That's a wrap on 2nd Grade!

The school year has come to an end for Emmy and me. We both had our last days on Friday, the 23rd;  Emmy has officially completed the 2nd Grade, and I have completed Year 16. On Wednesday the 21st, Emmy's class had a special awards ceremony, followed by a beach-themed lunch with parents. The awards were voted on by the class, and Emmy received several recognitions: Math Magician, Magnificent Manners, Marvelous Musician, Honest Abe, Awesome Author, Aspiring Artist, Blue Ribbon Behavior, and Queen of Kindness. Emmy said her favorite award was Queen of Kindness, and I told her that I agreed: above all the academic accolades, it warmed my heart to know that she shows kindness to her classmates. I pray that she always keeps that sweet heart.   

Emmy and Mrs. Cranfill, the long-term sub during Mrs. Kilby's maternity leave

In the morning before the awards ceremony, Emmy and Eli had dentist appointments. Both kiddos got good reports and were cavity-free - yay! Eli still has all of his baby teeth, but I'm sure we will have a visit from the Tooth Fairy soon. After leaving the dentist, Emmy and I dropped Eli off at preschool (much to his dismay), and then we had enough time to go to the library to pick up a book I had on hold there. On the way to the library, Emmy expressed interest in getting a library card. Within a few minutes, she was all set with her own account. She is excited to check out books this summer and hopefully win a prize through the library's summer reading program. 

We are so proud of the way that Emmy has thrived this year in 2nd Grade. Her vocabulary has become more advanced, and she can read chapter books with minimal assistance. She can sound out even the trickiest of words. In the evenings before bed, we are currently reading an American Girl book called Blaire, and once we finish that one, we plan to read the third book in the Emily Windsnap series. In math, Emmy is learning multiplication, fractions, and even division. She is doing great with mental math, as well as more complicated equations on paper. Next year she is looking forward to having her little brother at school with her, and she has promised to show him around, even though she will move to the two-story building, which has the classrooms for the upper grades. On the last day, Aunt Megan took a picture of Emmy and Maddox in the breezeway, just as she did on the first day of school. Eli will join this duo in August, and we will be back to three cousins at Sedge Garden.

Over the Memorial Day Weekend, we enjoyed some time at the lake and also a visit to the Science Center. The temps have been a little cooler than usual, but it did not stop the kids from getting in the water. Emmy was especially brave to go tubing for the first time. (Eli got on the tube momentarily but decided to try it again another time.) At the Science Center today, because of the temps and also a persistent mist of rain, we stayed indoors. There was a new space-themed exhibit, and we enjoyed checking it out. When we got home, the kids played a life-sized CandyLand that Emmy made. I love her creativity!

Emmy and I will have the next four days together while Eli is still in preschool. His last day is this Friday, May 30th. We have tried to keep it quiet that the Kennedy girls are already on summer break. Soon enough, it will be the three of us together. Here's a look at our Summer 2025 To-Do List.

Happy Mother's Day

Amidst all the craziness of "Maycember," my crew made sure I had a special Mother's Day weekend. It started on Friday with Muffins for Mom at Eli's preschool. Boomer is usually the one on preschool drop-off duty, but we swapped that morning so that I could have breakfast with Eli before the start of the school day. After Eli and I had our muffins, I walked him to his class, and he had several special gifts for me. In hindsight, I wish I had dressed Eli is a nicer outfit for all the pictures that we took...but his attire was accurate for a typical day at school. Even in a hand-me-down t-shirt and gym shorts, he's still a cutie pie! The Mother's Day celebrations continued on Sunday, with the children singing in the big service the song "More than Enough", with a slideshow of pictures in the background. After church, we grabbed lunch at the Loop. In the afternoon, I took a nap while Boomer occupied the kids, did the laundry, and mowed the grass, which isn't too different than any other Sunday. Boomer is really sweet to always let me catch up on my rest on Sunday afternoons. He's an acts-of-service guy, and I appreciate the way he shows love to me. 

This past Thursday, I had the opportunity to go on my first-ever field trip as a parent chaperone. Eli's preschool class took a trip to Dan Nicholas Park in Salisbury. On the way there, the kids rode the school bus, while the parents followed behind in a long line of cars. Once we arrived at the park, there was time to play on the playground. Then we walked through the 'wildlife adventures' and the barnyard, followed by gem mining. After lunch, the other kids and their parents dispersed, and Eli and I stayed a little longer to play putt-putt. On the way home, Eli fell asleep, the sure sign of a fun field trip. 

On Sunday the 18th, Awana wrapped up for the summer, and there was a special awards ceremony to recognize the children's commitment and hard work all throughout the school year. Emmy and Eli both learned a lot about God's Word; they also played lots of fun games, made cool crafts, and enjoyed our weekly ice cream afterwards. Emmy worked diligently to complete the three books of Sparks. She received the Sparkie award, along with two medals. Eli repeated the verses each week with his Awana leader, and he earned the Honeycomb award. Both kids are learning so much about Jesus, and we pray that they will soon understand salvation and come to ask Jesus into their hearts. We will enjoy the break now for the summer and then continue with Awana in the fall. 

Here are a few other pictures of our Maycember fun!