Choose Your Instrument!

Lots of exciting things happen in 5th grade, the first being that everyone gets to choose an instrument to learn to play at school! It's so exciting, but such a dilemma! Strings vs. Band! Kayli talked to her friends, tried out a variety of instruments, tried to convince me that her other option was to choose neither (my perfectionist doesn't want to make the "wrong" choice so to prevent that from happening, she sometimes wishes she could just opt out... and, I, of course, do not endorse this idea!) So, we went to the special night at the high school, where all the high school students in Strings and Band were there to encourage the elementary kids to try out their instruments, and to give them all the pros and cons of choosing either a string instrument or a band instrument. Kayli was torn! Flute or Violin? She had narrowed it down to these two, and both seemed appealing. Then, her good friend Megan told her she was going to choose the flute. Oh my. Now, there's an added benefit for choosing band. On the other hand, Kayli was beginning to think that the Violin was really more appealing than the flute. Oh, what to do, what to do. Decisions. Decisions. She wanted me to tell her. I told her it was her decision...did she want to choose an instrument just so she could be in class with her friend, or did she want to play an instrument that was really appealing to her, and would be something she might just love?  I know, that's a tough one. What did she choose?

She looks like a "natural!" Can't wait to hear that music!

Ethnic Festival

We fought the traffic, to get to the Ethnic Festival in Swope Park, to find that the festival included just a handful of countries that were selling either food or wares. Mostly food. Food that was mostly gone due to the large attendance of this tiny festival. The wares were sparse, but we did end up buying a fabulous dress/top for Kayli, at the booth that was rasing money for the people who recently experienced a devastating earth quake in Nepal. Here is the dress/top that made us feel better about an otherwise total BUST of a festival...

Shorts Shades & Watermelon

First week of school always ends with Shorts/Shades and Watermelon on the Playground!

Here are a few of our teachers wearing t-shirts with this year's theme: Peace-Love-and Sunshine! 

5th Grade Begins!

Elementary School, K-5! Yes, that means that my sweet pea is completing her last year of elementary school this year! I know this time is going to fly by, so I plan to be there with my camera, "freezing moments in time" any chance I get...

 Our school-wide theme this year is "Peace, Love, and Sunshine!" It was so much fun to see all the creative decorating throughout the school...

Kayli checked out the 5th grade hallway, then went in her classroom to officially "meet" her teacher (even though Kayli doesn't realize that her teacher has technically "known" her since I adopted her as a toddler!) One little tidbit about Mrs. Jones...when Kayli was 3, turning 4, while standing on recess duty several times a week with Mrs. J., talking about my wish to take Kayli on a vacation somewhere but worried about my ability to pull something like this off on my own, I was given a firsthand account of how "do-able" a vacation to Disneyworld was. Mrs. J. convinced me that this was totally within my reach, and something I, a single mom, could easily pull off, because with Disney, there was door to door service! Off the plane, onto a bus, and straight to your resort. Trams, Trains, Buses, and Boats to the parks, and in-between the parks. Mrs. J gave me all the tips and tricks I needed to make this the best vacation ever, and it WAS!!! Thank-you Mrs. J! Because of you, I not only took Kayli to the most magical place on earth, once, but we returned for more of this amazing fun when Kayli turned 6, and then again at age 8! Each time we returned, the venue was different, but the magic always stayed the same! As they say..."Nobody Ever Outgrows Disneyworld!"
So, back to...meeting the teacher..."Hello, Mrs. Jones"...

The last pop-a-peek, the last handing over a ticket for a popsicle...

then, Kayli spots her good friend, Megan, who has been her BFF since 1st grade, and breaks the news to her that once again they did NOT get put in the same class!

Once again, they "pinky promise" to find each other at recess and lunch. Additionally, since they are both the shortest people in their class, they usually sit/stand together during "special chorus" practices and performances! Speaking of short, though, Kayli made an amazing discovery...she grew over the summer, and is now taller than Megan! Who would have thought?!!!

Soon, other friends were showing up at the popsicle truck, and my straight-faced-skeptical-why-does-summer-have-to-end girl, is smiling from ear to ear!

So, tonight, on our way home, we stopped at the grocery store, and I told Kayli she could choose anything she wanted to have for a first-day-of-school breakfast. She marched straight to the bakery and pointed to a giant sugar cookie with frosting. Well, I did say ANYTHING! So, the next morning, we were both up early, and my girl was ready and waiting for her super-sugar start to her day! My "good mom" award for healthy breakfast options will have to wait until tomorrow. Today is all about making this transition from summer vacation to new school year as much fun as a sugar high!

...then, for more fun, and good luck, we both cracked open a fortune cookie to see what our school year fortune would tell us. Kayli's fortune was perfect!
and for that matter, so was mine...

Kayli only ate half of her cookie and said "I'm full!" (Funny girl, so glad she can decide to stop, when I would surely have eaten the whole thing!) We headed to school where I immediately took the traditional picture on the rock in front of school...

so, apparently I wasn't the only one thinking that sugar was a good start to the first day of school, since in my box was a care package from a dear friend of mine, with "first-day-of-school-monster-cookies" for Kayli! (Actually, Natalie has been sending these every year since Kayli started school because it is a tradition in her household to make these at the beginning of every school year) I always forget about it until I see that grey envelope in my box with that familiar handwriting. Oh, how I miss having Natalie working with me! She and I thought so much alike!

...and here she is unloading two full bags worth of materials that she was required to bring to school...

and we still ended up somehow not having the pencils and scissors, that I just know we put in the pencil box! Oh well, Kayli says her friend, Amelia, lent her some pencils for the day. Gotta love a good "pencil lending friend!" So, the year's off to a great start, and I'm getting ready to hang on for the ride!