Also of Note...

I don't want to forget these important occasions-

Rose went to a fake prom to go with her fake graduation. It was part of their overnight trip so I didn't get to see her dressed up or take any pictures of her by herself. (What? Bitter? Me?) But it looks like she had fun.

Joy had a Suzuki violin recital and played more variations of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star than you could ever imagine existed in the world at the same time. They were all adorable.

Seth took his first belt test for TaeKwonDo (including breaking his first real board!) and is officially a white belt. I am officially super proud of all the focus and dedication he is putting into this.

John found a long orange string, and somehow ended up wearing a full pirate costume, complete with parrot, that he made from scratch. 

These kids never cease to amaze me.

Finally!!!

NYC schools go until the millionth of forever each year, but as of Wednesday we can finally finally say that we are out for the summer.

Hooray!

(P.S. Poor John is not pictured, because he has to take the subway home on his own and by the time he caught up to us we were over it. But he is excited too!)

"Graduation"

Me: (Sets down soapbox and climbs on- begins to rant) 

Sorry, folks, you don't graduate from middle school. You finish it, you complete it, you move on, you pass it, all of those things, but you don't GRADUATE. The diploma they give you is made up and will get you zero credit in the real world when applying for jobs or college or anything. You worked hard, and we are proud of you, and you deserve a party, but not a GRADUATION party... 

Also me: (Watches my baby walk onto the stage in a cap and gown to receive academic honors medals in all three available categories and then ultimately, a fake diploma. Jumps off of soapbox.)

Look! Look! My little girl is graduating! She's amazing! I'm so proud! She's graduating!!! Look at all these graduates graduating!!! 

Moving Up!

All year long, Joy's teacher referred to her students as caterpillars. The last couple weeks before their moving up ceremony she started calling them chrysalises, warning them that they were almost ready for first grade. At the classroom party, after the performance, she told them that they were officially butterflies. I seriously thought Joy was going to explode, she was so happy and proud. And so was I. This little one has definitely grown a lot this year. It was sweet to celebrate her. 

Rose and Seth snuck out of class to watch the ceremony and party with her. (Poor John couldn't come because he goes to a different school.) And as a special surprise, her "favorite cousin" (not actually a cousin, but seriously close enough) Emma also came. It made the party even more special.

After the party, she got to plan her day while the other kids had to go back to class. So we hung out with some of her friends, ate lunch at McDonalds (because apparently she NEVER gets to go there) and finished it off with frozen yogurt. We both had a lot of fun. 

Proud Corazon

After a year of Ballet 1, Joy had her official recital. They danced to the song "Remember Me" from Coco, and had beautiful Dia de los Muertos themed costumes. She did a great job, and we were proud of her. We were happily surprised when her class also danced in the background of another Coco song, "Proud Corazon." I may have cried a little.

Wizard of Oz!

So proud of my little drama geeks! The kids were all involved in a production of the Wizard of Oz at the Pied Piper Children's Theatre. 

Joy was a slightly bossy dancing poppy who liked to remind the other poppies where to go..

Seth was an amazingly committed flying monkey who laughed maniacally while sprinkling the tin woodsman with a watering can...

And John was a very punny scarecrow who loved breaking the third wall to wink at the audience (with the total consent of the director)...

Rose was on the costume crew and helped backstage during rehearsals and performances. She also walked the kids to and from most rehearsals, which was super helpful for me.

We were really blessed to have family travel up for each performance. It was a fun show on its own, but that made it even more special. 

Date Night

Last weekend, Stephen and I decided to take advantage of the fact that we have a teenager who can babysit (and three other fairly well-behaved kids who would listen to her) and do something we never ever do. We actually went on a date.

We went downtown to Bryant Park, where there was a free production of A Midsummer Night's Dream for their Shakespeare in the Park program. It was not the best version I have seen, but it definitely wasn't the worst, either. And it was a lot of fun to spend some time with my sweetie.

Art Show!

Rose has been taking an after school print making workshop all year, and they had a culminating show. Some of her prints were on display and also her artist's book. It was fun to see what she had been working on, and I was proud of her talent and dedication. One of her teachers described her by saying she had "incredible focus and technical skills," and the other said "Rose has a creativity that cannot be stopped." Sounds about right.

Company!

We were delighted to have a visit from some of Stephen's family. Grandpa Jack, Grandma Laurie, Uncle Alex, and Cousin Isabel all flew in for Memorial Day weekend. 

We had tons of fun visiting and playing tourists. Rather than give you the play by play, I will post pictures of each kid's favorite activity.

Joy's favorite activity was the sea glass carousel down in Battery Park.

Seth's favorite thing was chasing giant bubbles in Washington Square Park. (Even Rose got into it in the end.)

John's favorite stop was Central Park. That kid is always happy when he can spot some wildlife.

Rose was super happy that she managed to find the perfect summer sweater that she had been hunting for.

It was a lovely visit.

The Bright Side

It had to happen sooner or later. John hopped on the wrong train and ended up in the middle of the Bronx by the time he realized he was going the wrong way. He very responsibly got off as soon as he could and gave me a call. I helped him figure out where he was and how he could get back to where he needed to be. I did not freak out. (I was totally freaking out.) 

I was very grateful for cell phones and online resources to track trains(and children). I was proud of him for staying calm, even though this detour was making him very late for rehearsal. I was praying that him being dressed like an accountant from the 1920s for Throwback Thursday at school would make him LESS likely to get mugged instead of more. 

He also managed to find some things to be grateful for:

Spirit Week

The last week in May, John's school had spirit week. They got to ditch their uniforms and dress according to different themes.

Meme Monday: He was Grumpy Cat

Twin Tuesday: He made himself a Lego twin and sewed it to his shoulder. 😂 But forgot to take a picture. 😞

Wacky Wednesday: Yes, he rode the subway like this.

Throwback Thursday: He insisted his picture be in black and white today.

Flag Friday: He was supposed to wear something related to a country in his ancestry. He chose his dad's Lithuanian Olympic basketball team shirt. It was a hit.