Kindergarten Graduation, an unexpected suprise, and the end of the school year!

So today was Emma's kindergarten graduation. It was at 8:30 am with 1 other kindergarten class (the other 3 classes were at 10am). Mom drove up yesterday so she could go, and it was wonderful that Shon is home this week and could go as well. They looked so cute in their graduation caps and Williams t shirts. All of the kids had a line to recite in the microphone--Emma did a great job (no surprise there for someone who loves being in the spotlight). After their song and recitation, they received their diplomas from Mrs. Gardenhire, the principal. Then it was back to her classroom for a group picture. We decided to just stay after dropping off Emma so we would have a good place to park. While waiting they announced student of the month--and Emma's name was called (each teacher picks out 1 child from their class for each month). This month's word was perseverance. We are very proud of her. I forgot to mention on here that Caleb was student of the month in April--and neither of us can remember his word:-) I am so proud of both kids--they received a special t shirt, and a certificate good for a free meal at Denny's:-)

After graduation, mom and I took Jake to Different Strokes to get him a plate--his brother and sister both have special plates that have their names on them--so she wanted one for Jake. We painted his hand and put different colored stripes around the edge of the plate. Hopefully it will turn out really cute.

The big surprise for me came from Shon. He came home from graduation after running errands and had a package for me--a new camera! I have been wanting something to replace our old digital camera--it is held together with a rubber band after I dropped it and broke a tiny piece off. So I got a Nikon D40! I am very excited to learn how to use it. I really had my heart set on it, but after seeing the price told Shon we could make do with another regular digital one. He saved up the money and bought it--I am so thrilled:-) It will be wonderful to take to Disney when we go this fall.

I really can't believe there are only 2 days left of school for Caleb and Emma--and actually Emma can leave after she finds out who her teacher is on Friday. I don't know if I'm ready to have a 1st and 3rd grader in the house--can't they just stop growing for a little bit? I will try to post some pictures soon of graduation. And I will definitely post some of the pictures from my new camera--once I figure out how to load them on here:-)

Quick post

Just saw an awesome video on youtube (thanks Dixon) that I want to post the link to so I won't forget it--it tells you how to chill a room temperature Coke in 2 minutes:-) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dc9BHiQUpWU Can't wait to try it out!

Caleb Stewart

Happy 8th Birthday Caleb! I can't believe I am the mommy of an 8 year old! Where has all the time gone? I can remember waiting and waiting for you to get here--making sure the nursery was stocked and ready, and worrying about how our dog would react to you:-) You were a beautiful baby--thick brown hair and a pretty blue eyes. Everyone was at the hospital waiting for you to arrive--the joys of a first grandchild:-)

You have grown into such a sweet young man--you are diligent in your schoolwork, love your time at home, are always up for any kind of fun. You enjoy building with Legos, drawing and coloring, basketball, and soccer. You also love playing video games--especially Lego Batman, Lego Indiana Jones, and anything on the Wii.

You are a loyal friend, and are willing to put your feelings aside for someone else to feel better. You are a (mostly) sweet big brother--always trying to help with Jake and play with Emma.

You are a perfectionist and can get upset when things don't go your way, but you usually bounce back fairly quickly from any outburst.

You had a rough start to school this year, but over the last few months have improved tremendously--your reading and writing skills are phenomenal, as evidenced by your reading certificates. You also achieved Student of the Month last month--I am so proud of you for that!

You are a joy to have for a son, and I can't wait to see what new things you will accomplish over the next year--I love you son!