End of the Year Happenings

We made it to summer!!!!  Today was EK's last day of first grade. She has had the very best year and has learned and grown so much. Her teacher has been truly unbelievable!  She is not only an incredibly gifted teacher, but she is an even better person who encouraged, prayed for, and loved on our girl so well. We are so grateful!!!

The first graders have been celebrating the end of school for several days. They had class awards presented by Mrs. Wilson and the sno cone truck came one day with some yummy treats. They had a ball in first grade😉

Today was the elementary awards day and EK received a certificate for All A's. So proud of her hard work!

Walker closed out his year a few days ago as well. He has had an amazing year with the Black Dog class and Ms Ashley is a gift for sure. I can't believe he will be heading off to K4 in 10 weeks!  

Walker missed out on his end if the year party due to starting his summer a little early with a trip to Columbus. He is having the best time!  He has driven his fire truck to the fire station down the street and talked the ears off of all the firemen. He even got to try out the fire pole!!! He went to New Albany as well and got to see his cousins play tennis. I think it's safe to say that he is a happy camper!

Emma has just been hanging out. I love a good comparison shot, so here is the one for Miss Priss. 

Sweet sisters!

It has been a wonderful school year for the Nelson crew!  We are all excited for the summer activities we have on the calendar and before we know it, we will blink and it will be August!!!

Ballet Recital 2016

We finally made it to recital day and this little girl was absolutely giddy!  She adores dancing and she loves to perform so that makes for a pretty good combination! We snapped a couple of pictures in our ballet costume before heading backstage. 

This year, the recital theme for the ballet portion of the recital was "Alice in Wonderland."  EK and her friends were the cutest little butterflies. 

 

The second act in the recital was "I've Got Rhythm" and EK danced her jazz routine to "Shake Your Groove Thing." 

I snapped a couple of shots backstage. How stinking precious is this????

EK was thrilled to get to hang out with her school friends Stella and Ellie James while they waited on their turns to take the stage. 

The "Ella Kate Official Fan Club" was in attendance. We are so thankful that our family would travel in to town and give up their time to see EK dance. 

Dance recital #4 is in the books for our favorite ballerina. What a joy it is to watch her do what she loves!

Happenings

We are only a couple of days away from summer and we are all READY!!!  Here's a litte look into what has been keeping us busy....

I some how missed these shots from Walker's birthday. I thought they were too cute not to share!

On Mother's Day, EKs Sunday school class had a brunch for the mamas. They sang a couple of songs and showed off their artwork. I'm so thankful for such caring and dedicated SS teachers. 30+ years of faithfully serving first graders is pretty amazing!

My people. 

We got to celebrate EKs birthday at school one day last week. Thanks to her new found obsession with Cupcake Wars, she insisted on making the cupcakes by herself. She did great and now thinks she is ready to open her own bakery. 

Walker got to have outdoor fun day at preschool. They got to check out the big playground (we have two playgrounds for the different age groups) and eat Popsicles so it was pretty much the best day ever!

Mom and Dad took the kids to meet Haley for brunch and a little Bass Pro adventure. My kids think Bass Pro is amazing!

EK had her last day in her ballet class this week. She was thrilled to get her medal and we are all excited for the big recital this weekend!

Emma had her last day in Mother's Morning Out. She has had the best year and has the sweetest little friends in her class. 

I guess that is about it!  We have a couple more days of school, a dance recital, a couple of class parties, and an awards day between us and sweet summer!!!

Field Day

Ella Kate had field day today and it was an absolute blast! 

Her first event was the 50 yard dash. I must mention that this race has been quite intimidating to EK. Someone at school called her "slow" as they practiced their events this week and she was broken hearted. There will be many things that hurt her feelings or make her sad. That's part of life unfortunately. But, within these realities lies opportunity--opportunity to not let yesterday's words define today's reality. I'm proud she chose to let today define today. And because she did, she got second place but more than that, she learned a great lesson. She learned she isn't limited by the words of others. 

This is one of my favorite pics from her race. That's her precious friend Lilly cheering her on as she ran. I just love everything about this!

I'm so proud of how hard this little girl tried and how she never gave up...and she's just proud she got a ribbon!

EKs class competed in the tug of war. They won their first heat and then won the championship. 

Blue ribbon!!!

Precious little friends!

EK's cheering section had a lot to celebrate today!

EK wanted to go show off her ribbons to KayKay before we left the school as well. 

It was so much fun to see the kids dance, cheer, jump around and be filled with so much joy as they played today. EK got in the car and immediately starting talking about what events she hopes to compete in next year!  

Happy Birthday, Walker!

Today my little buddy turns 4. He is hysterical and keeps us on our toes for sure. He acts more like an 80 year old than a 4 year old!  He never meets a stranger and can carry on conversations with adults like nobody's business!  He remembers the names of everyone he meets and how they are connected to others and he never forgets anything that he has heard. His memory is crazy amazing! He assesses the room each time he enters before he says anything. I guess he just likes to get a feel things. He loves routine. Each morning, I walk him through the events of the day so there won't be any surprises. He is cautious in a lot of ways and then completely fearless in others. He loves the outdoors. His favorite activities include digging in the dirt or mud, riding his bike and playing baseball and basketball.....he's all boy!!! He is obsessed with all things related to fire trucks and can be found wearing his fire gear all day everyday when at home. He is really sweet to Emma and lets her wear his leftover gear so they can play together. He loves his flip flops and immediately puts them on the second he walks into the doors from school each day. He is still ridiculously picky in the food department. His top choices would be milkshakes, Mac and cheese, cheese pizza, waffles and yogurt. Good thing he has such a great metabolism and never slows down unless he is sleeping!  He gave up naps ages ago, but he is always willing to snuggle and nap with me on Sunday. Thank goodness one of my children appreciates the goodness that is a Sunday nap!!! This morning, I was singing a made up, silly birthday song. He started rolling his eyes. I asked him what he was doing and he said, "I'm just looking at Jesus and wondering if he knows what in the world you are doing."  I just laughed. He is such a mess!! One of my favorite things he does is sign "I Love You" to me. It might be across the playground at school or at night when I tuck him into bed, but it absolutely melts my heart every single time!!  He is so loving and kind and I am so grateful he is mine!

What Is Your Name:  Walker

How Old Are You:  4

What Makes You Happy:  When I play with my firehouse

What Makes You Sad:  Nothing. I never get sad

What Is Your Favorite Thing to Do:  Play with you

What Is Your Favorite Color:  Red

What Is Your Favorite Food:  Pizza Lunchables

What Is Your Favorite TV show: Fireman Sam

What Is Your Favorite Movie: Minions

What Is Your Favorite Song: "Holy Spirit" and "Do Lord"

What Is Your Favorite Animal:  Alligator

What Is Your Favorite Bible Story:  When Jesus Died On The Cross

What Do you Like to Do with Mama: Play and cuddle and nap

What Do You Like to Do With Daddy:  Work in the garden

What Do You Like To Do With Ella Kate: Play "Cupcake Wars"

What Do You Like To Do with Emma: Play in my firehouse because she loves it too

What Is Your Favorite Sport: Bulldogs

Where Is Your Favorite Place to Go: Newk's

Who is Your Best friend: Max and Abbott and Wade

What Is Your Favorite Book: Any book about firetrucks or volcanoes 

What Do you Want to Be When You Grow Up:  Fireman

Happy Birthday, Walker! We love you!!!