2022 :: week 20

May 15

This is life with three boys, no matter where we are or what is going on, a dogpile is always a possibility. 

May 16

Monday morning Jill and I met up at the zoo with Arthur, Henry and Miles. The weather was gorgeous and we wanted to squeeze in one last zoo trip before school gets out. Miles and Arthur have been to the zoo enough to know where they wanted to go and we hit all the non-African hot spots, plus took a ride on the train and carousel. Miles fell asleep on the way home, but woke up when I tried to transition him inside. I'm a little worried how this summer is going to go nap wise. 

May 17

Every day the kids come home with a stack of papers, supplies, competed projects, etc. Their teachers are cleaning out their classrooms and are trying to prevent a huge load on the last day Today Will had his last day of art, and he brought home a huge stack of his art, including a stack of self-portraits he drew over the years. There is a self-portrait from kindergarten, first grade, second grade, third grade and fifth grade. His fourth grade year was interrupted with covid, and this year the school got a new art teacher who didn't continue the tradition. Will has grown a lot over the past seven years.

May 18

Jill invited me to see Waitress the musical with her at Starlight Wednesday evening. She and Jake got season passes for Christmas, but Jake is out of town this week. It was a gorgeous evening for outdoor theatre. 

May 19

Thursday was the last day of school and the end of an era for the John family. Will has completed elementary school and will be off to the greener pastures of middle school next year, while Miles will be starting preschool. For one school year all of my school aged kids were at the same school and on the same schedule, and I have cherished every minute of it. Also, because Elliott was born and came home from the hospital the day before Will started kindergarten it is a strange full circle moment for me. Anthony, Miles and I attended the 6th grade recognition program in the morning, where Will received the President's Gold Award for maintaining straight As all through elementary school. That afternoon there was a pizza party for 6th grade families on the tennis courts. Will, Lauren and Elliott each got invited to friends' houses after school, so Miles and I returned home to a quiet house. 

May 20

Friday marked the first day of "Summer Vacation," though it didn't feel much like summer. A cold front came in, giving me a headache and causing the temperature to drop about twenty degrees. In the evening we went strawberry picking at Stone Briar Market in De Soto. I forgot to bring cash, so we ended up driving for longer than we picked, thankfully everyone was patient with my mistake.

May 21

Lauren had her last regular season soccer game Saturday. They went into the game tied for first place in their league, and lost to the team they were tied with. It was a disappointing game, but the girls have a tournament next weekend to look forward to. That afternoon Elliott went to a birthday party at Pump-It-Up where he was reunited with many of his classmates. You would never have guessed that school only ended two days before from the joyous reunions. Will had a baseball game, and it was early enough that the entire family was able to watch. Another busy Saturday!