Fifth Grade Send Off

Phew! It's over! And it went great!!

Every year there is a party for the outgoing 5th graders at Fir Grove. Since Evelyn is (sigh) a fifth grader, I was a big part of this year's celebration. It has been a labor of love for the past almost 6 months, with many roadblocks and frustrations along the way. I was a bottle of nerves this morning as I prayed for the Lord to calm my heart and trust him with the day.

I was fortunate enough to work with 4 other moms on this big party, and I could not have done it without them!

Stacey... my dear friend and partner in crime. How I love this lady!! She is funny and kind and knows me well. She bought both of us rainbow fanny packs and filled them with supplies (tissue, purell, band aids, candy) to get thru the day. The kids thought they were awesome! Truly... today would NOT have gone nearly as well without her. 

One of the (few) downsides of being in charge is that I honestly had NO time to spend with Evelyn and NO time to take photos. Being the sentimental blogger that I am, this pained me a great deal. Thankfully, one of the dad's was there with a nice camera and he was willing to be the photographer for the day. :) Then, he sent me all the photos on CD!! I am forever indebted to Rob for doing this. It was so fun to see all of the kids (who mean so much to me!) having a good time. 

Below are some of the pics that had Evelyn in them. 

The day started off with a promotion ceremony, where the kids got certificates and all of their teachers spoke. I didn't get to see this since I was setting up for the rest of the day, but I did make it for the end.

We served the kids donuts right after the ceremony and they got to sign each other's t shirts (we got each of them one for they day)

The activities we had were well received. Bouncy race house, belly  bumpers, a photo booth, a game room and a craft room for them to choose from. I never saw a kid who was bored or not smiling. Yay!

We catered in an amazing mexican lunch for the kids. I really wanted to do something special for them, and thru friend I was able to have the MAYOR of our fine city come and talk to the kids and eat with them! The kids were in awe and were just so excited. Many kids told me this was the best part of the day! Mayor Doyle was great. He gave some encouraging words to the kids and hung around the rest of the day, talking to kids and signing their tshirts. I was so impressed with him and how he was so present and engaging. It was so great!

The food was AMAZING!!

Ev's teacher, Mrs Wilson. We love her!

Hanging out with her peeps! :) 

I also managed to get the Superintendent of the Beaverton School District to come talk to the kids too!! He also was great and gave them a good encouraging word. 

Every year there is a slide show recapping the kids' time at Fir Grove. Ellie's dad Andrew put it together for us this year, and it was so awesome! And made many cry! :) 

The teachers wanted to end the day with a kickball game. It was a fun way to end the day, even if some kids just watched.. like mine! :)

I am so grateful that today went as well as it did. So many kids came up and hugged me and told me it was the best day ever. That was our goal.. and I am glad it was achieved! 

I am exhausted more than words can say, as the past few weeks of final prep have been stressful and busy. But I have absolutely no regrets. None. I would do it again in a heartbeat for these kids who I love dearly. 

One more day of elementary school for Evelyn and her fellow 5th graders. Sigh....