Last Day of School!

Today is the kids' last day of school!

This school year did not end at all they way we thought it would, or in some cases, even wanted it to.  That being said, I've really loved having them home over the past two months.  It took a couple of days for Jackson and I to get into a good rhythm of doing school at home, but after that, it was great!  He's so smart, and I loved being able to watch him do such a great job each day.  And Sarah clearly didn't need my help, but I did love having her here!

This was Sarah on her first day of school this year.

And this is her today.

This was Jackson on his first day of school.

And this is him today.

They seem so little here!

And this picture of them makes me want to cry because they really do look so much older!  I can't believe that Jackson only has a year left in intermediate school, and I really can't believe that Sarah only has a year left of high school!  

Sarah was a rockstar yet again this year!  She's number 3 in her class, and she got all "A's"--and several of those were 100's!  She received an award for Physics and countless Journalism awards!

Jackson was amazing this year!  He got all "A's" and "B's" again!  In fact, he only got 2 "B's" all year--and they were in math.  And then he moved those "B's" to a 99 by the last semester!  His teachers said he was a "joy to have in class" and that they would never forget his "kindness, intelligence, and humor!"  He also received a ticket to Six Flags because he read so much at home!  

One of Sarah's Journalism awards was receiving 1st place from the Dallas Morning News--beating out  all other entries in the state!

We did the kids' last day of school treat like we do each year, only today, we brought the goodies home with us!  

We're so proud of them, and we're looking forward to soaking them up over the summer!

Happy Birthday, Sarah!

17 years ago today, God blessed us with our baby girl.  It has been one of the greatest joys watching her turn in to the amazing and beautiful person she is.

She is Jackson's favorite, 

Bryan's little girl,

 and my best friend!

And even though she's 17 today, she will always be our baby.

A Little Tradition

Yesterday, the kids made these little cookies that we've been making every holiday for the past 15 years.

It's a simple tradition, but it's one of our very favorites.

First Day of School Treat

One of our favorite first day of school traditions is getting a treat when the kids get home!  They love it because they get to eat dessert before dinner, and I love it because I get to hear all about their first day!  Sarah had band practice yesterday evening, so we had to get our treat to go, but we got it nonetheless!

Jackson:
The whole squad is there--all my friends!
My teacher is so nice!
I got the best chair is class--the rocking chair!
Math class was so easy!
Lunch was good!  I loved your note!  Me and Beckett had the same thing--only his didn't have mayo.  We get to sit wherever we want at lunch!
At recess, the monkey bars were hot, and the swings were full.  Nothing compared to gaga ball though...I scraped my knee and almost broke my hand playing it!
Intermediate school is so easy to make friends!

Sarah:
My day was fine.  It literally felt like we had a long weekend, and then we were back!
I really like my pre-cal teacher!  I sat in the front row in there, because I'm a nerd, but then on the board it said to arrange yourself by birthdays.  We already have pre-cal homework.
I really like AP English, but then when she was talking about it, I got stressed out.  I pulled out my phone in English, and I asked, 'how has my mom already texted me?!' and everyone said, 'mine too!'
My AP US history teacher is loud.
I was really excited to get back into journalism, and Mrs. Short brought up that I won state like 7 times!
I have a bunch on friends in physics!

I already can't wait to hear how their second day of school goes!

First Day of School

It's the first day of school!  And somehow, it's our babies first day of 11th grade and 4th grade!  Today was also the first day I didn't drive Sarah to school or walk Jackson into school!  My Mama heart could barely take it!

  

I can't believe she's starting 11th grade today!

That's halfway through with high school!

 

Jackson's now at the intermediate school!  That's big time!

This morning, he kept saying, "I'm so excited to go to school!  I don't think I'll be excited to go to school again until I'm in college!"

They're so cute!  Jackson told Sissy this morning that she looked pretty!

I already can't wait to see this this afternoon!

Marching Band

Yesterday was the end of summer marching band, and it was also Family Night.

That means that we get to watch the kiddos perform what they've been working on from 7:00 AM-9:00 PM the last 3 weeks of marching band.  It also means that they teach us how to march.  This year, Sarah taught Jackson how to march, and it was adorable!

This picture kills me!

To cap off summer marching band, we did what we always do to celebrate--went out for peach milkshakes!

Library Day

 Yesterday was our first trip to the library this summer!

We've been coming to this library and taking pictures on this bench every winter and summer break for the past 5 years.

They used to be so little!

This is one of my favorite pictures of all time!  The way he's looking at her...heart melting.

Last Day of School!

 Friday was the kids' last day of school!  

This was Sarah on the first day of school.

And this is her on the last day of school!

This is Jackson on the first day of school this year.

And this is him on his last day of school...his last day of elementary school to be exact!

Sarah had an amazing 10th grade year!  She remained number 2 in her class!  She won more journalism awards than we could count!  And next year, she's going to be an editor for the school paper.  She currently wants to be a journalist when she grows up, so it's so fun watching her pursue and grow in her passion now!  Sarah was also named a brass captain for the upcoming marching band season!  We just love seeing her shine!

Jackson did great in 3rd grade!  He got all "A's" and "B's" again!  He still loves reading so much!  And he also really loves science and math!  He loved being a leader on the Safety Patrol and being on the Chess Team again!  We're just so proud of him!

They've both grown and changed so much this year!

Jackson has gotten a lot taller!

I can't believe that Sarah is half way through with school, and next year, Jackson will be at the intermediate school!  It's all going by so fast!  Until next year starts though, I plan to eat them up all summer long!

I began this school year by baking the kids a "Friday treat" each Friday, so that's also how I ended it.  And I knew I wanted to do something pretty special for their last treat, so when I saw these huge cookies, I knew they would be perfect!  The kids loved them!

We also went to get our traditional last day of school treats.  They picked peach milkshakes from Chick-fil-a!  They were a great choice!

Ugly Sweater Day

Last Thursday, both kids had Ugly Sweater Day at school!  Even in their ugly sweaters, they're cute!

Chewy 1 and 2

A couple of years ago, my brother and his girlfriend got Jackson a Chewbacca suit.  Then, this year for Halloween, Sarah's trumpet section dressed as Star Wars' characters, and she went as Chewy.  So, I just had to get a picture of them together in their suits!  They're my very favorite!

First Day of School

Somehow, summer is over, and my babies are headed back to school.

And what's even harder to believe...this baby is headed to 10th grade!

I swear, it was just yesterday that her Daddy and I were walking her to kindergarten, and her princess backpack was as big as she was!  And now, she's a quarter of the way done with high school!

This baby is off to 3rd grade today!  That's the last grade of elementary school!  I just can't believe it!

He's so big!  And I don't know how to make it stop!

I know they're going to have a great first day and a great year!

And even though it's only been an hour since I dropped them off, I already miss them so much and can't wait to hug them and kiss them and hear all about their day!

They're my very favorite!