The last few weeks were a blur of activities.  I felt completely overwhelmed and over committed with all the end of school year activities, field trips, PTA (Treasurer) wrap up, and volunteer work.  When the final bell rung it was a huge relief to know things would be slowing down soon.  It was all worth it however to know that both of my children loved the last few weeks of school. 

This was Hailey's last year of Elementary School.  On the last day shortly before the bell rings all the students and teachers line up in the hallway and as "We Are the Champion's" plays through the inter-com the 6th graders run  through the halls in a line slapping hands with everyone who has lined up.  I'm tearing up just writing about it.      Hailey loves school and always cries on the last day, this year was no exception.  As we walked home from school together I couldn't help but think of her on her first day of school.  She wore a pink flowered skirt, a white shirt with a pink  sweater and a pair of flowered sun glasses.  When the teacher asked her if she needed the glasses to see, Hailey said yes.  She wore those glasses all day.  I have a picture of her in my head as I left her standing there watching me go, with those cute little girl glasses.  She isn't a big fan of change and is always unsure if she is ready for the next grade, step, but all her activities this year just proved to me she was ready to move to middle school.

Nate had a great year.  He absolutely loved his teacher.  They did some fun things like dissecting salmon, hatching salmon, and then giving them to the Fish Game Department to be released in Potter's Marsh, hatching chicks, and taking a field trip to the reindeer farm. 

The farm was fun for the hayride, feeding the deer, and Nate was even picked to feed a moose a banana.  The guide asked him to put it into his mouth and feed the moose that way.  So gross, Nate's entire face was slobbered over by this giant moose.  He loved it.  When I get a chance to talk with other parents I often learn things I wouldn't otherwise know.

It was while chaperoning this field trip a mother of one of Nate's classmates mentioned her daughter had a crush on my son.  I cringed inside, Nate refuses to have a girlfriend and his method of letting them down could use some work.   So when I got home I asked him, if Avery had asked him to be her boyfriend.  This was our conversation:

N: Yes.

M: What did you say?

N:  She didn't ask me, she wrote me a note.

M:  What did it say?

N:  Do you want to be my boyfriend?  Yes, or No.

M:  You circled no and sent it back?

N:  No, I folded the note, then ripped it up, and then threw it in the trash.

M:  That doesn't seem very nice, would it have been better to just circle "no" and give it back?

N:  No, she kept asking me all the time.  That was the last note. 

I hope girls still like Nate when he's older and I hope he learns to be a little kinder in his rejections. 

This school year I didn't want to miss any of Hailey's last year of Elementary, or miss Nate's adventure in 2nd grade.  I am so grateful for all their teachers, activities, and friends for the fun year- even though it was completely hectic!  I only have to worry about two children and I often wondered,  how mom's with more children survive the end of school year onslaught of activities.