Zooming on through May… we’re really in the home stretch now, and dare I say the worst is behind us?
This is the boys’ last official week of school!
Ethan:
As I type this, Ethan should be finishing up his US History final exam (sending good vibes buddy, you got this!) and then has his Spanish II final after that. He has 1 more final tomorrow, then 2 on Thursday and he is DONE for the year!
His school does a “finals week” a la college style, where they don’t have their regular schedule/ classes- just exams sprinkled throughout the week. They proctor them in the gym, library, and a few select classrooms. I think it’s a nice experience to help prep them for future college exams!
Kind of feel like I’m pinching myself to make sure this is all real, because I swear we just attended the “New Family Night” like, last week. But apparently that was August. His freshman year down already?! Impossible.
Asher:
Asher has his last day of classes on Friday. Next week Monday is a holiday, Tuesday he has the Amazing Race fun 8th grade event all day, no school Wednesday and then Thursday is his graduation ceremony in the evening. So basically, after this Friday, he’s essentially done too!!
This morning they emailed out the 8th grade video slideshow. It includes the baby vs. 8th grade photos for each student, plus a large splattering of pics from over the years on field trips, school events, classroom shots, etc. set to music.
I watched it and once again started tearing up! I’m such a sap for those types of things. I blame the music. Lol.
I know he’s ready to move on, and I’m so excited for him to be in high school (mostly because he is so excited about the transition). But it suddenly hit me that when he walks out the door for the last time, our family is officially done at that school! And that just feels sad. It’s been such a great ride there with a truly wonderful family-like community. I couldn’t have asked for a better elementary/middle school experience for the boys.
On a more amusing note, here is the 8th grade poster he designed. (Each graduating student makes one in Canva and they hang in the entry hallway. The school features some each day on the school’s Facebook page, too.)
Note his future plans…. 😆😆 OBVIOUSLY (hopefully?) that is not actually what he aspires to do. But he told me he doesn’t know what he wants to be yet, so he just put something funny instead of just listing a boring “undecided” answer. Lol. I noticed a few other boys did that too. I think one listed that he wanted to sell hot dogs and burgers at professional sporting events. HA. I guess that’s a good way to see free games? I suppose I shouldn’t be too surprised that the 14 year old boys did not take this project 100% seriously… 😉
Me:
This weekend (amen for a 3 day weekend!!) the boys both have soccer in far away places (boo) but I am extremely hopeful that I can carve out time to basically get packed for Hawaii. I am mildly anxious about the fact that I: a) work all day on Thursday 5/30 and b) have Asher’s graduation ceremony/dinner that evening and c) we fly out the next morning, Friday. 😬
I need to be extra organized, and so far…. I am not.
I had really wanted to get more accomplished this past weekend re: Hawaii stuff than I did. I was hoping to sort through my clothes, bring the rest of my summer clothes up from the basement (which I haven’t done yet this year! Literally still have sweaters and boots in my closet…), maybe inventory my cosmetics/ toiletries and make a Target run, etc. But alas, I didn’t. I did however get the hot tub drained and cleaned and refilled, which I did really need to do before the trip, plus we did a bunch of general yard stuff/garage clean up.
Last week one evening we did a massive purge of Ethan’s ENTIRE closet and drawers from 8-10 pm one night. Ideal timing, no, but sometimes you need to strike while the iron is hot. We both had a little burst of energy it seemed, and I was like LET’S DO THIS.
We weeded out mounds of clothes that no longer fit him (we found some size 8-10 clothes in there! He is almost 16!). So, it should at least now be easier for him to pack without all that excess crap in the way. We also were able to eyeball what/if any shopping needs we still had for him (mostly just a new Hawaiian shirt for the luau, and some new water shoes, I think.) I was happy to hear him admit, out loud, that his room feels so much nicer when the closet and drawers are neat and organized.
Tonight we’re hopefully going to tackle Asher’s closet and drawers. My plan is to have the boys fully packed this weekend. They don’t have school next week- they can live a few days without their favorite items. In theory they should be capable of packing themselves, but if I want any pictures of them wearing anything besides Crocs and Nike shorts, either Ivan or I will probably need to, ahem, oversee things.
