottles of 7-up, poured the drink into glasses, and, after his Cub Scout Pack Meeting in April, surveyed children and adults at the church. Among the 27 participants, purple soda was most popular with the adults, while orange was most popular with the children. Some people noticed that all of the soda tasted the same, while others did not. It was cool to see the way color tricks the mind. I think it would have been interesting to ask people to identify the flavors of the different-colored drinks, but that would have been another project entirely. Tyler displayed his project in class one day. Garry and I visited. There wasn't a science fair with places and prizes--just a simple walk-through in the classroom. Tyler did a great job and did nearly all of the work himself. 

Before the science fair was finished, the next big project began. All of the students had to run a business. They had to write a business plan, take out a $6.00 loan from parents, buy supplies, hire employees, and sell goods or services. After collecting money and deducting expenses, profits would go to the school. Tyler was initially VERY overwhelmed because he missed an entire week of school due to a nasty strain of croup, and that was the week when the other fifth graders were preparing their businesses. Eventually he re-grouped and decided to launch a bakery called Tyler's Tongue-Tingling Tasties. Because his product was food, he couldn't plan to sell any at school (allergy restrictions), so I posted an "ad" on Facebook and through the ward email list, and in no time Tyler had eager customers. Tyler did all of the baking. Mom and Dad supervised, helping where needed.

    (One batch failed....)

Making crescent rolls on one Saturday and cupcakes the following Wednesday was a monumental effort, but he finished with a profit of $88.00. He learned a lot about time and financial investments, and also what baking supplies cost.

He also learned how to make a pretty great crescent roll and delicious buttercream frosting! Some of his positive feedback: "Those rolls were amazing!"  "I wish I had ordered more!"  "Are you sure your mom didn't make these?" "Best cupcakes ever!" "Can I order some more on the sly?" I think all of us are glad, however, that for now, Tyler has retired from the bakery business.

When I asked Tyler how he felt about his business experience, he said, "I liked the experience selling because I had a lot of fun, even though I messed up several times. I especially liked the crescent rolls, even though they weren't exactly like I wanted them to be, they tasted very good. I liked the cupcakes because a lot of people bought them. I was surprised because cupcakes...are just cupcakes! It was awesome because I got hired at the last minute on Selling Day (at school, where kids with non-food items could sell their wares to other students). I liked that I could do something during the Selling Day. It was fun."

Yay Tyler!

May Letters

Dear family (in my home and otherwise),

Sometimes happiness comes in a box...

...or a basket.

Thanks for the birthday gifts.

Love--Me

...

Dear weather gods,

Snow boots and swimming suits in the same week is bizarre.

Yours Truly--Confused mama who is bidding winter farewell, no matter what

...

Dear National Do Not Call Registry,

Despite having filed my home number with you three(-ish...seems like 20) times , I still receive telephone solicitations on a regular basis. I am tempted to block all solicitors' calls and blast back that message I've seen on some front doors. It goes something like, "We've found Jesus, we like our vacuum, and our roof is fine, thankyouverymuch." Do you know it?  I think it ends with "...unless you're selling girl scout cookies..."

I'd ditch our home phone except that my children would have no way to call me when I'm gone. Hmm....there's an idea.

Impatiently--Current Resident

...

Dear Wells Fargo,

Thanks for being good to us. Garry sure has been good to you for ten years! Thanks for the extra five days of paid time off, for the steak lunch Garry's boss paid for, and for his early release last Friday.

With appreciation--The employee's wife

...

Dear Colorado Springs Utilities,

Our electricity usage has inexplicably decreased by half over the last year. I have no idea what's happening, but thank you for the credit on our bill.

Thankfully--Equal-pay customer

...

Dear daughters,

The fact that both of you soiled your underwear in a 20-minute period while we were away from home reinforces my belief that storing multiple pairs of back-up clothing in the van is a must. Kate would probably agree, as she's the one who ended up in a diaper. I am glad that one of you refused to eat breakfast before school, and so had a zip baggie of cereal that we could use for...um...waste. Ew. That was gross.

Resignedly--Still a diaper-changing mama

...

Dear Subway,

I am sorry that one of the afore-mentioned incidents happened on your premises.

Sincerely--Your customer

...

Dear Coats & Clark,

You make transparent thread. I sew scout patches to olive drab shirts. It seems that we would be a match made in heaven (or Troop 512). However, my sewing machine hates you. Patient as I was about starting over and over and over, I simply couldn't tolerate the mess you made in my bobbin compartment, not to mention the fact that you wouldn't complete an actual seam. And so I return to matching threads to patches. *sigh*

Yours (or maybe not) in sewing--A wannabe seamstress

...

