V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N

We're headed north to the land of internet non-access tomorrow morning, so "The Adventures of Will and Hallie" will be on hiatus for the next week. Happy summer!

An Epic Battle

It's no longer enough just to sword fight...now their battles must be loosely choreographed to Star Wars theme music.

Are costumes next?

That's a Wrap: Kindergarten Graduation

Some days I look at him and think to myself that he couldn't possibly be any sweeter, or any more handsome. His last day of kindergarten was one of those days.

After our early morning photo session, the four of us headed off to school. Though I didn't think an actual graduation ceremony was necessary, I enjoyed myself, as did Tom and Will (Hallie enjoyed only the cookies at the post-graduation reception). The kindergarten graduation and end-of-the-year program were fun for Will and kind of funny for Tom and me.

Walking in with his class.

Smiling from the stage. 

Focusing on his choreography.

Mrs. Pratt's kindergarten class. 

Trying to listen to the principal while Emma whispers in his ear. 

Singing one last song as a kindergartener.

Walking across the stage with his diploma.

He thinks kindergarten graduations are a little over the top as well.

The preschooler and the first grader.

Will and his amazing teacher, Mrs. Pratt.

A kindergartener no more!

Congratulations, buddy - we're so proud of you, and can't wait to see you take on first grade!

That's a Wrap: Kindergarten

I'm sure this is only the beginning of me writing "I can't believe _____ is already over, and that in a few short months Will will start _____ grade". But it's true - I honestly can't believe that kindergarten is already over, and that in a few short months Will will start first grade.

From what I remember, I loved kindergarten. I loved my teacher, and I loved everything about the "big kid" school day, from reading stations, math worksheets, and centers to music, PE, recess, hot lunch in the cafeteria, and snack. I especially loved being the line leader on my birthday.

I wanted so badly for Will to love kindergarten, and thankfully, he did. He loved his teacher (and so did I, especially after she never brought up the ridiculousness that was our parent-teacher conference), who turned out to be perfect for Will in that she challenged him academically AND helped him come up with and put into practice school-appropriate strategies for controlling his emotions. He loved the "big kid" school day, especially anything technology-related (the computer lab as well as the computer and Smart Board centers in his classroom), buying hot lunch in the cafeteria, and Road Runners (the weekly running challenge during PE).

Here he is, the kindergarten graduate and future graduate of the class of 2025.

It's hard for me to believe these two pictures were taken only nine 

months apart - I think he looks so much older as a kindergarten graduate...

Speaking of kindergarten graduation, stay tuned for lots of great photos and videos of the ceremony next week!

That's a Wrap: 3-Year-Old Preschool

After a whirlwind nine months, Hallie finished up her three-year-old year of preschool at the end of May. As was also the case last year, Hallie had wonderful teachers (Ms. Mary and Ms. Susan are top-notch teachers in general, but they turned out to be perfectly suited - in terms of their personalities and teaching styles - for our little spit-fire as well) who loved and nurtured her while simultaneously providing her with plenty of foundational knowledge on which to build next year.

Hallie had mixed emotions on that last day of school: sad that school was over, crazy excited about her end-of-the-year program, and happy about the start of summer vacation.

Hallie insisted I curl her hair that morning. I did, and it looked lovely, but only for about 30 minutes. Despite being relatively wavy/curly, Hallie's hair doesn't hold curl very well. It only took five minutes of recess to wipe out those beautiful, loose ringlets.

Later that morning Tom and I attended Hallie's end-of-the-year musical program. Hallie always understands what's going on during these sorts of things and takes her performances very seriously (there are always a few kids who look confused or wander off stand, and when this happens, both Will and Hallie have been known to shoot those kids dirty looks), and this program was no exception. The girl was focused.

We're about two weeks into summer vacation, and I think Hallie and I are both only a few days away from being ready for four-year-old preschool to start...

That's a Wrap: Baseball

I had an absolute blast this baseball season. It was so fun to watch Will improve - he worked really hard both at and outside of practice - and I, surprisingly, thoroughly enjoyed the role of Coach's Wife. Turns out my strengths (attentive-to-detail, excessively organized, obsessively early) and personality (extrovert wanna-be) match up pretty well with what's required of a tee-ball coach's wife, or as I preferred to call myself, a tee-ball administrator.

Thankfully, Tom and his co-coach, our friend and Will's best friend Logan's dad, Aaron, also enjoyed themselves and will return to the dugout as co-coaches once again in the fall. I seriously can't wait.

At the plate - Will's batting stance is AWESOME for a six-year-old.

It's a hit!

Working on grounders.

And actually catching the ball.

Will can now throw almost as far as I can.
It's embarrassing.

I have no idea what's stuffed in his left cheek...

Hallie spent a lot of time in her little pink lawn chair this season.
Note the tiny pink My Little Pony crown she's wearing on her head.

Showing off her dance moves while I shuttled
little boys up to bat and back to the bench.

I made one of these magnetic seat markers for each
Mariner so they'd always know where to sit and where
they were in the line-up that day.

Will, #10

Last game, last huddle.

"Go Mariners!"

I LOVE this picture. Hope they all come "back" next fall!

That's a Wrap: Soccer

It's that time of year, when soccer and baseball and preschool and kindergarten come to an end. Soon we'll also be taking a summer break from gymnastics and karate (a two-month break from gymnastics and a month-long break from karate while we're traveling). It's nice to have a little less on the calendar this month - though we're still having fun and keeping busy with swimming lessons, playdates, and our summer bucket list - but these activities and this year of school were great ones that are hard to bid farewell to!

Hallie played Hot Shots soccer for the second time this spring, and it went about as well as it did last fall. Her attitude fluctuated and she had a couple of spectacular meltdowns - toward the end of the season, interestingly, rather than at the beginning of the season - but she seemed to enjoy herself most of the time. It helped that she knew one of the little boys on her team, and was familiar going in with the style of coaching and type of activities she'd encounter at practice.

Toe taps on top of the ball.

Dribbling. This was one area in which
she improved tremendously this year. 

Stopping the ball with her bottom.

And with her tummy.

And with her cheek.

And then the meltdown began.

This looks like a hug, but it was more like a restraint. She was
kicking and SCREAMING and I was whisper-yelling in her ear
that if she didn't pull herself together she wouldn't get her trophy. 

Finally she was calm enough - barely - to
walk with Daddy to the trophy table.

Will ran approximately 1.5 miles - in 400-yard, timed
sprints - during Hallie's final practice. The kid is a beast.

I hope Hallie continues to play soccer, and as she grows older I'll encourage her to participate in any sport in which she expresses an interest. I'm not entirely sure sports are her "thing" though - if given the choice, she always chooses gymnastics and dance over soccer and bike riding, and she spends quite a bit of her time focused on music and art. I realize it's still far too early to label Hallie as an athlete, a dancer, a musician, and/or an artist, but as an athlete myself, it's disheartening to me to consider the fact that she might not follow in my footsteps. I LOVE being a baseball mom/coach's wife, but I'm not sure I'm dance mom material...we'll find out soon enough though, as Hallie is already registered for dance lessons this fall!