kindergarten graduation...

was a special night.  we celebrated olivia's year of kindergarten by watching her march down the aisle of her school cafeteria, wearing her paper homemade graduation hat and yarn tassel, and snapping a ba-jillion photos of our little girl.  we are so proud of the young lady that she is growing into.  she is a diligent student, an expressive artist, a rule follower, a sweet friend to everyone, and has the best heart and smile.

as she walked passed me and i saw this...

i can't help but think about how fast she is maturing.  she is independent and so very capable of so many things.  these nine months have been full of growth and change, and also blessings and answered prayers.

her sweet class singing about the fun year they had together.

can this really be happening?  she is almost done with KINDER!!

this year she developed new friends all by herself.  no longer am i the one that sets up the playdate and is there to coach her in her social situations.  allison is her best friend at school.  olivia chose well.  allision is a precious little girl with a sweet heart and is faithful and loyal to olivia.  watching their friendship develop has been such a joy (with a few bumps along the way too!).

olivia and allison.  such sweet friends.

this year god was so gracious to answer my prayers by giving olivia a teacher that has a heart for christ. ms. pattillo was the best kindergarten teacher for olivia and really understood her spirit.  i love that when olivia come into school the day after she had asked jesus into her heart and shared her decision with her teacher, she truly understood what a BIG decision that was and celebrated with her.  then she wrote me the sweetest email and shared her joy with me.  it is moments like these that only god can orchestrate.

mrs. pattillo and olivia.

and this year has proven to me once again what an incredible family i am apart of.  olivia continues to have the biggest fan club in the audience anytime she is on the stage.  her family has loved, supported, encouraged, and been present throughout her year.  she doesn't even know how lucky she is, but i know that they are the reason she is becoming the incredible young lady that she is.  so blessed and grateful.

 (nana was behind the camera in most of these.  sad we don't have one of nana and o.)

chrissie and o.

her little brother is so proud of her and looks up to her for so many things. 

olivia and b.

our little family.

olivia, we are so proud of you!  may the lord continue to guide your paths and shape your heart in everything that you do.  can't wait to see what amazing things he will lead you to do next year as a FIRST GRADER!!  love you!

olivia's art gallery...

the second semester of this year olivia had the opportunity to participate in kindergarten REACH.  it is a pull out program once a week for 1.5 hours.  she worked on higher level thinking, problem solving, and also did an in depth study of the brain.  she loved this class and really looked forward to it each week.  the last several weeks the students studied the "creative side of the brain" and several famous artist.   after learning about each artist and the inspiration behind their works of art, the students created their own masterpieces.  on the very last day of her REACH class the parents were invited to view the artwork and take a "gallery walk."

olivia was very proud of her work.  she was able to explain the inspiration of each piece and how it was similar to the famous artists that she was mimicking.  of course, mark and i thought her work was the best!! :)

now these pieces of art are filling the walls of our playroom.  olivia is so proud that her art is on display in our house and they make me smile each time i see them.  i know they will be pieces of art we will treasure forever.

kindergarteners, fourth grade buddies, and animals oh my!!

all year long olivia has had a fourth grade buddy that comes into her class to read and spend time with her.  all the kindergarteners have one.  it is a really sweet tradition at her school.  as an end of the year activity, the fourth graders and kindergarteners go to the dallas zoo.  they experience and learn all about the animals.  i was able to go as a parent volunteer.  i loved getting to watch as o and her buddy, brie, spent the day walking, talking, and learning together.

olivia and her classmate, ava, studying the map before we loaded the buses.

olivia and brie all buckled in and ready for our zoo adventure.

sweet.

first stop the safari train. 

our group.  3 fourth graders and 2 kindergarteners, plus a mom and grandma behind the cameras.  

we got to feed the giraffes.  they had long black tongues that made all the kids giggle.  

almost time to go home, but we had to get one more group pic by the elephant fountains.

it was a long and tiring day, but we had lots of fun.  the girls were great!!  olivia's favorite animal was the white alligator.  brie liked the hurricane experience in the reptile house.  after returning to school olivia and brie together wrote about their experiences at the zoo and even did a report on kola bears.

singing their way to the zoo...

the kindergarteners and first graders did a joint musical performance at dartmouth elementary.  ms. taylor, the FANTASTIC music teacher, did a wonderful job directing and leading the students.  it was a really cute performance to show off all the musical skills they have learned this year at school.
but first, our family likes to make everything into an event, so we all met at amigos for a dinner before the big show.

we {heart} amigos!! 

all of the kids came in costumes of their favorite zoo animals.  miss o was the cutest zebra on the stage. :)

she knew every word and all the motions to each song.  she was very into the performance and kept her eyes glued to ms. taylor.

olivia really LOVES music and was thrilled to have two "special" parts in the show.   she had a speaking part, reciting a poem AND played the xylophone in two songs.

olivia has come to expect that when she is on stage there will always be a HUGE fan club in the audience.  i love that, but i know one day she will truly appreciate how fortunate she is to have such a big family that loves and supports her in such a BIG way.

pop, b, gramps, uncle sean, mommy, o, and chrissie

daddy, olivia, nana, jack, and uncle sean (again)

bravo to all the students and to ms. taylor for a job well done!!  can't wait to see what they do next year.  

a featured artist...

our olivia!!!  olivia's artwork was chosen by her art teacher out of all the kindergarten students at her school and was on display at the public library.  of course, she was critical of her work telling us how she could have made it better, but very proud of herself at the same time.

