8th Grade Crossover

Yesterday marked a milestone that Sarah has been looking forward to since the 6th grade.  Ever since she was 12 years old, when she saw the 8th graders leave school a few days earlier than the rest of the middle school, she's had her sights set on her own 8th grade "crossover".  There have been many 8th grade graduations throughout the city this week, but our school calls it a "crossover."  This is probably because our school is K-12, so you're not really leaving the campus, but "crossing over" into the high school.  I like the name.  I think it fits.

This week was a week of "lasts"...last week of middle school, last time eating lunch in middle school, last time getting picked up in the morning by Mr. Wilmsmeyer for middle school...

No more houndstooth middle school skirt!

When I came downstairs the day of Crossover, Lawrence had left a vase of flowers with a card and a candy bar for Sarah.  This made me tear up, because when men do things like this without being asked or told to by their wives, well, it just sort of gets me.  Sarah and her dad can fight like cats and dogs (especially over the remote control or when she doesn't have a case on her iPhone!), but they are very close, and I thought it was so sweet he did that.

I gave her a new silver chain with an initial charm and a birthstone charm.

Let's do this!

The ceremony took place at 8:30 in the morning at Highview Baptist Church.  Sarah and her 150 classmates filed in and we spent the next hour and a half recognizing all they've accomplished, not only this year, but throughout their time in middle school.  The girls looked so grown up and beautiful.

Sarah with a few of her friends before the ceremony

Sarah won the Principal's Award this year for Spanish.  The Principal's Award is awarded to the student with the highest GPA in a particular subject.  She loved taking Spanish this year, so I wasn't surprised to see her win this.  If I knew how to say "good job!" in Spanish, I would, but alas, I wasn't as good of a Spanish student as she is.

Receiving the Principal's Award for El Espanol!

Finally, she received her certificate of completion (the last name called, gotta love having a last name at the end of the alphabet - you get the loudest applause!).  

Good Bye Mr. Mounce!  Hello high school!

Meme and Papa came to see her, and John was super thrilled to miss school for this ceremony.

Speaking of Meme and Papa, they told me while we were there that they don't remember me having an 8th grade graduation.  I told them they had to work and didn't come, but they have no recollection of this, so I unearthed the invitation for it from my middle school scrapbook (of course I have a middle school scrapbook!  I've had the scrapping fever since wayyyyy back!).

This is for you, Mom and Dad!

Funny side note...I graduated 8th grade on my future wedding date.  Who knew?

I had to get one last picture with my cousin Jennifer and her daughter Taylor.  Sarah and Taylor have been in school together since kindergarten, and I have loved, loved, loved seeing them because such close friends.  How rare is it you become close friends with your second cousin?  And as Sarah says, they would be friends even if they weren't family.  Anyway, Tay is moving to a different school next year, so this is their last time together at a school event.  I know they'll still keep in touch, but it was just another "last" to take note of.  

After the ceremony we went to iHOP for breakfast and then Sarah and I shopped for a dress for her to wear to her Crossover party that night, and then got manicures and pedicures.  Her class had an awesome dance party at Big Spring, and she was thrilled that I Lawrence and I had volunteer duty at the ball park snack bar, so we couldn't stay and chaperone!  I did manage to snap a few pictures when I dropped her off.

All ready!

I think we're in the right place

Friends

Salad? No. 

Cake?  Yes.

OK, Mom, please leave now!

Since I was only there about 15 minutes I didn't get to take any pictures of the "real" party, but she assures me it was a blast.  I did snag this card she had in her bag from the photo booth they had.  

Yeah, I would say it looks like they had fun

Middle school was a wonderful three years, and I'm so excited for her to enter this next chapter of life.  All the celebrating was fun, but now, BRING ON SUMMER!!!!  

Spring Has Sprung!

The last few weeks have been filled with some gorgeous spring days.  John had his spring music concert at school on a beautiful night, and the bright cheerful colors of spring filled the gym.  The 4th and 5th graders played their recorders and other instruments, and the kids all joined together for a wonderful sign language performance of "Glory in the Highest."  It was so good!  The sign language performance made me cry.

