The end of the school year is always filled with so many activities. Gavin alone had many special days that I would like to share. Gavin and his friend Ashton have been a part of a program called the Parent Home Program for the past two years. We have had weekly visits from our most favorite teacher Margie helping us to work with Gavin on all sorts of Kindergarten readiness skills. He has grown leaps and bounds over these two years. He was so young when we started and I think of all the things he is doing now and it amazes me what young children learn during the ages of 0-5. They are sponges and Gavin is our firecracker!
The PHP staff put together a special graduation for all the senior students. Here we are waiting for the ceremony to begin.
Gavin is such an expressive kid. His moods can go from one extreme to another. He has endless reserves of energy and enthusiasm for life. He loves to learn and he has worked so hard to master all the skills Margie has introduced to him. He received a diploma, a teddy bear, and an entire bag of wonderful prizes that he could take home to continue his lifelong learning journey.
Margie has become like family to us. We sure are going to miss seeing her every week. She is the most patient, humble, kind, loving, helpful, positive, encouraging, creative, and fun woman I have ever met. Not only did she teach Gavin, but she taught me how to be a better mom. She made me want to be sweeter, kinder, and more charitable. Margie has become my dear friend and I will miss our little chats at the end of each learning session. Luckily I still have her number and I will be keeping in touch with her so we don't lose such a gem in our lives. We've already asked her to come on a picnic with us over the summer.
Besides the PHP, speech, and preschool for Mr. Gavin he loves being outside. Riding his bike in the afternoons gets all his energy out and mommy some fresh air. I giggle every time I see this pic with the balloon tied to his wrist. This would be a perfect moment for any kid.
If I don't keep Gavin occupied in constructive ways he finds ways to entertain him that are not to my liking. Take this for example, he was practicing some cutting on paper. I went upstairs to get Reid after his nap and came downstairs to find hair scattered all over the kitchen floor. Gavin nonchalantly looks up and says "Mom, I gave myself a haircut because my hair is getting too long." GASP! GULP! WHAT? My normal reaction would have been to get mad, but this time I was calm, cool, and collected. I just told him we would have to shave all of his hair off. Well, the sad face in the picture is the distress this idea caused him. I pulled out the clippers and gave him a buzz cut.
The after picture: order and peace have been restored to the galaxy once again.
The next special day for Gavin was his preschool field trip to the Land of Make Believe. Gavin and his best bud Cye pretty much rode all the rides together. The best part about this amusement park is most of the rides didn't require a parent to ride with the child so I could hold Reid while Gavin rode the rides.
Pilots!
The boys first roller coaster ride.
Reid: was not sad about missing out on the rides. He got to ride the train and see Santa so it wasn't all bad.
Speedsters.
Carousel.
Hoppity Hop! This was a fabulous day and a fun time for me to connect with Gavin! I'm so glad I could go and share this special day with him.
You might ask what a normal day with Gavin looks like. It's never predictable. It's full of lots of silliness and I never know what's coming next.
The duo toothbrushes is the newest way I can get Gavin to let me help brush his teeth. Otherwise he fights me tooth and nail to do it himself only.
This kid is 3 going on 15. He is ready for the big wide world. Watch out world because Gavin is not to be messed with!
The picture of Gavin in the blue shirt is him on his last day of preschool. He was pretty happy.
Although I felt like he was finally getting used to his routine and his wonderful teachers. Mrs. Burpee and Mrs. A are so sweet and kind. They definitely exude all sorts of warm fuzzies. Mrs. Osborne is definitely the authoritarian of the group. But with all three it's the perfect balance to give the kids lots of love and keep them in line too. Although Mrs. Osborne isn't much of a smiley person, but she sure loved seeing Reid every morning. She always gave us big smiles. It kind of made me feel pretty cool that my baby could have that affect on her because not many people could get her to show her soft side.
Here Gavin and I took my friend Karina out for her birthday to a sushi restaurant. Gavin almost ate this entire plate of food himself. Where he put it is still a mystery.
By the end of a day with this kid I feel about like he does in this picture. This kid doesn't stop. The fact that he fell asleep on the stairs is a miracle. That is when I know he had a super day. He plays hard and he sleeps harder. Getting him to sleep is always a battle, but once he's asleep he sleeps great! (Don't worry I moved him as soon as I took the picture. Safety is always at the top of my concerns)
Gavin has had a year of great leaps and bounds in learning and growing. His speech has improved so much! He is learning to be such a big kid and take responsibility for his actions. He is kind and thoughtful. He is generous. He is rough and tough. He is silly. He is smart. He is strong. He is a wonderful mix of sweet and spicy that makes our lives full of surprises. We love being a part of his journey in becoming a man. But for now he is our little boy and I hope I can enjoy every part of it as long as possible. We welcome summer with open arms to enjoy the essence of childhood; warm summer nights, days at the pool, adventures with friends, trips to see family, and lots of moments to help us grow closer with each other.
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