Cherry on Top!

It's the end of another school year. Amazing how time flies! It seems like just yesterday I was crying that I had send Fletcher off to kindergarten on the big yellow school bus and now, he's officially a first grader! How is it possible?  They have each had a great year and have all grown so much! Carter not only survived in middle school but thrived in the challenging classes and having a locker, adjusting to block scheduling and switching classes every hour. Kiefer bonded with his teacher who somehow managed to treat him like he was her only student in a classroom of 23 others utilizing technology and innovative learning tools to help him achieve success. Griffin had a well-trained teacher quite famliar to the Jays as she'd had Carter and Kiefer and actually had Kiefer for two years. So her biggest challenge was trying to call Griffin by his own name! (We've heard the music teacher has given up and just calls each one "Mr. Jay"!) But a highlight of the year was watching chrysalis form into a butterfly and setting them free. Somewhat symbolic, I'd say! And Fletcher when through a metamorphosis of his own going from a sweet fuzzy caterpillar at the beginning of the year who couldn't read or write and who cried and complained "will every day be this loooonnnnggg?" And now he's transformed into a soaring reader and writer and can even count by twos, backwards!  They're all ready to move up into the next grade and have worked really hard this past year. Unfortunately, the last day of school was overcast, cold and rainy so instead of having a swim party as we've done in years past, instead we went out for ice cream at the local yogurt store. They each loaded up their cups like their backpacks were overloaded with books all year! Gummy bears, crushed Oreos, exploding fruit balls on top of mounds of colorful smooth ice cream, with a cherry on top! They give you the biggest bowls possible so you'll load up - then the charge you by the ounce! But it was worth it! On our way out, Fletcher asked if he could keep the green plastic spoon. Why not?! And he tried catching rain drops in his spoon out in the parking lot! Reminiscent of the Sesame Street song we used to sing "If all the raindrops were lemon drops and gum drops oh what a rain it would be!"
Let's hope this summer is the cherry on top to the end of a great school year!