let's compare... first day and last day

remember... click on the photos to make them bigger and much crisper

Today was the last day of kindergarten!  We got up early, made a couple retirement cards.  Just yesterday we learned that one of the wonderful custodians, Harry, was retiring.  Carl has been buddies with him most of the year, so when we learned that he immediately asked me, "Can I make a card for Harry?"  and Gretchen was not going to be left out of a craft project.

We got to speak to Harry this morning as we were handing out cards and all those stepping stones.  I am going to miss knowing I had someone in the cafeteria and the halls looking out for my kids.  He is a sweet guy!

But, before we headed out to school on the last day of kindergarten we took some pictures to preserve the Last Day of Kindergarten on film just as we had done on the First Day of Kindergarten last August.  I wanted to have them stand in the same exact spot, but the sunlight this morning was too hard, so I had to turn them around and go for some shade.

At school, I got to say 'goodbye' to their classmates as well as their teachers and all the others we ran into this morning.  We found almost all the teachers in person and gave them their stepping stones.  Either they sincerely liked them or they are all very polite people.  Everyone is in agreement....  this year was way too fast!!!

I left them at school as long as possible because on Thursdays they get to be Door Holders for Parent Pick-Up and they love helping Mrs Williams with that!  I even got a picture of her with the kids at pick-up!  We all love her... she is an aide who floats between classrooms for 1-2 and 3-4 classes throughout the week.  I hope she is in whichever class they twins get assigned to!!

After picking them up, we headed home for a snack of warm pumpkin muffins.  Then, we decided that it was too nice to stay home.  So, we grabbed some towels, shovels and pails and headed to the beach.  We didn't bring a camera or a watch!!!  We ended up staying over 2 hours.  It was a fun mix of building sand piles castles and playing in the surf.  It was rough today.  The "no swimming" and yellow caution flags were flying, but the lifeguards were there.  Besides, we don't go in beyond their knees really.  They just didn't want people actually going out to swim farther out.  Gretchen & Carl quickly figured out that if they simply sat down, the waves would seem huge even though none of them even hit my upper legs.  They had a ball!!!  I believe there is some biological urge that forces kids to sprint straight into the ocean.  You never see Carl run as fast as you do when he is at the beach.   Today, he'd bring some water up to the sand castles and then return to the surf at top speed.  Gretchen, too.  At one point, Gretchen yelled to me, "I am SO glad we decided to do this!"

Then, we came home and took a much needed bath.  By that time, Lew was on his way home.  We always go to a local chicken place for dinner on Thursdays because kids eat free on Thursdays and they always have something fun planned.   All summer long, every other week there are a couple bouncy houses in the parking lot to play on.  One Thursday per month they have a magician who roams around while you eat and entertains everyone.  Man, is he fun!!  Then, on the other Thursday they play BINGO, I think.  We have missed that one so far this season due to t-ball.  That has ended (another post, I'm sure) so hopefully we'll get to play BINGO soon.

We got home after 7:00.  They wanted watermelon and popcorn for dessert.  Oh-kay... if you say so.  Then, we got them in bed and all took turns reading 2 of our favorite books:  Don't Let the Pigeon Drive The Bus and The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog, both my Mo Willems.  They are very cute!  And a riot to hear the kids read!!

Lights out about 8:50 (Volvo time for those of you who know Carl and his love of cars and remember my/Shelly's station wagon).  Tomorrow we are going to the children's museum for a water fun day... it's a Kick Off to Summer Vacation party!  They are excited.  I'm sure they won't sleep in even with ocean play and bouncy house time.

So, all in all... it was a perfect Last Day of Kindergarten!!!   (shhh... we had a small present for each of them... girl Legos for Gretchen and a set of Spongebob Matchbox cars for Carl.....  and I forgot to give them to them today.  So, we'll have an extended celebration tomorrow night!)  Time for summer vacation and then First Grade, here we come!!!!