the proud artist

the piece.  she used oil pastels, crayons, and watercolors to create this piece.

we are so incredibly proud of the hard work and effort that olivia shows in all things that she does, especially at school.  art is definitely something she loves, so to be recognized in that area is extra special for her.  she is still dreaming of being an artist one day ("the kind that sits in the park and paints"- her words) so this is a good start in that direction.  

a kindergarten field trip...

went a little something like this... after completing a social studies unit on "neighborhoods" it is only natural to go on field trip "walk" around the neighborhood and observe all the things you have been learning about inside the classroom.  i was so happy to have the chance to go on this adventure with olivia and her class.  the teacher part of me loved listening to the students see all the things they had been reading and talking about and making some great connections.  besides it being a fun learning experience for the students, it made me appreciate our little neighborhood, the great paths along the creek, the ducks, and the fun park that we drive past all the time.  here a few of my iPhone pics from the afternoon...

miranda and o.  they were field trip buddies ready to begin the neighborhood walk.

and we were off.  o's class enjoying one of the many paths by the creek.

we finally made it to the park and olivia couldn't wait to climb the wall.

allison and olivia.  they are school bffs and LOVE to play together.

because of lots of cold wet weather we did have reschedule several times, but i am so glad we finally got to go on the neighborhood walk.  perfect weather (finally). fantastic kiddos. and a fun memory shared with my most precious kindergarten girl.  :)

a kindergarten thanksgiving...

olivia's kindergarten class hosted a big thanksgiving feast complete with, 

darling pilgrim and indian costumes...

o chose to wear her pilgrim costume.  i am pretty sure she was the cutest pilgrim in the room.

some fabulous entertainment...

the classes combined to sing all their silly thanksgiving songs.  my favorite was the turkey song with the turkey mask as props.

a long table full of yummy food...

o and daddy making their way through the buffet table. 

and "tables" full of friends and family to share it all.

just one of the many "tables" (butcher paper on the floor) that were surrounded with friends and their families.

it was a special time that caused me to really reflect about what i was thankful for as each child shared what they were thankful for this thanksgiving.  olivia got very nervous when it was her turn to speak into the microphone, but i was able to snap a picture of her writing and artwork to share her thoughts.  

"I am thankful for my mom and dad and God." (i love this picture because mark is wearing his favorite color-orange- and jeans and i am wearing black- 90% of my wardrobe.)

another first...soccer!

olivia decided trade in her ballet and tap shoes for soccer cleats this semester.  her big cousin abby plays soccer, kk was going to play, so it is only natural that olivia wanted to give it a try too!  we had our first soccer practice and she LOVED it!!

there is a super talented and sweet mom i am naming our official "team photographer."  she has an amazing camera and loves taking pics of the girls.  here are a few of the pics she took from our first practice...

 listening to uncle, i mean, coach christman! :)

most of her team, team LYON!! ava left before the picture was taken. :(  

there is a perfect mix of new and old friends!!

see she loves it!! she needs some practice, but we were so proud of her for listening to her coaches and trying very hard through the whole practice.  o is my child who doesn't love to sweat, be hot, or run too much- all things required for soccer, so i could not be more shocked by her enthusiasm and smiles in these pictures.  i am so thrilled that she is loving it.  there are so many benefits to soccer- learning to play on a team, new friendships, a fun way to get some exercise, and spending time with kk, just to name a few!!

here's hoping that the rest of the season goes as great as the first practice.  go team LYON!!

the first day...

of kindergarten was FANTASTIC!!

here is our sweet kindergartener ready to walk to school...

she was so excited to get to school and begin this new chapter in her life. i was so thankful she was full of smiles. such an answer to my prayers!!

we arrived at her school, posed for a few more pictures...

in front of the school. (i hope to take this pic every year. she looks so small now, that will change.)

then after a short walk from being greeted by the principal to her class it started to hit me-- this is really happening!! she is going to be in school 5 days a week, all day!! oh my!!

she was thrilled to see her teacher and even let me take ANOTHER picture.

o & ms. pattillo. isn't she darling? the teacher and o. :)

she found the perfect hook for her backpack, found her name tag, and then her spot on the carpet, and diligently began reading at the books waiting for her. such a good student!!

as we waved good-bye one last time and walked out of the building, i have to admit, i was a little teary-eyed. a bit unexpected from me, and i continued to fight some tears as we walked home. i just can't believe that she is almost 6 years old and in kindergarten!!

i wondered all day what she was doing? is she was meeting friends? did she like her lunch? will she want to go back tomorrow?

when i greeted her after school, she was still full of smiles and stories from the day!! success!!

after school, we had a date with the fifer girls and all the grandparents at mcdonalds for ice cream and to tell everyone about the first day. the kids were more interested in the ice cream and playing, but their faces lit up to see all the grandparents there to give them hugs and smiles.

at home i made a special "first day of kindergarten dinner" for her. she had picked the menu a few days ago (spaghetti & meatballs, ceasar salad AND fruit salad, bread, and chocolate pudding), but i surprised her with a few (last-minute) decorations to make dinner feel extra special. :)

i am so thankful that day one was a success from every aspect. i am humbled that the lord gave me the gift of this sweet little girl to love and experience life with day after day. i am reminded that he gave me this gift with the promise that he is there at each step of the way, always watching over her. he is always near. thank you god for your indescribable gift and your faithfulness, unending love, protection, and hearing my prayers.