I don't want to forget this stuff.

Last Thursday, D'arcy finished the fourth grade, and Julian finished up first.  They each recived their report cards.  They don't get letter grades, but instead their progress reports have long lists of skills they are working on.  Beside each skill is a letter indicating not meeting, meeting, or exceeding grade level expectation in both effort and results.

At this point, most of what we see on these report cards isn't surprising.  D'arcy's best subject is math, although she struggles with time tests.  She enjoys writing poetry, but struggles (with a capital S) with spelling.  She is an eager and excited student.  

Julian tries to give the minimum effort required.  Don't worry.  I may have been aiding his mediocrity, but his teacher has called us both out this year.  Can you believe teachers these days?  Trying to get kids to work hard and do their best?  I got an opportunity to dunk her in the dunk tank at the Spring Fling.  That's what she gets.  It was for a good cause.  

D'arcy and Julian will both have the same teacher next year and Schroeder will likely have Julian's kindergarten teacher.  Knowing what to expect is a gift to me. 

Julian is reading above grade level and spells like a champ.  He mastered his addition and subtration math facts.  He didn't get good marks in music because he was acting foolish.  Simply put, he and D'arcy are not the same child.

We went to the library on Friday to sign up for the summer reading program.  D'arcy checked out a Princess Diana book and she asked the librarian to lead her to the Greek Mythology section.  

I asked Julian what he wanted to do this summer.  He told me I are already knew his answer.  I told him I wanted to hear him say it.  Ladies and Gentlemen, Julian wants to play video games and build Legos this summer.  These are his official goals for childhood.  

Stephen's mom attends an Assembly of God church on the south side, and our kids attended their VBS last week.  I asked Schroeder what he learned the previous evening.  He told me, "There are three guys, Father, Jesus, and the Holy Sprit.  They're all the same, Mom."

The older kids are playing tennis again this year at Garfield Park.  Schroeder gets to participate this year.  He told me tonight that he's a little nervous about it.  

D'arcy is watching our neighbor's dog for the week.  Responsibility seems to excite her, and she is taking the whole thing very seriously.  She has an alarm set on my phone to feed him at 9am and 7pm.  She told me with such maturity on our way to the park that she was behind because she had to pick up after the dog.  

We watched Ever After tonight on Netflix.  It's a Cinderella Story or so I told Maggie Lu.  Halfway through, she began to let me know that I was mistaken and it wasn't a Cinderella story for reasons x,y, and z.  She went upstairs to grab his Cinderella book and prove her points.

Penelope is, for a brief moment, one of the tiniest walking humans on the planet.  Plus, she finally found her sense of humor.  

D'arcy and Julian's school has a talent show on the last day of the year.  D'arcy entered and sang an original song.  I was nervous for her not knowing what the other acts would be.  I hadn't attended the show in previous years.  It ended up being a beautiful array of unpolished talent...singing, dancing, gymnastics, spoofs, piano playing.    

She sang with such confidence.  I was super proud to be her mom.  I can only take credit for keeping my mouth shut when I wanted to say, "Are you really going to sing an original song accaepella in front of your entire K-8 school?"