Family and Last Day of School

We had some of Greg's family visit over Memorial Day weekend: his brother Brandon and his wife Megan and Megan's brother Montana and his wife Brittany and their little boy Beckett (did you follow all those family connections? Whew!) Ethan wasn't so sure of all the new visitors and spent the first day or so with this look on his face.

...but he eventually warmed up and thought it would be fun to play steamroller with Bennett. I'm not sure how fair that was since Brayden outweighed him by a good 7 or 8 lbs.

It was so great to get to spend the weekend with all of them. True to form I didn't get many pictures. I don't remember at the time to grab the camera.

Tawny went to a birthday party last Thursday. It was Disney themed, and she looked so cute I couldn't help but snap a picture.
Friday was the last day of school. They had a graduation ceremony for all the kindergartners that was really sweet. They made them shirts that said class of 2023 with their hand prints on them. The idea was to keep the shirt until his senior graduation as a reminder of where he started. Brayden is excited for summer break, but it was also a little bittersweet. He really loves Mrs Conrad and she is an incredible teacher. She will be sorely missed. I am afraid Brayden and I have been spoiled this year. She kept him engaged academically and was so diligent with his allergies and medical issues. I know it's only kindergarten, but Brayden worked really hard and tried his best to excel in every area. Mrs Conrad comment on his final report card was:

"This has been a stellar kindergarten class and Brayden has been its shining star. It has been my honor and pleasure to have been Brayden's kindergarten teacher."

Mrs Conrad read a poem at their graduation that I really loved. She was very emotional as she read it. It showed how truly invested she was in her students. She gave each student a copy of the poem, but wanted to include it here as well:

Your Flowers

I've worked with your flowers and helped them to grow

I'm returning them now but I want you to know

These flowers are precious and dear as can be

Love them, take care of them and soon you will see...

...what I saw:

I saw bright new blooms every day

That grew and blossomed in such wonderful ways

In September just buds, but in January blooms

Now lovely blossoms I return to you this June.

Remember these flowers, as dear as can be

Though rightfully yours, will always in part, belong to me!

I am so grateful for dedicated teachers who work so hard to teach our children. I'm also looked forward to having Brayden home all summer. There are so many fun things we're going to do!