Olivia's 8th Birthday

HAPPY 8th BIRTHDAY, Olivia!!

I surprised Olivia by decorating her room and bed with birthday balloons, banners and streamers. She actually scared me to death by shouting out "Boo" when I thought she was asleep. But, she thought the decorations were a pretty cool way to start off the day.

As usual, a birthday candle and cupcake for breakfast.

Opening her first gift of the day: A Hannah Montana thermos from McIver. As you can see, it was a BIG HIT!

Birthday Cupcakes at School

Olivia's birthday was an early dismissal day at school so I took cupcakes to her class at 11:30. Olivia's was the first birthday of the school year so she didn't know that Mrs. Tart, her teacher who is VERY pregnant, would call her to the front of the class so they could sing Happy Birthday. Clearly, Olivia wasn't too thrilled, although she did crack a smile when Mrs. Tart started doing the "It's Your Birthday" dance.

Couldn't resist snapping a picture of Olivia and her friend reading during DEAR (Drop Everything And Read) time.

Olivia's 1st day of 2nd Grade

Olivia had a great first day of school!  She fell asleep pretty easily last night despite how excited she was.  She was up before the alarm and went through her 'morning list' easily and on time.

Obligatory 1st day of school picture on the front porch.

Showing off her backpack - even though it's not new.  We learned our lesson the hard way.  I let Olivia pick out the less-expensive Disney Princesses backpack for kindergarten which didn't even last the whole year.  So, we bucked up and ordered the pricier backpack from Lands End which has paid off.  She has used it since mid-kindergarten and I don't see any signs of it falling apart any time soon.  So, instead of buying a new backpack every year, we let the kids pick out a new lunch kit.  Olivia surprised me this year by not choosing Hannah Montana.  Instead, she went with a blue lunch kit with little flowers and a matching water bottle.  (You can see McIver in the background; he was 'over' the photo shoot this morning!)

We went to the new student orientation for Lower School yesterday.  Olivia was able to meet her teachers, and their class pet,  Riley the Golden Retriever.  She loved having both teachers all to herself and had a chance to get used to a new routine - like signing in on the Smart Board each morning.  It's like a computer-savvy dry-erase board, I think.

Olivia found her seat, started her morning work, posed for a quick picture and then politely told me that I could 'go now.'  I was so proud of her for maintaining her excitement for the start of school and not being all clingy which is totally what I expected.  I guess she really is my big girl!

I'm also happy to report that she was still excited about school when I picked her up.  She and McIver were talking over each other on the ride home after school.  Even though it was a Noon Dismissal day, they covered a lot of ground in their respective classes.  Olivia was super-excited to tell me that I had homework from her teacher - she just thought that was hilarious!

1st Grade End of the Year Party

It's hard to believe that today was the last day of 1st grade. Olivia had a great year and has matured more than I thought possible over the last nine months. She looks forward to reading now and has a list of books that she wants to read over the summer. She was excited when I told her that I found a 2nd grade workbook for her to work in this summer. We've also got a plan to have a Summer Journal so that she can keep up her hand-writing skills and use her imagination.

The 1st Grade party was a big success today. The party started with a magician who was hilarious and kept the entire 1st grade in stitches. He did everything from juggle a bowling ball and saw a student volunteer in half to pulling the obligatory rabbit out of a hat - and had lots of corny jokes in between which the kids loved. McIver's eyes got bigger with each trick. I predict a magic kit on McIver's future Christmas wish list!

After the magic show, lunch and recess, the kids decorated water bottles, ate popsicles, had their faces painted and got their own tattoos. It was a hot day, but there was plenty of shade for everyone.

The water bottles came in handy.

McIver is so sad that he won't get to go to Kolter for Kindergarten. I found him sitting on this bench all by himself in the courtyard during the party. When I asked him what he was doing, he replied: Just sitting and enjoying nature.

When the party was over, we went back to the class room so Olivia could clean out her desk. Mrs. Hartman posed for one last picture with Olivia and her best buddies from Mrs. Hartman's class.

McIver ran through the lunchroom on our way out and found Mr. Royal, the head custodian. He's the sweetest, most gentle man and he loves each and every child at Kolter (and all of their siblings!). He is most definitely an integral part of Kolter - he even spent the night of Hurricane Ike's arrival at school to be sure everything was safe and secure.

Anyway, McIver met Mr. Royal on the first day of school last year and looked for him every Tuesday when we went to school to stuff the weekly folders. We're going to miss him, so McIver asked for a picture which Mr. Royal was happy to pose for.

Olivia's Gymnastics Awards

Olivia has loved her gymnastics class this year. The program is run by the same group who runs the program at McIver's school so I knew it would be good.

Push-ups are tough!

Shannon, Olivia & Adrienne with Coach Mark after he had presented everyone's medals.

Olivia's Field Day

Olivia's school held Field Day a week or so ago. It ended up being a cloudy day so it wasn't as nearly as hot as last year. I missed the first hour or so (I hate that I missed the water balloon fight!), but managed to get a few good shots of Olivia enjoying herself.

Carrying the ball on the spoon required a great deal of concentration!