Last Day in the 4s

The next two weeks seem like they are going to be full of goodbyes! Last Friday Will said goodbye to his beloved teachers Ms. Linda and Ms. Brenda. It was a sad parting, but the fabulous experience we had this year with them is what made the last day so sad. We came a little early for pickup and presented the teachers with a gift from the class. The teacher also had a gift for the kids. They had made each child a DVD of Joe Scrubbs. The kids heard him in concert the week before and love listening to his fun music. Earlier in the year Ms. Linda had found a book that she let Will bring home to read. It was called The Story of a Boy Named Will. That was months ago, and when I opened up his back pack after getting home later that afternoon, I saw they had given him the book and signed the inside of it. After class ended we grabbed a quick lunch with some friends and headed over to the Matthews house for a fun swimming party. The kids had a blast, and I am really enjoying spending time at all the beautiful pools and talking to the other mothers. We know that Will is staying at Chapel Hill next year, so that made leaving a little easier, but we will always be grateful for the love and support that Linda and Brenda showed our kids and the parents each and every time we walked through those doors.

Museum School

Last Monday Will attended his final Museum School class. He had a great year with Mrs. Sloan and Mrs. Brunnert, and he learned a lot about many different topics. Here he is on the last day of school with his teachers showing off some sort of Arachnid. He thought it was really cool. I had to get one more picture of him on top of Bob the Turtle before we left. While it is a long drive over to Fort Worth each week, it made me sad that each of our kids spent a year there, and now we are done. It has been a privilege to let my chidren attend for a year and learn about everything from space to dinosaurs to sea animals to Native Americans, and many many more things. I know they will all have fond memories from their time at Fort Worth Museum School.

All Partied Out

It was the weekend of parties, and Allison finished off her session of Girls on the Run with a pool party at Coach Theresa's house. It was perfect weather for an outside party, and the parents enjoyed sitting out by the pool watching the girls swim. We ordered pizza, took a long walk, and had some ice cream cake. This backyard and pool were phenomenal, and I got some good ideas on some future backyard renovations! Ha! Allison really enjoyed these girls and all the running and lessons she learned.

Happy Birthday Chapel Hill

Instead of a spring program this year, Chapel Hill hosted a Joe Scrubs concert and picnic on the grounds to celebrate Chapel Hill Children's School's 10th birthday. I took Allison to another party so Ray took Will and Caroline to this event. They watched the concert and then enjoyed sandwiches outside on this beautiful day. They saw lots of friends and enjoyed running out by the pond. They also finished the night off with more birthday cake!

Family Birthdays

Saturday night we got together at Gram and Grandpa's house to celebrate Grandpa's 72nd birthday and Aunt Kristen's 35th birthday. The kids were their usual rowdy self, and it is fun to watch Libby and Will in the mix now. They have a lot of fun, but it sure makes for some loud and messy times. Gram cooked a delicious dinner with the highlights being deviled eggs and sweet potato casserole. We topped it off with cake and ice cream. It was a fun evening, and we are always reminded during these times how fortunate we are to be able to celebrate these times together.

My All Pro Dad

Carroll Elementary just started a program this spring called All Pro Dad. This national program was founded by NFL coach, Tony Dungy. The purpose is to get fathers and their children together to spend time with each other and hear a motivational speaker that will foster their relationship. This breakfast takes place at 7:00 am once a month before school starts. This month quaterback John Kittna spoke. The girls have loved it so far, and they always look forward to their special morning with Dad. Ray accepted a role on the PTO Board for next year to be one of three dads in charge of the Dad's Club. The Dad's Club primary role will be to sponsor the All Pro Dad's breakfast each month. We are excited about this opportunity and are grateful for Ray's involvement at the school and in the girls' lives.

Preschool Graduation

Tuesday was a special day because Will graduated from 4's class at Chapel Hill Children's School. It made me so sad to think of my last child graduating from preschool. It did ease the sadness to know that he will actually be staying at CHCS one more year for Transitional Kindergarten. The school has been a huge part of our lives for the past 8 years, and I can't imagine what it will be like not to walk those halls each week! They always do such a great job with graduation, and the kids looked so cute in their cap and gowns. They came out first and sang some songs for us, and then they were introduced one by one by class and presented their diploma. Will was introduced as the son of Beth and Ray Semadeni. His favorite food is corn dogs and Sprite (I know there must be an award in there for me for instilling such great food choices) and he wants to be a teacher when he grows up! I think that means that he loves school. Then Will received recognition and a special Bible because he has been at CHCS all four years! Both girls got a Bible, too. They finished the program by singing their school song - Church on the Hill and then playing a slide show that included pictures from this year and years past. For graduation Dad and I presented him with The Big Book of Trains. He was excited about the book and all the attention from the day. The whole family is so proud of Will and all he has learned this year. We know that next year will be a great year for him, too!

