Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Wrapping Up The Year

Reserving our seats for once the water is in the tub
Spring has sprung (and then fled, and re-sprung, then fled....
OMG! There is a house behind those trees!
unpredictable weather lately).  Since David's dad's visit, we have been very busy here, not only wrapping up school activities for Madeline's school year (I can't believe that she is almost done with 1st grade!!) but also starting outdoor projects around our house.

Shortly after David's dad left Minnesota, David and I started our outdoor work.  With a
David ran track in high school (above) and college
toddler in tow, it typically takes two of us working outside to make sure that Jonathan isn't getting into anything that he shouldn't be into.  As a result, our progress has been a very ongoing process.  Our first change was the addition of a hot tub.  Since we moved from New York , David and I really missed our evening quiet time, soaking in the tub.  Needless to
Madeline wearing David's college track jacket
say, we were beyond thrilled to add this addition to our Minnesota house.  One of our other outdoor projects is to work on our landscaping.  Trimming or removing very overgrown shrubs/trees have kept us busy as well as planting new bushes, an herb garden and mulching beds.  We are still not done cleaning/mulching the various beds but the progress that we have
About to cross the finish line - Go Madeline!
made looks much better.

Madeline had joined a running club in school to help her train for the school's 5K run.  Madeline is actually a pretty fast runner.  Heck, she takes after David who was a very skilled runner in high school/college.  The initial plan was that Madeline was going to run the kid's race and then, as a family, we
Face painting fun
would walk the 5K.  The day of the race came and it was pouring rain.  None of us had any
desire to walk the 5K in the rain, however, we felt that it was important to at least have Madeline participate in the kid's race.  Prior to leaving the house, I pulled out of the back of the closet, David's Marquette University track wind breaker, from his dollege track days.  Although
Jonathan loves playing ball
Madeline was swimming in the jacket, Madeline wore for her first race (who knows, maybe
she'll be a track
No....not Dr. J! It's Baby J!
Olympian one day) her papa's running jacket.  The kid's race wasn't a very serious race as it wasn't timed in any way, however Madeline did a good job.  There were many older kids (4th/5th grade) in the race and although Madeline didn't finish at the front, she wasn't in the back either.  I was also proud that after she completed her race she
wanted to stand at the
Madeline enjoyed the bounce houses
finish line and cheer on the other runners.  After the kids' race, we headed into school for the family fun activities that they
Getting ready for the bridging ceremony
had, due to weather, moved into the gym.  Madeline was excited about the face painting and bounce houses.  While Madeline did her thing, Jonathan was content to play with a basketball at the corner of the gym.

Our Daisies
Madeline was also a Girl Scout Daisy again this year.  Due to the fact that we moved schools and cities, this year's Daisy troop was different than last year's troop.  A Longggggg story, but I ended up taking on a leadership role in this year's new troop.  So wrapping up Girl Scouts for the year
Silly girls!
was not only a big event for Madeline, but was for me too. 
Not Daisies anymore! They bridged to Brownies!
Additionally, the end of this year meant that, since all the girls are going in 2nd grade next year, they were ready to bridge from Daisies to Brownies.   We spent our last night together, making
Signing each other's shirts
friendship bracelets and then the girls received their bridging certificates, bridging patch, membership pin (for the year they just completed) and their new Brownie pins.  After the girls bridged we shared an appropriate treat - brownies, of course! (and juice) with each other and parents while the girls signed each other's Daisy t-shirt (we opted for tees instead of the official vest/smock).  All in all, the evening was a success.  Event's like this are always bittersweet as there is happiness about the new milestone, yet at the same time a realization of how quickly time is passing and how quickly my babies are growing up!



There is just over a week of school left for Madeline and more wrap up will occur.  First grade is almost over, yet we have a whole summer of fun to look forward to and a whole summer's worth of memories to cherish.

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