we are here. june 21st. we have arrived at this moment. the last day of school. the end of another school year.
the end of third grade for miss ally. and the end of elementary school for alex. *deep sigh*
where does the time go? i know i sound like a broken record but it is flying by at warp speed now. and i'm desperately trying to hold on, to be present, to be 'in' each and every moment, to soak up these childhood moments as we go, but this speed? i just can not get used to this speed.
but that is what summer months are for, right?... to slow down the pace, to have lazy mornings together, unplanned days, time to just see how our days unfold. i truly look forward to spending summer with the kids, with craig and our family together.
we have a tradition of taking a photo on the first day of school and a few years back i started taking the same photo on the last day of school. it always amazes me the amount of growth during the school year.
just look at these faces. here they are back in september on the first day of school...
and here they are again june 21st on the last day of school...
it's quite something to see the physical changes that happen during just nine months of time.
a few random thoughts...
first of all these kiddos both have sensitive eyes... this was a sunny morning but we were not in the sunshine. in fact, the sun was up behind me and to ally's left. but both the kids had a really hard time looking at the camera. they kept saying how bright it was, that it was too bright and hurt their eyes!?!?! is this a by product of living in the nw-- we have so many gray overcast days that their eyes are overwhelmed by the sunshine?? what up? so, i had to use the very technical 'close your eyes count to 3' strategy, here...
in order to achieve the final image. which explains why miss ally has a somewhat strained smile. but we all know what her lil' grin looks like so we're just rolling with it.
speaking of miss a... she has the most beautiful and unique hair color. it is definitely 'strawberry blonde' and the red has really been standing out these days. she also changed up her hair a few weeks into school. for years, she wore her hair down and with a headband but this was the year of the ponytail. almost everyday she pulled it back into a pony with a different colored/patterned clip in the front. this was her 'go to' school style.
in addition, this was the year of jeggings for her... she would have worn them every single day to school. but they did need washing from time to time. so, she mixed it up with leggings n' tunics, skirts n' leggings too. along with a favorite long striped sweater in the winter months or pink polar fleece pull over. and we can't forget her brown faux suede 'ugg' like boots. she has become quite the fashionista with her choice of bold patterns and bright colors.
as for alex, he's a dude and would just throw on the first thing he touched whether it was hanging in the closet, from the dresser drawers or off the floor (if we let him). he is one low maintenance guy. except for getting him to wear a coat or sweatshirt out the door and then having him return home with it! this was an ongoing 'area of growth' for him this year.
speaking of growth... that would be his hair! always growing, always thick and always in need of a haircut. we had a hard time keeping up with his haircuts and for some reason he's always in need of one on the last day of school.
these two are definitely growing before our eyes. we now have a middle schooler and soon to be fourth grader.
yep, it's moving at warp speed--but, i'm hanging on with all my heart, to take this amazing ride alongside of them.