School's out for the summer!

1st Grade came to a screaming halt the first week of June after months of busyness. Isabelle had such a great teacher, Mrs Cordera, whom we all loved and appreciated. She was the perfect mix of fun and serious and was nurturing and loving naturally but was stern when it was needed. We road bikes or drove/walked to school everyday of the year and Livi was always thrilled when it was time to go pick up Belle. All three of us spent a good portion of our time inside the school walls each week and I would say Livi was partially potty trained in the teacher's workroom.

Isabelle continues to be blessed with good friends at school. She is still BFF with Emily and added a new boyfriend/neighbor/church mate named Henry this year. She and Henry were both in Mrs Cordera's class and much to their delight were paired together for Field Day.

Isabelle received a very special award the last week of school, chosen as the Star Citizen of the semester excelling in the values of Patience and Friendship. We attended a special award ceremony where the Counselor read a letter written about Isabelle from the first grade teachers and we were not surprised that Jelly would be the one chosen for such a moment. She is such a sweet friend to all the girls and boys in the 1st grade and especially took time to friend a non-English speaking little girl who was struggling to fit in. Ben and I tried to make a big deal of this award and made sure to tell Belle that no other accomplishment in school or sports could top being a friend to others.

It's hard to believe that our once brand new Kindergartner is now ready for 2nd grade and thriving both inside and outside of the home. We are going to pray that our summer break ticks by VERY SLOWLY so we can enjoy our little girls being home and lazy once again. Either way, one thing is for sure, Belle's second grade teacher and class have BIG shoes to fill!