The Last Day of First Grade

Gracie was a little sad to go to school today. It was the last day of 1st grade, but it was also her last day at Atlanta C-3. She has been sad to think about losing her friends in her class, but I know we will still be in the area and can plan playdates.

Our First Camping Trip

Brent was raised as a kid who liked to go camping. Now me...I have never been camping! He has had this dream of taking the girls camping, so tonight was the big night. We went to Unionville and Brent pitched a tent out at the lake. Most of the family went out for the campfire. We roasted hot dogs, brats and marshmallows and spent some time fishing. It was a fun evening. I had already decided to go back to Janice's house to sleep, and when it came time to leave Ella decided she didn't want to camp out after all. She would have had fun, but I let her come home with us. It was a very windy night and Brent said they didn't sleep well, but it was still a fun experience!

Gracie's Dance Recital

Tonight was Gracie's second dance recital. There are very few things that she enjoys as much as she enjoys dancing. I can't think of a time that she didn't want to go to dance practice! So tonight they got to show off what they have been working so hard on. Gracie's class performed "Butterfly Fly Away" for their ballet routine. Here she is in her butterfly costume.

This is Gracie and her friend Madison. They aren't in the same class, but I wanted to get a picture of them together.

"Butterfly Fly Away"

Time for a costume change before the jazz portion of the recital.

While waiting for the jazz routines Ella wa busy dreaming about being in dance next year!

The jazz song Gracie's class danced to was "I Wanna Be Like You" from The Jungle Book. They were so cute in their homemade costumes!

The big finish at the end of the song involved each girl doing a "monkey move." They did cartwheels, somersaults, headstands, etc. Gracie's move was a bridge while another girl crawled under her and made a monkey face at the audience. I was not at a good angle to take this picture, but trust me, it was super cute.

In this picture they are blowing kisses to their adoring fans.

McKenna is Gracie's dance teacher (see the back row). She is 15 years old and teaches dance to all of these kids. I think she's amazing!

Gracie was sooo proud of her roses that Mamma and Aunt Rhonda brought her! She felt very special!

Gracie Butner, Lauren Burdin, Audree Butner, Brooke Weimer, Gracie and Mercy Pryor with McKenna.

I love this one! If Gracie grew up to be as sweet as McKenna, I would be very proud!

Gracie's Mother Goose Play

Gracie's class has been hard at work on a Mother Goose Play. Today was the big day! They had 2 showings, and since I was working today I only made it to the afternoon show. Each student was assigned a Mother Goose nursery rhyme that they had to memorize. They each sang their nursery rhyme while dressed in costume and acting it out. Gracie was given "Ten in the Bed." Here's a picture of her in her "bed" (A.K.A. a sleeping bag) with her 9 stuffed animals.
Whew! I think she was glad to be done! Mrs. Stull was dressed as a pregnant Mother Goose and helped her clean up her props. She did a great job! Gracie had a nice strong voice and didn't seem nervous at all. We were proud!

Gracie, Matthew and Eli in line for their "curtain call."

Gracie has really enjoyed her time at Atlanta and loves her classmates! They lost 3 classmates over the 2 years that she has been in school, but most of these kids are the original class she started kindergarten with. There are advantages to small schools!

Gracie loves her buddy Mati. They have actually been friends since before they were in school. When Gracie was in preschool and we would go to the ball games to see Brent, Mati would be there watching her big sister play ball. The girls would wander over to the sandy area and dig or head to the playground. They have been great friends every since!

A big thank you goes out to Mamma and Grandpa and Nana who drove to Atlanta to watch the performance. Gracie was glad to have you all there!

It was a horribly rainy day today. After the play got over, I had to head back to work. Grandpa and Nana stuck around and watched Ella for me until Brent got home with Gracie. Ella put on her rain boots and they did a little puddle jumping.

When it rains, the girls love finding an acorn or any other object that they can send floating down the hill. Every time it rains, this is a favorite game. Sometimes we have to cross the street where the current is stronger! :-)

I am not surprised to see Ella ditched her shoes. I would have to glue them to her feet to keep them on.

The Good and the Bad

Let's start with the bad...today I went outside and saw cicada shells everywhere. This is supposed to be the year that they are thick. The girls got out some containers and have started their collection of shells. They pulled them off the trunks of the trees, the deck and their swingset. Then they wanted me to get a rake to shake the leaves up high in the tree so more could fall down. I used to collect them when I was little, so I didn't mind. I remember going to Grandma Self's house and collecting them in a Pringles can she gave me.

Now for the good...My parents bought me some rose bushes last year that were pretty cheap and didn't look the best. This year it's hard to believe that they were ever struggling. I get to look at the most beautiful bushes everyday. Thanks, Dad and Mom!

Dock Dogs

This afternoon we went to the grocery store parking lot where they were holding a Dock Dogs competition. It was 100% entertaining. The girls were so impressed by the dogs and their ability to perform tricks and such athletic moves. They were glued to their seats until they discovered the snack wagon! :-) My favorite part was seeing the dogs leap into the water after their toys. It reminded me of Molly and how much she enjoyed water. I think if she had been trained, she could have been a good Dock Dog.

Hanging Out in the Tent

Tonight Callie and Corbin came over for some playtime with the girls. They ended the evening by spending over an hour perfecting a "tent" in the living room. It was quite creative and required the use of probably 40 clothes pins to hold their blankets in strategic places. I couldn't believe how long they hung out in that cramped space.

Gracie is peeking out the top of the tent. :-)

Offering "TMI"

Today when I went to pick up Ella from her Sunday School class her teacher had a little smirky-snickery kind of expression on her face. She said, "I have to tell you what Ella said today. Our lesson was about God helping us through hard times. I asked the class if they ever had to do something that was really, really hard. Ella quickly raised her hand and said, 'Sometimes it's really hard to get my poopy out.' The other kids just looked at her with faces that showed they agreed with her, so I told her that God does help us when our poopy is hard to get out. I told her God made us that way, so he will help us."

Oh, my. Ella strikes again! She doesn't know when to stop, but at least her teacher found it to be entertaining!

Gracie's Spring Concert

Tonight we went to Gracie's Spring Choir Concert at Atlanta. Here's a picture of Brent welcoming the crowd to the concert.
And another picture of Brent doing his "principal thing." He has the whole leaning- against-a-wall-during-various-activities down to a fine art!

Here's Gracie lining up with her classmates for their portion of the concert.

She's in the middle of the top row.

Gracie is posing by her winning art show entry. It's a picture of a city. She got third place in the first grade category!

I love this one. Gracie absolutely adored Mrs. Stull, her first-grade teacher. She will miss her very much! Mrs. Stull did a wonderful job encouraging Gracie in lots of areas, but especially in her passion for reading.