Brrrrrrr...

Here are some crazy people swimming today in the freezing cold water. It sure didn't look like it was bothering them. I was happy taking pictures on the side!

Mother's Day 2009

Today has been a great day. I woke up (late) to breakfast in bed. After getting ready for church I was finally able to open my gifts from the kids. They all made me cards at school and at home, and I will always treasure their artwork and words. Will made a collage of different fabrics with a picture of him in the middle. He also wrote me a note on the back. I am going to frame it and hang it in a prominent spot downstairs. Allison made pink bath salts at school, and I can't wait to take a bubble bath. Caroline planted a zinnia in a homemade flower pot and gave me a card where she had filled in the blanks on some of my information. The funniest answer was that I weighed 30 pounds! She did say that my favorite place to shop is Nordstrom, so she is right on there! Ray gave me a card, a beautiful bouquet of flowers, and the software Photoshop Elements so I can edit our pictures better. After a wonderful church service we met Gram and Grandpa at Copeland's restaurant at the Hilton in the Town Center for brunch. We had a great meal and a fun time celebrating with them. The rest of the afternoon has been nice because we haven't had any place that we have to be. I have been getting lots done around the house, and we are getting ready to start homework to get ahead on this week. I think I will also get to squeeze in a run before dinner! We wish we could have seen Ray's mom to celebrate with her, and we wish her a very Happy Mother's Day! I feel so fortunate to have a wonderful husband, three beautiful and very thoughtful children and the best mother in the world! Enjoy our pictures from the day.

Soccer Trophies!

Today was Will's last soccer game, and after the game they got Krispy Creme donuts and trophies! Will could hardly wait to get his trophy (and donut) and was very excited about his accomplishment. He LOVED soccer this season and did so well. We are excited to see what the following seasons bring for him in soccer. The whole family is very proud of him!

Genesis Shelter Mother's Day Luncheon

My sister-in-law, Kristen, is Director of Development for The Genesis Women's Shelter in Dallas. She is passionate about this organization, and this year was in charge of the Mother's Day Luncheon. This is always a huge and very fancy and uplifting event. Each year it takes place right around Mother's Day. My mother and I went this year and had a wonderful time. Kristen and all of the people involved in planning the event did a fantastic job, and it was a memorable occasion. The luncheon took place at the Hyatt Regency in Downtown Dallas, and the food was delicious. There were approximately 1500 people in attendance at the sold out event. The speaker that Kristen was able to book this year was Queen Noor of Jordan. She is a fascinating and very beautiful woman with an unusual and quite spectacular life. Her speech was inspiring, encouraging, and entertaining. She made you want to make a difference in the lives of others and caused me to evaluate areas in my life that are impacting others. Sometimes just knowing that something is wrong is not enough. Taking action on those beliefs is what makes a difference. In addition to the great, food, company, and speech, it sure was fun to look around at all the beautiful and stylish clothes in the crowd! It's always fun to get dressed up and go out. We will look forward to the 2010 Mother's Day Luncheon!

Family Campout and Rock Climbing

This weekend we had the Indian Princess Family Camp out. Unfortunately the weather was terrible, and we didn't get to spend the night. After soccer games we did go out to the campsite for several hours and had a wonderful time. We had a great area for our tribe and a big covered pavilion to go to during the times it rained. The kids explored the surroundings, rode their scooters, went on nature walks, and played in the huge RV that one family rented. When the kids weren't in there, the moms took over the RV and had fun snacking and talking. The guys kept coming in asking us how we were enjoying camping! We had a huge feast under the pavilion of barbecue and all the trimmings. At the end, the kids starting literally playing in the mud. It was messy but so much fun for them. We are thankful for this group of friends and hope that we can start a tradition of going as a family on family camp out. Next year we are going to hope for better weather.

On Sunday after the camp out, Ray took the kids to Lifetime, and the girls got to go rock climbing. Allison went up higher than she ever had before, and they had a blast. Dad took these pictures with his phone.

Pajama Day

Even though they already had pajama day at school earlier in the year, last Friday was kids run the school day....At the fundraiser parents bid on a day where their child would be teacher or principal for the day. The "new" principal decided that everyone could wear their pjs on Friday, so that's what they did. It was a special treat on a fun day!

Mighty Dragons

Caroline played her last game of the season last Saturday. She has had a great season and has really progressed in her understanding of the game. She continues to play very aggressively and has gained some speed this season. She loves soccer, and we hope she continues to play for a long time. There is no pressure coming from this soccer mom! After the game the team brought in lunch from Chick-Fil-A, and we ate under the pavilion. There were cupcakes and Coach Ray passed out trophies. Congratulations, Caroline, on a great season, and thanks to Dad for an awesome job coaching the team.