Last of School 2012

Eldon finished up with Shooting Stars a week before Kyler's school got out.  It was great to have him go there for a few months.  We started him in January.  It wasn't long until I noticed that it was harder and harder to get him to go.  It wasn't them or their fault.  We love Shooting Stars. But it's just Eldon.  I also noticed that when I dropped him off it was becoming quite the scene.  I would try to leave and he would hold on to me and the teachers would have to try to coax him off and then he would stand by the window and cry and cry while I drove away.  Hated it.  Finally I asked one of my friends to spend an afternoon with him and just observe him.  She is great with kids and understands them.  So she gave me some pointers and we ended up with a system that worked really great and has now merged into other aspects of his life.  I made sure gum chewing was allowed there and that they would be fine with me leaving him at the door.  We went to the store, let Eldon pick out a few flavors of gum.  Then every day he went to preschool he would pick out a piece as we sat in the car in front of the school.  Then I would walk him up, he would open the door and stand right inside, give me a kiss, then I would hand him the piece of gum.  He would then take the few minutes he needed by himself to unwrap it and start chewing it.  And then he was fine for the rest of class.  In fact his teachers said it was a night and day difference.  He did his work, played better, and was better tempered.  Anyways long story short, they were great to work with us and it was a good experience for him.  So to say good bye and thank you we got them these guns:

 On the back it said "I don't think this is what you meant by 'Shooting' stars but thank you for helping me with my aim!"

 Now we had to change our schedule a bit to include Eldon.  So we painted together:

 read together....Eldon and Isaac are getting along better lately.  I sometimes just find them sitting together doing this:

 And they want to dress alike.  Even if it means that Isaac wears a newborn tie with suspenders.

 Played with Gigi.

 Our breaks had been squeaking really bad.  So bad that when I went to pick up Aiden and Emma in the morning I wouldn't have to honk or go to the door because they would hear me pull in and break.  So embarrassing.  Anyways we took it to two different places paid a total of $400 for nothing.  Travis decided to do it himself.  Ordered the parts, watched a youtube video, and Ta Da!!! He did it!  They don't squeak and they work great!!  He's a miracle worker!

 Memorial Day was the beginning of Kyler's last week.  We were low key this year.  No camping.  But we did picnic with cousin Kimberely that came up.

 Kyler got an award at the assembly for reading the most minutes outside of school, in his class.  We read close to 5,000 minutes.  He got a bag that says "I love Reading!"  He now uses it to house all his T Ball stuff.  He was pretty proud!

 This is what the others looked like after the assembly.  Mad,tired, and hungry.

 On the last day of school the Kindergarten "graduates" and has a ceremony.  This is Kyler shaking hands with the principal.

 I love that Travis is able to come and support ....and help rangle the other children!

 After the program we went back to the classroom and had refreshments and said good bye.  This is his teacher saying thank you and goodbye.

 Maggie eating up the refreshments!

 JD, Kyler, Mason, and Brody.  Good group of kids.

 Kyler and his first love, Brynlee

 Our gift to Ms. Collins, a book for her classroom with a picture of her and Kyler.  And he wrote "Faku" which meant "Thank you".

Wow I can't believe he is already finished with Kindergarten!  I am so proud of him and all that he accomplished this year. 
-He has learned to read well. 
-His math skills have improved. 
-He seems so grown up now. 
-He writes stories. 
-He still tells me things all the time that surprise me that he learned "at school"
though we did have a few interesting experiences
-taking $120 to school to buy a drink...he found our tithing money and took some to buy a fizz drink.  The school called me to tell me.  We all got a good laugh about it!  He did chores to make up for it and then paid back a lady at the school who bought him the drink so he didn't have to use that money.
-he mooned a kid in class.  Actually they were in line to go back to class and he mooned Mason.  He was meaning to be funny...we had to have a talk about that...a few talks....long talks.
-the teacher not liking his art work for a story he wrote...don't get me started on this because it really was upsetting to me.  But nothing at the fault of Kyler.  He was perfectly innocent, it was others that degraded what he had done. 
-having some girls in class tell him that they were going to invite him to their 16th birthday parties so that they could take him into their closet and kiss him!
-being late to pick him up a few times and him sitting there in the office waiting for me.
-doing the Celebrity Reading at his school
-going in every thursday to help in class

As the summer started the Principal gave them all the goal to read 30 books before they came back in the fall.  Kyler made the goal to read 100.  To date (July 5th) he has read 35.  So proud of him.

He really is a great kid.  And I love him!