School's. Out. For. Summer!!

(What, didn't you guys listen to that rocker 80's song in the summer? Not that I remember who sings it...)

As I sit here typing I can't actually remember if it has been one week or two weeks since school got out. Now that I look at my calendar I see that amazingly, it has only been one. Trust me people, it feels like more than that.

Yes, my crappy summer attitude is here.

I just wanted to post a couple of pictures of the kids with their great teachers - they had such a nice year. Bitty was with Mr. C (his name is too hard to spell out and plus it isn't pronounced the way it reads so there is no point in typing it. But I guess that would have been easier than writing this whole big long sentence....) Mr. C. is absolutely darling with his students. He is so funny and silly and the kids just adore him. Bitty sure did. He uses almost no parent involvement so I didn't get to know him very well but any chance I got to see him interact with his students made it clear why they all adore him.

Stomper's teacher Mrs. Farrell did use a lot of parent help and so I got to know her pretty well. She was in my car for a couple of the kids' field trips and we had some nice chats. I just love her. I wish we were neighbors. Stomper describes her as his favorite teacher so far. I will miss her next year.

 My favorite part of the last day of school may have been meeting the kids on the front lawn outside the school and finding Stomper and three of his buddies absolutely bawling together. This is not to say that he has never cried on the last day of school, but he usually does it quietly to himself, hiding from his friends. It was completely adorable to come out and see these four loud crazy boys lying on the grass in a row and just sobbing. And laughing at the same time. How nice for Stomper to know that he doesn't have to cry alone any more. Sheesh - if they cried like this after 4th grade just imagine the water works after 6th grade! Actually during the final assembly when the 6th graders ran through the tunnel of rulers and said good bye I was crying myself! And I don't even have a 6th grader!

After school we partook in two events that I hope become annual traditions. First, a direct trip to B&D Burgers with some friends - oh mamma. I love me a good avocado burger. We gobbled that up and then quickly headed over to Stomper's buddy's house where a pool party was happening. What a great way to spend the afternoon - chatting happily with my soccer mom friends while the kids romped in the pool. It's a much better solution than taking them home where they are grouchy and disoriented and snap at each other and cry all afternoon. (That comes the next day.) Of course that evening was the Family Fun Fest carnival where we set the kids free on the playground which was full of inflatable slides and bounce houses, cotton candy and snow cone machines, balloon ladies and face painters. It is a crazy night. Stomper finds a pack of boys to hang with, Bitty goes off on her own (should I be worried about her social life?) and Bundle makes her dad take her on everything while I run the volunteer table.

My favorite part of the evening was staying until the bitter end and then having my friend Emily call. She was in a bind because one son's baseball game wasn't over yet and her other son was roaming free at the carnival. We brought the carnival-son home with us - walking home just before twilight and then she arrived soon after. The kids were way too amped up to settle down for bed so her four boys and my three kids hung out, running on the lawn, piling up in the hammock and swinging, playing in the playroom, not leaving until the sun was down and the stars were out. A perfect summer beginning. I hope we get a lot of that this year.

And now, to get through the rest of it.

One last note. Why am I SO TERRIBLE at teacher gifts? Every year it's the same - I totally panic about it. I go to Target and wander around, looking for something cute, not too expensive, not junky, and actually useful. I find 100s of choices, none of which seem right, and get totally overwhelmed and leave in mid-anxiety attack. So I go home and look on the internet. (Darn you, Pinterest!!) I see page after page of adorable ideas, themed baskets and gingham ribboned parcels each with a little punny saying attached. I think, ok. I can do this. I choose a few items - a flower pot I plan to fill with a gift card and a notes from me and the kids each written on a cute little paper flower. I keep trying to get to the gifts before the very last moment but I never make it, so the morning of the last day of school I haul myself out of bed to construct the flowers. After 45 minutes I am angry and have wasted a dozen sheets of paper, and I am no closer to achieving anything remotely cute. Finally I scoop up the load of wasted paper, dump it in the recycling bin, jot down a few words on a note card, shove the gift card in the envelope and tell my kid to give it to their teacher. I am sure the teacher likes it all the same and could you just please remind me next year to not even try for a Pinterest-worthy gift display? I can't handle it.