summertime

It must be summertime... kids are sleeping in late (seriously, L until 8:15 and Seb until 9:15 today), there are popsicles in the freezer, a giant bag of library books to read, the stop-motion animation setups and art supplies have emerged, and the doggo is happy. 

The kids' first week of summer vacation was great. Seb went to a new trampoline/slide/indoor play space called Defy with his friends on Saturday night. They played basketball on a bouncy floor for hours and he was so sore the next day. There was also a sleepover with a whole gang of friends which was extremely fun but featured very little sleep. He met up with friends to play soccer, went for a bike ride,  participated in some family baseball, and read a book. And played video games and watched YouTube, of course. 

Liesl heard about Defy and wanted to visit as well, so we went on Monday afternoon with AJ. The girls had so much fun on the slides and in the ball pits and doing flips off trampolines.

She also hung out with Elia (Tuesday), Fiona (Wednesday), and Ella (Thursday), so I'd say it was a successful first week of play and fun. Fiona is a softball friend who went to a different elementary school but will be at WSMS next year; Ella is an FPE girl that was in Ravenclaw with Liesl this spring, which encouraged a new friendship to bloom.

 

Steve was in Atlanta with Tom and family and then Miami for work, so it was just me and Liesl for dinner one night. We had a sweet date night.

end of softball season

Softball has come to an end, and it was such a great season. The girls improved so much in basic skills -- hitting, throwing and catching, awareness of rules and play, pitching -- and had so much fun. Liesl made new friends with girls from other schools (a few of whom will be in 6th grade with her at WSMS next year) and just really thrived as a leader on the team. She's already excited for next year.

Coach Mike's narrative: "I'm still beaming about the game last night.  I hope your player told you all about it!  In case they didn't, here are some very important highlights:

The other team took their first lead in the bottom of the fourth inning.

The girls asked for an update at the top of the fifth and they were informed we were down by 1 run.  I confirmed that if we did not score a run in this inning the game would be over.  

The girls went and scored three runs in the top of the 5th inning, taking a two run lead.

The girls asked for an update to start the bottom of the 5th inning.  I confirmed we were up by 2 runs and that we needed to hold them to 1 run or less to win the game.

The girls went out and got the outs and held them to 1 run, winning 17-16!  

You may have noticed that our young team can make errors on routine plays and essentially give away outs!  Well this did not happen in the bottom of the 5th inning.  The players were focused, used solid technique to make plays, and got three outs quickly!  I will even say that the three players on the bench for the bottom of the 5th were also focused tracking each play and out!

I am so proud of this last game and all the hard work these players have put in over the season.  They deserved this great victory... they EARNED it!

To end the season, we had a team party at our home field with popsicles and doughnuts, coach gifts, and a girls vs. parents scrimmage. We thought we'd play an inning and then let the girls play on the playground, but they were so into it -- they wouldn't let us stop and wanted to keep playing all night. The parents realized (anew) that fielding grounders is really hard. :)  The girls got to have Delaney Qualls and Seb for some firepower, and Delaney came through by hitting a home run. Liesl was the starting pitcher for the girls' team and she threw great pitches right over the plate for us to hit. I had at least a couple of strikes, which she loved; I also hit a beautiful line drive right toward second base, which Seb grabbed out of the air. Good times.

5th grade promotion and party

Liesl also celebrated her 5th grade promotion to middle school this week. FPE had a sweet ceremony in the gym, with a slideshow of the kids and a clapout parade. Here she is on her last day of elementary school.

I

In the evening, there was a 5th grade dance party in the gym, with a dj, dancing, cotton candy, a photo booth, a slideshow of this class over the years, and more. Liesl and Elia got ready together at our house and then walked over. Liesl had a lot of fun and was so sad when it was all over. She's going to miss her class, her teacher, and the structure of school -- definitely mixed emotions about moving on to WSMS.

8th grade promotion and party

Sebastian graduated from middle school this week. Monday and Tuesday were busy with final exams, but on Wednesday the entire 8th grade had a field trip to Oaks Amusement park. (Seb noted it was smaller than he remembered; he also went on the big rollercoaster, a testament to the power of peer pressure.) And on Thursday night, West Sylvan held a promotion ceremony in the Lincoln High school gym.

 

Last day of 8th grade! 

We had to buy some new, non-sweatpants and hoodies clothes for the event. The classes paraded in and took seats, and then came up one by one to be introduced by their block teachers. Each class had 1-2 student speakers, who were variably interesting, but all impressively self-assured and well spoken. It was sweet.

There was supposed to be a reception afterwards, but the hallways were crowded and it was pouring rain outside, so we mostly just fled to cars and home. Still, a good shot with Cason.

And then on Friday night, the parent foundation threw a dance party for the 8th graders. Seb's friends gathered at Ethan's ahead of time for some food and photos, and so they could all arrive together.

L to R, back row: Abdur, Josh, Ethan, Nathan, Wyatt, Nursun, Nick. Middle row: Peyton, Seb, Opidi, Nico, Jack, Max, Luke. Front: Cason and Aiden. Most of these boys have been friends since kindergarten at Forest Park.

I volunteered to pick up Seb and some other boys and to help clean up after the party, mostly because I wanted a reason for a sneak peek at the dance scene. This group of kids didn't get a 6th or 7th grade party, so this was their first middle school dance and I was so curious. The boys reported that the first hour was awkward, and everyone stood around the sidelines feeling bored, but then it picked up and everyone got on the dance floor and stayed there until the lights came on.

Seb and Gabi; Seb and a mess of friends.