For My Girls:

It's easy at the end of the school year to get so caught up in gifts and cards and thank yous and awards and field days and parties and the ever present person who still can't figure out carpool, that we forget something. Actually, someone. Or in my case, 3 someones.

I do not post this to take away from the teachers. This year, we have had super amazing teachers who love what they do, and they do it well. I cannot say enough good things about these amazing women, who teach with excitement, and I feel honestly love my girls.

It is easy, here in May, with 1.5 days of school left, to forget where we started.

Hadley started Kindergarten. She loves to learn, and of all the girls, would probably have been the easiest to continue homeschooling. Other than one year in a MMO program, she had never been in a classroom. I was pretty worried about dropping her in to a full day situation. She started looking forward to school in March, and asked and begged me often to just hurry up and let her go to Kindergarten. But looking forward to something and reality are often drastically different. The first day came, and I thought I would throw up dropping her off.

She loved it. Loved her new friends, her teachers, her lunch time, her book time, her songs, her projects: Everything. She dealt with a bit of home sickness and exhaustion at the beginning, but she overcame that (a big deal when you are just 5) and rocked the rest of her year. She made best friends, memories, and excelled at her learning. It's hard to remember the first of the year when she kept forgetting her 'new best friends' name.

Ava started 2nd grade. She had not been in a classroom since she was 3. Of the girls, I was most worried about her. Would her anxiety come back with a vengance? Would she make friends? Would she be overwellmed? Would she be able to keep up? She adored her teacher, but seemed to take her time making friends. She observed her classmates: always watching. She did finally start to make friends, and not just people watching.

Her teacher said her reading and math needed help, so twice a day she got pulled out and tutored with a few other kids. She was not embarrassed, and actually loved going. She enjoyed her math teacher, especially. She repeated everything positive he said to her, and was sad when she had improved enough to stop going. Her reading came up from below grade level, to 4th grade level. She loves to read now, and reads all the time. Her anxiety never got the best of her, and her confidence soared. It's hard to remember the beginning of the year when she seemed so shy.

Jadyn started 3rd grade. This was her second year in school. Last year, she was terrified and her teacher had to pull her off of me so I could leave. This year, she had friends, knew the routine, and knew her teachers. No tears on the first day; just a calm, confident hug and wave goodbye. She has learned so much this year, and her teacher has been able to get so much out of her. She likes to tell me all the classroom gossip, and ask advice. I love that we have those moments, and I hope she does that into her teen years, too.

It's easy, at the end of the school year, to praise the teachers (and YES, they should be- they do SO much and they ROCK at it).

But I want to brag on my kids, too, because they earned it. We underestimate how much they do all year, or think because it seems fun, that it's not work. My kids are awesome, and I love them, and I want them to know I'm thankful and proud of all they have done.

So, Jadyn, Ava, and Hadley:
Well done. You guys rock. And you make being your mommy fun and I am so glad you're mine.