Goodbye Preschool, Hello Kindergarten!

((sniff, sniff))

Today was my baby girl's last day of preschool.  Parents were invited to spend the morning doing activities, so I was able to spend some alone time with Kara, soaking up all of her preschool sweetness.

We read, we did art, we snacked, we played, we danced, we hung out with friends ....

we said goodbye to her teacher and got to take home a memory book ...

But I'd have to say that I spent the MOST time trying to figure out how Kara went from that little baby who cried when I dropped her off last year to this big, sweet little girl who loved school so much.

Happy Mother's Day to me!

Mother's Day was like any other day ... busy, filled with running around, lots of commotion, and lots of activity!  We got to spend the morning having breakfast with my family, and giving my mom her annual present:  planting her geraniums and petunias in front of the house.  Later that afternoon, we headed over to Mark's parents' house for what was sure to be a miraculous feat:  getting Grandma and Buck in a picture with all 4 of their children, spouses, and 13 grandchildren.  For the first time in a long time, the whole family was actually present in the state of Illinois at the same time!  The weather cooperated, my sister-in-law Mary Karen did a fabulous job setting up and taking the photos, and I think they all turned out great!

By the end of the day, Mother's Day was like any other day ... busy, filled with running around, lots of commotion and lots of activity.  Lots of time with family, time spent with my kids, and time I wouldn't trade for the world.

Happy Mother's Day to me (and mom, Carolyn, and all of the other mommies and grandmas out there)!

Sing ... Sing a Song ...

Tonight was the night we've been waiting for ... the night we've been hearing about ... the night we've been counting down to on our calendar for weeks and weeks. . .

Jenna's 1st Grade Music Concert!

Jenna's school music teacher does a wonderful job putting together a music performance for each grade level, and invites families to attend.  I love going to these kinds of things, and apparently Jenna loves participating in them!  For weeks now, we've been hearing her sing the songs at home ... so much so that Jack, Kara, Mommy and Daddy all knew most of the songs by heart!  I had to keep reminding Kara and Jack in the audience that they needed to be quiet and not sing throughout the show.

(my camera is lousy at taking far-away photos in a dimly lit gym, but if you look closely you can see Jenna in the center of the bottom row)

After the show, we went to pick Jenna up in her classroom and had a chance to snap some photos of her whole class.  Her teacher, Mrs. P, was just days away from her due date, but still managing to be up on her feet all day with those kids!

I just love to watch my little girl doing what she loves to do.  And boy, does she love to sing!

They're GRRRrrrrreat!

One drawback of living 2 hours away from family and friends is that we don't get to see as much of people as we would like.  A bonus though, is visitors!  We live in Central Illinois, and like to joke that nobody comes here on purpose ... but lots of people pass through on their way to or from someplace else.  We encourage everyone to stop by on their way, and were thrilled when my Aunt and Uncle made arrangements to do so.

It was a quick visit, but I love watching my aunt and uncle, my kids' GREAT aunt and uncle, spend time playing with and getting to know my children.

"Big Jack" and "Little Jack"

(it's hard to tell who's having more fun playing trains!)