Wordless Wednesday

This is the lake that’s centrally located in our neighborhood.  One would never guess that in the midst of suburbia, three miles from three grocery stores, several fast-food joints, and a handful of gas stations, there are 25 acres tucked away for the private use of those who are in the know.

Time passages

The Boss “graduated” from 5th grade last week! The 5th grade promotion ceremony is a Very Big Deal at our elementary school.   Three days before, The Boss announced that he wanted me to cut his hair very short - not a buzz cut like his brothers, but short.  So we started with this -

and ended with this:

I told him no one would recognize him in his class photos – he’s had that long wavy blond hair for a few years now.  I trimmed some of it in February, but he was a reluctant victim participant then.

The promotion ceremony was nice.  It was a scene out of Lake Wobegon, where we celebrated all of our above average children.  They didn’t seem to mind facing the press corp that was their camera-wielding parents.

The kids shared memories of every single one of their teachers from kindergarten through this year, including the “special” teachers (art, music), the lunch aids (yes, way), and the principals (they’ve had three).  Then at the end, there was a slide show featuring two photos of their graduate – one as a wee tot and another current photo.  My kids bet I would cry. I did. The photos are one thing but when you pair ‘em up with tear-jerker tunes, I’m powerless to stop the waterworks. Sniff, sniff. I provided this one for the Wee Boss -

…and this one for the recent Boss.

This photo’s two years old, but I chose it because Peezer’s in it, too. I was around Boss’s classroom a good bit when I was pregnant and then when Peezer was a baby. They remember him and always ask about him. He’s like their li’l class mascot.

Afterwards there was a reception outside with the obligatory cake. The class automatically (reflexively?) divided up – boys on one side, girls on the other.  I caught the boys mugging for a group shot:

And then we posed for the obligatory family shot.

The Boss is unhappy here because we explained he would indeed have to stay at school for the rest of the day. He wanted to blow it off.

Come Fall, I will have two kids in middle school and none at our elementary school. We’ve had kids at that school since 2001! Peezer with his January birthday won’t start kindergarten for another year. On our way out of the celebration, we marched Peezer into the office and had him say to the secretary, SEE YOU IN 2010! She laughed. And so did I, until I realized that when I sit through my next 5th grade promotion ceremony and tear-jerking slideshow, I will be much closer to 50 than to 40.  Also, that is the year that Bubta, my oldest, will begin high school. I will have one kid in each of the three schools in our cluster that year.

And then I cried again.

Hellooo, Summer!

Easy Peezy, Lemon Squeezie...

We joined the pool this summer. Easy’s ready to swim.