My baby is growing up too fast!

My baby graduated from Elementary School yesterday! And YES!... I am heart broken. Where did the time go? Sunrise... Sunset... Not only does it mean big changes for him, but for me as well. NO MORE helping out as a room mother, or a teacher's aid, or a PTA officer, or a field trip chaperone. NO MORE making volcanoes, or Star of the Week posters, or helping out at the carnivals, or going to the very hot and long end of the year award assemblies. NO MORE running lunch money over to the secretary, or going to Author's and Book Fairs, or sitting in the hall waiting for SEPs to start, or reading in the hall with students, or helping with the Pentathlon, or Bike Rodeo. NO MORE watching a school Halloween parade, or going to Recorder concerts, or school plays. NO MORE studying for spelling bees, or going to math and science Olympiads, or the end of the year swimming party, or Dare Graduation. NO MORE Reflections award nights, or Star Gazing parties, or Room Mother teas, or Manner Teas, or Amblyopia clinics, OR, OR, OR...the list goes on and on. It is almost endless! All those things and more I have been doing for the past 18 years non-stop and it has now come to an end! I know some of you may think that sounds like a good thing. But not to me! (Well, with the exception of the Spelling Bees!) When I was out running the other day, I ran by his school and he was outside with his buds playing baseball and all I could think is that this is probably the last time this will ever happen. I will never be able to run by again and see him outside playing on that playground. He is growing up! But I don't want him to! I want to keep him little and pure and innocent and unscathed from the world. Something happens when they leave grade school and move into the bigger schools. The innocence is gradually lost and I guess I am just not ready for my baby to already be there! Waaaa!!! I am the baby now!

McKay in his 5th grade graduation hat and his Diploma for earning his B. University Doctorate Degree.

Our grade schools only go through the fifth grade here and so next year he will be in the Intermediate School that is for 6th and 7th graders.

Before graduation on Wednesday, I went and helped with the 5th grade breakfast and year end party at the park. Mmmm...lots of pancakes and fruit for the hungry young-uns.

Don't those look tasty? They were!

They played the Amazing Race for the activity and I helped with one of the stations. McKay is throwing the rings in the center. He did great!

This was a tough game! They had to ring the dowels and the highest anyone got was TWO! I had to change the rules midway or they would all still be there trying!

Some of the cutest girls! I have grown to love them over the years of helping at the school.

Kylee, me, and Robyn.
They said they are going to come and visit me a lot this summer! I hope so!

Just chillin' after the race.

McKay and some of his buds having fun.

(Later in the day at Graduation.)

McKay got to sit on the stand because he earned his Doctorate Degree. He is next to the boy in the orange shirt. I think only twelve earned their doctorates. It is program that requires a lot of extra time doing paper work and then hours in the field you choose. For his Master's he had to do 10 hours. For his Doctorate, 20 hours! He did his 10 hours in Computer Science. He started his own email and I helped him start his own blog! You can check it out here. For his Doctorate he did Landscape Architecture. For those 20 hours he mowed lawns, trimmed bushes, planted a garden, weeded, etc. They can choose how far up they want to go.

Throwing their hats after graduating!


Cooper, McKay, and Carson. The THREE MUSKETEERS. Best buds since birth.

Carson, McKay, Coop, with Parker, the FOURTH Musketeer!

At the awards assembly today...
McKay received the Presidential Academic Award and the Presidential Physical Fitness Award.

The principal presenting awards. McKay is second to the right of him.

His awesome teacher Mrs. Klein!

Last day of Elemenatary School for McKay and all his buds.

I think they are happy to be done!
Being boys!
Video of McKay getting his 5th grade Diploma (strictly for the Grandparents!)



Seth and Taylor signing each other's yearbooks!
Reading what others wrote. They just finished 8th grade!

I will post more photos of today later... my house is currently full of boys (no girls...yet!) and of course they are all starving and waiting for yours truly to feed them.

A few more...
Tay and buds playing fooze ball...

(the spots are from my lens)

McKay and his buds partying late into the night...

I really wanted to post photos of Bryce and his buds because they made their own tye-died shirts in my backyard, (and they did an amazing job for a bunch of teenage boys!) but they escaped before I could get any shots! Dang!
School is definitely out!!!