Looking fresh in his new spring golf shirt

Trying not to laugh while singing

Sign language performance

Rare moment of these siblings touching without
trying to kill each other

Proud mama

Last Monday we went to dinner with the Hamiltons at Captain's Quarters to celebrate Claire's 13th birthday.  John had a baseball game, so we missed him and Lawrence being there, but we had a nice night on the river helping Claire celebrate.

Team Hamilton

We got Claire a new phone case and a camera strap cover
(hadn't arrived yet so we had to give her a picture!)

This morning I was checking Facebook before heading to John's baseball game and I saw that Lori was debuting her Glorious Granola at the Oxmoor farmer's market this morning.  I love her granola, so I made a quick stop on my way to the game.  I was her first customer!

The entrepreneurs! 

First purchase

Happy customer

Today is a beautiful day to watch John play baseball.  I must say the "Pink Bat" themed baseball tournament for Mother's Day is sort of funny, because most moms at the ball park agreed that watching 5 baseball games on Mother's Day weekend is not really that relaxing, but hey, it's what makes us moms, right?  Loving these spring days!

The Fillies Head to the Oaks

For Claire's 13th birthday she asked her parents to take her and Sarah to the Kentucky Oaks, and being the wonderful parents they are, they granted her this wish.  Sarah was so excited to get to go...she has watched me pick out my dresses and hats over the years, and she couldn't wait to pick out her own (although she wanted a fascinator, not a hat!).  We got really lucky and found the perfect dress after only trying on three or four (any woman who has shopped for Derby dresses knows it usually takes more than three or four tries!).  She definitely wanted to wear pink, since Oaks has turned out to be a huge day to support breast cancer awareness (it being for the fillies and all!).  The weather was perfect (if you don't count the brief rainstorm that hit late in the afternoon), and the girls stepped out in style.  They had a great time, and I can't think of a better way to turn 13.  They definitely looked all grown up!

Takes a while to get ready for such a big day! 

So pretty!   

Kate and Pippa have nothing on these two! 

I did NOT look this good at age 14!

The girls and their fairy godmother

I think Dad wishes he was going with them!

The parade of horses before the big race

Look who had the Oaks winner!  An exacta at that!

Hope this is the first of many fun Derby
weekends for these girls!

8th Grade Trip to Washington D.C.

Wow, it's been a busy few weeks!  On the 21st, Sarah and I headed to Washington D.C. with 150 of her classmates for their much anticipated 8th grade trip.  What a week we had!  An 11 hour bus ride and non stop touring for five days left us exhausted, but it was all worth it.  We had such a great time with all her classmates...they are great kids, and while they weren't always as interested in all the sites as their chaperones, I know they made a lot of great memories.  We had terrible weather the first few days...rain, rain, rain and highs in the 40s, but the skies cleared and the sun shone for the last two days.  The trip was a whirlwind of stops and tours, but I think we saw just enough to wet our appetites for more.  I took over 400 pictures, but below is a little glimpse of all we did and saw.

At the Lee Custis House, at Arlington National Cemetery

Four of Sarah's classmates during the wreath laying
ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Iwo Jima Memorial

Outside the tomb at Mount Vernon

Sarah's favorite night - pouring rain at the FDR Memorial 

Day at Gettysburg 

Outside the Capitol  

Library of Congress (very cool place!) 

White House!

Me and my girl at the White House 

National Cathedral - stunning! 

Air and Space Museum 

Beautiful night at the Lincoln Memorial

Vietnam Memorial 

Vietnam Memorial - tribute to the nurses

WWII Memorial - beautiful! 

These Kentucky girls couldn't resist throwing up
their Kentucky "3" goggles!

Getting tired! Time to head home!

I am so grateful I got to go on this trip.  I loved listening to all the kids talk on the bus on the way home...they weren't allowed to have their phones, and that meant they had to entertain themselves the old fashioned way...playing car games and Uno.  Next time around Lawrence will be chaperoning John.  I'll be a bit jealous, but I know he'll have a great time too.  8th Grade Crossover is in two and half weeks...soon Sarah will be in high school, and her middle school years will be in the books.  It's been a great three years, and this was a great way to end them.