Last Day of School & Teacher Gifts

Brooklyn putting the finishing touches on her thank you cards for her teachers...

She chose chocolate chip pancakes for her last day of school breakfast 2013 

Multitasking at it's finest - packing her backpack & talking on the phone to my mom who called to wish her a happy last day!

What a last day for Miss Brooklyn! There were smiles, hugs, tears (from mom), high fives and celebrations. What a blessed year we had for Kindergarten with this little miss. We were spoiled with such an amazing group of kids, parents, and two teachers for such a small class. The teachers said it was hands down the sweetest group of kids they had ever taught. They truly looked out for one another. Feeling very grateful for this year in the cocoon as I call it - this school that has been a part of our lives for the past 7+ years. This big hearted girl has big plans for 1st grade and can't WAIT to get to the BIG elementary school to spend one year with her sister. Waving, hi'ing and passing in the hall as a first grader with her big eyes looking up to her big 5th grade sister. I seriously get choked up just writing it!

TEACHER GIFTS...

We went simple this year...I love Pinterest but sometimes there are so many ideas that my mind gets all jumbled and I can't focus on one. I think I may have Pinterest ADD. There are so many special staff and teachers at K's school that I wanted to find something that we could make, simple, cheap but  would make a nice gift. We found these...

photo courtesy of Julie Blanner 

     Her awesome recipe for Rosemary Spearmint Body Scrub 

and her recipe for Vanilla Brown Sugar Body Scrub 

were exactly what we needed! Most of the ingredients we had at home but we grabbed the couple that we didn't and found some Ball mason jars at Target and ended up with some fabulous gifts. I even have a couple left over that will be perfect for hostess gifts. And the girls had so much fun making them and then of course testing them out first!

The tags were printable tags I got from the website of the recipe - super simple

We did a few different things for the girls actual teachers for all that they did for each of our girls throughout the year. They both had FABULOUS years and as parents we couldn't have asked for more. Kennedy says she is pretty sure 4th grade was her favorite year - she loved her teacher!

Brynn, KK & Leah - sweet friends!

She passed! Moving onto 5th grade...they are always so cute ripping open their report cards right then and there making sure they are moving on. 

We headed home to a bucket full of water toys and silly string for some last day fun - didn't get a picture of the Welcome Summer sign downloaded yet but they couldn't wait to dig into the silly string. 

And now that they are big 5th graders they all threw their suits on and headed to a swim party with a bunch of other soon to be 5th graders. I am seeing glimpses of these girls social calendars in my future as the mom of girls - it's already beginning...sigh - a happy and bittersweet sigh that is. 

One of the hardest parts about this day was that sweet sweet Brynn who has been K's best friend since Kindergarten moved away just yesterday. This sweet sweet girl deserves a special post when I get around to it of all the pictures of her and K all the way back to Kindergarten. Brynn and K had many sleepovers, church together, parties, birthday parties and Brynn was a part of almost every special friend thing that K ever did. There have been many tears from her over the past few days when it hits her and my heart breaks - that part of life that they have to learn early on although part of growing up is not always easy. So this day was special that Brynn once again was a part of it.