This week my Curtis and Hayden finished school. First and third graders no more. That alone was enough to send this sentimental soul reeling, but the fact that we are leaving our school about did me in!
Maybe it’s the teacher in me, or maybe it’s that it tugs at my heart to see my boys getting older, or maybe I just love the coming together of teachers and children, the comraderie of classroom - probably all of the above - but the end of the school year is such a hodgepodge of emotions. I was glad to participate in the end of the year festivities with my boys, but there was a pit in my stomache, large enough for a whole big bunch of heartache to creep in. I just hate to see it come to an end. I pasted a smile on my face and kept telling myself not to cry. But oops, I did cry. And then I couldn’t make myself stop, and well, it was all rather pitiful.
You see, I LOVE the school my boys attend. Simply put, it is a joyful place. My children were loved there, well-taught there, safe there. They were engulfed right from the start by great kids and teachers and the friendliest office staff imaginable. Because of all this, those good people have endeared themselves to me. You love my boys, I love you back.
And now I am feeling sad that they have to start over. That would have been so hard for me at their age. Of course they’ll be o.k. Of course they’ll make new friends. Of course we will be fond of their new school. But am in the thick of good-byes here, and this one - the first of many to come this month - is particularly painful.
Good buddies …
Curtis reading his poetic masterpiece entitled “The Earth” at the end-of-the-year author celebration.
Not only does Curtis write poetry,but he also writes books! Love the dedication.
Excellent teachers …
Hayden’s teacher gave him the soccer ball he helped “destroy” on the playground with his pals. She had his friends sign it, and it is now a new favorite possesion.
The bus heading up our street after dropping my boys off for the last time. Yes, this also made me cry. Good grief. I was a mess that day. I told you I was pitiful!
Please, let us move on to something more fun. Actually, we’ve been having quite a bit of fun, mixed in with all the moving madness.
We hit the Great Wolf Lodge in Williamsburg and had the best time. Owen is still praying for us “to go back to Great Wolf Lodge Hotel and go swimming.” It was so fun to watch my boys splashing in the water, being so happy. Owen proudly wore his “gobbles” (goggles) the whole time and was quite pleased with his appearance. We ate a lot, laughed even more, and just enjoyed being together. I really treasure these times.
Curtis was so excited to try body surfing. I was impressed that he wanted to do this, since it was something mostly the older crowd was doing.
Sadly, there was the small problem of a swimsuit malfunction. I assured Curtis that no one saw *anything* but he was not convinced. Seriously, no one saw anything. Not even his mother who stood at the edge of the pool, watching his every move.
Notice Owen’s fingers …
He’s doing it again. Why?! I catch him “plugging his nose” way too often!
The day after we returned from The Great Wolf Lodge, my crew ran in the Discovery Dash track meet.
Owen was glad that this year, he was finally old enough to race. He took second place! Tyler had to prod him to start after they said “Go!” It took him a few seconds to realize what was going on, then he really took off.
Speedy Curtis! He ran a half mile in 3:39, tying for 4th place. There was a tie for third place, too - 3:38! I love to watch Curtis run. He gait is springy, his face like stone. He is so determined!
Sadly, no picture of Hayden running. He ran the mile race in 6:50 (!) and took third place. The boy sure can run, and I loved talking strategy with him the night before the race. He had his “game plan” all figured out!
Before the big race, we always take our boys to the high school track to practice. They love racing against Tyler and me, and it will only be a matter of time until they beat us soundly. We also carried on our tradition of a spaghetti dinner the night before the race.
I’m looking forward to many more races to come with my dashers.
A few nights ago, Hayden earned his Bear award for Cub Scouts. We had our June pack meeting at the home of a family in our ward. They have a river in their front yard (oh, I LOVE their yard. A river runs throgh it, there’s a huge rock to climb, a swimming hole, a bridge, and plenty of good, solid Virginia trees that bloom in the spring and blaze in the fall), so it was the perfect place to do the river regatta boat race. Too bad a thunderstorm came tumbling in and cancelled most of the races. Still, we got a few in and Hayden’s boat, “the Big Cheese” and Curtis and Owen’s boat, “The Jolly Roger” had good voyages. It was such a fun night - rain-soaked friends, crowded together, glad for this summer night.
Don’t get me started on how much I am going to miss my ward. Don’t even get me started.
Posted on June 6th, 2008 by shawna
Filed under: Family | 12 Comments »