Dear Hobby Lobby,

Why don't you carry Guterman thread? Let's hope Lexi doesn't noticed the slight shade differential in the seams of her bed curtains, since I RAN OUT OF THREAD during the final phase of the eternal sewing project I am attempting for her birthday, and I didn't want to drive to another store when I had already driven to you. Bah.

Secretly--President, Overly-Ambitious Anonymous

...

Dear May,

You are just as harrowing as December, minus the snow and ice. Wait...

Yours in scheduling--Mother of four school children and a toddler who naps

...

Dear friend with a husband and father in the hospital,

Your stress is palpable. Man, I wish I could help. I sure love your family.

Love to you--Your mom's former-but-always visiting teacher

...

Dear Landsharks,

I am sad that you changed your policy and no longer allow kindergartners to run in the one-mile race. Gavin was totally planning on it, telling everyone about his "big race." He was so disappointed. However, after processing the disappointment for a while, he said, "Mom, can I do Landsharks next year so I can run the mile?" I guess he's resilient.

Speedily (or not)--A mom raising a runner

...

Dear LG,

Our dishwasher--or rather, your dishwasher in my kitchen--is broken. Do know how lame this is for a family that generates so many dirty dishes? Garry has ordered one of your fancy heating elements and will attempt to make the repair himself. We'll see. Until then I am remembering the days of washing dishes by hand when I was a kid, and feeling guilty for the lack of character-building parenting in my current home every time I pass out paper bowls and plates at meal time. I am trying to believe that, as a friend pointed out, we might be conserving water while killing trees.

Sadly--A lazy mom

...

Dear Not Me,

Thank you (but not) for sitting in the stroller and breaking the seat, and for taking off the front wheel simply because it is removable. Seriously, I don't know how the idea of LEAVE IT ALONE never enters your head!

Crying with frustration--Fed up

...

Dear Kate,

Stop being so ridiculously cute. It's really hard to discipline a cherub, except when said cherub is acting decidedly un-heavenly. Then it's easy.

Lovingly--Yo mama

...

Dear AEES teachers,

We love you, which hopefully is obvious by the tedious process required I created for myself to make these posters. I don't know when I'll learn to pass on projects like this. Maybe you can teach me.

With gratitude--The Bartle boys' mom

...

Dear Anthony E. Wolf,

Your book is especially resonant in my life right now, but I think you could have emphasized your points about ornery teenagers without all the swearing. Doesn't that mean you're as immature and un-creative as they are? 

Harshly--A desperate but picky reader

...

Dear self,

It has taken a year, but I am glad you f.i.n.a.l.l.y figured out that relocating Kate's clothes to the lower drawers would nearly eliminate her incessant need to invert the laundry baskets and use them as ladders.

With relief and gratitude--A slow learner

...

Dear Saturday evening,

You were just perfect for a walk. Ahhhh....

Appreciatively--A fresh air lover

...

Dear child with a pink obsession,

Your outfits are always creative, but the nightgown-boots-jacket-helmet combo especially amused me.

Mama

...

Dear Not Me,

Whatever possessed you to put a marker inside of a jar of burning wax is beyond me, but I am sure you enjoyed seeing the results of the experiment. Bursting glass and dripping wax are always funny, right?!

With suspicion and annoyance--Your exhausted mother

...

Dear Lynn the attendance lady,

You always laugh at my children when we stop by the middle school to drop off a child or an item. It is true: they are crazy. That day I brought in four children between the ages of two and four (one is hiding behind the bench) was especially chaotic, but only because we had to wait 20 minutes for you to locate my son.

With a smirk--Zach's mom

...

Dear band director,

We've got another percussionist in the family. He will probably practice.

Excitedly--Tyler's mom

...

Dear Pinterest,

I found this wreath and LOVE it, but I think I am not up to such a project. Maybe next summer? (Because surely I'll have more free time then...hahahahahaha...)

Yours in pinning--A recovering ambitious crafter

...

Dear friends and family,

Thank you for supporting Tyler in his required-for-school business. He is too young to appreciate that soliciting money from loved ones is uncomfortable for his parents. Nevertheless, he loves to cook and is excited to sell his made-from-scratch crescent rolls, which, I promise you, will be delicious. A dozen rolls are $4.50 and will be available on Saturday, just in time for Mother's Day. It's not too late to order!

Thankfully--A Tyler's Tongue-Tingling Tasties marketing strategist