Today was the last day of school for both Franny and Cole.  They both had great years, worked very hard, and are looking forward to some much-deserved free time, as well as a couple of camps.  And, as much as they are both thrilled about their breaks, Delaney is going to be just as happy--if not more--when she realizes her two best friends are going to home all summer!

Today, families were invited to Franny's class to watch their Ladybug Ball performance.  Similar to the Fairy Tale Theater from earlier in the year, it was a reader's theater and musical about crickets, spiders, butterflies, ladybugs, ants, and honeybees.  For the last month, they have been studying insects, so this was a fun way for them to combine their science and reading skills in a fun way.  The reader's theater consisted of the stories The Grasshopper and the Ant and The Grouchy Ladybug.  In addition to the two stories, all kids participated in groups that read facts about their insect group--Franny was in the butterfly group.  It was a wonderful performance, and I was so proud of Franny and her reading.  Unlike at the previous performance, I could hear her clearly as she spoke in front of the audience!  And, it was clear she was having a lot of fun with it.  She has grown a lot in this class academically and socially, and I am a little sad to see the year winding down these last few days.  But, she is such a hard working student, I know next year will have great things in store for her, as well.

For Cole's birthday, we stayed at a condo right on Yaquina Bay.  It was wonderful to wake up to the beautiful view of the bay, and the kids loved staying right on the marina and seeing all the boats docked.  After spending the morning there, we moved on to Yaquina Bay State Park.  Unfortunately, the lighthouse was closed, but the kids had a great time on the beach and running down the dunes and crashing into the sand.  They could have stayed there all day!