And that’s our current status! 🙂
Daily Gratitude:
I am grateful for Ethan’s friend’s mom being able to drive them to their final this morning. One downfall to the special “finals week schedule” is that they only have to be there for the exams. And Ethan’s first exam today wasn’t until almost noon…
GRATEFUL KAE 
Hopefully you can block some time off to pack this weekend. Could you miss the boys’ soccer games this weekend and justify it by telling yourself that you’ll have lots of other opportunities to watch them play but could really use the time this weekend to pack so you come into the week feeling good about your Maui prep? Chances are you won’t necessarily need most/anything you would pack for Maui? Of course this all assumes you don’t need to transport them to said soccer tournaments – if you do have to then there goes my suggestion to block some time for packing!
Asher’s poster is funny w/ his oil rig aspirations! Ha. I am sure it’s a bittersweet ending to say goodbye to the school you loved. I don’t get very sentimental about things (I think because I am such a T in the Myers Briggs framework) but pomp & circumstance can make me tear up at times. I didn’t get sad when we left our daycare last summer but it was such a gong show there at the time and we ended up pulling Taco about a month after Paul left so I think any sentimental feelings were squashed by my concerns over teacher turnover, etc etc. I do miss the environment as we made so many friends through daycare and we have yet to really make friends at the new daycare. But maybe in the coming year we’ll get to know some families at Taco’s daycare. Paul’s kindergarten teacher is retiring this year so I am a little bit bummed that Taco won’t have her, but the other teachers are also very good from what I’ve heard. The school year did go very fast but it feels like less of an “ending” for us since he will go to the summer program at his school!
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Oh that’s so sweet, is it quite a small school? It is lovely to have those personalised signs.
I sobbed when T left his nursery – he was there from 1 to 5 and it was the most incredible place, like a child paradise, and I feel like we had such good relationships with the staff. I’m less sentimental (and mostly grumpy) about his primary school.
The guys on the rigs make buckets of money but it is a bananas lifestyle. I did a freelance job in Aberdeen and the Friday trip home was me, the guys off the rig, and their cases of beer. It was sometimes a bit of a daunting experience.
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Cannot believe yours are DONE! Mine still have until 6/6!! And I, personally, am DONE. With activities in particular. At least this is the last week of soccer!! (Until August though in August-Sept at least 50% will be rained out).
All this to say . . . I feel ridiculous sharing May tips because this May kind of kicked my butt.
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So excited for your Hawaii trip coming up. I will live through you as my vacation won’t start until late July.
work and kids things are still going on strong, but the weekend break in Manila rejuvenated us for the home stretch!
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I am so excited for your trip (and to experience Hawaii vicariously).
The oil rig comment – lol for days.
A has one more year in middle school and then I will have a high schooler which just seems crazy. Yesterday I ran into a former babysitter of A’s – she had her 6-month old with her. It honestly felt really odd to see our former babysitter (who was a young teen when I met her) WITH A BABY that my own daughter could now officially babysit. Life comes full circle in the strangest ways.
I love Lisa’s idea of doing some packing ahead of time! Though I tend to plan my outfits in advance, but actually pack things pretty last minute.
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Yay for the end of the school year and almost-vacation! Next week is the last week of school for us – just one more year of high school and we are DONE.
I like the oil rig answer! What do you think you would have written back in the 8th? Honestly I have no idea what I would have said.
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I hear oil rig is good money… Though maybe he should read the graphic novel Ducks before he does that.
Our kids don’t get out of school until the middle of June. It feels so far away, yet there is so much to pack in before then.
I think that schedule of just having a week for exams is pretty cool – definitely very college like. But what do the kids do with their school week when they aren’t taking an exam? Do they just hang out at school?
Yay you for getting another kid to high school!
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I love this time of year!!! The impending end-of-school just feels so festive. Angie has regular school this week, then finals next week Tuesday-Thursday. I agree it’s hard when you’re making a big transition (which we’re not this year, phew.) I get emotional about those things too, and you have been at that school a LONG time, since they started in elementary!
I’m very excited about your trip to Hawaii- you always write very detailed and interesting vacation recaps. I’ll be living vicariously, since the only trip I’ll take this summer is to Waco, TX.
Good luck with the packing! You’ll get it done.
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ahhhhh it’s so close!!! We have a finals week, too but it’s the week of June 7th. And I really like it that way- the students come in for 3 hours, then leave, and we can grade uninterrupted. I love Asher’s answers! Especially his advice “get things done on time” 😉 I am pretty much droning from a fire hose this week but- then I have five (!) days off for Memorial Day woot woot!
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”drinking” not droning lol
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Can’t believe the school year is over again already… I swear, time goes by so fast (and probably faster for you guys with kids!).
I chuckled about Asher’s future plans… even before I read that you were hoping that this were not actually his plans. LOL Teenage boys are funny.
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