End of Year Picnics

Yesterday I went up to the kids' school to sit with them at their end of year picnics. I wasn't sure I was going to make it since their lunch schedules were altered due to early dismissal but I made it and boy were they surprised to see me!

The kindergarten classes sat outside on towels/blankets they brought from home. It was a beautiful day and sitting outside with a bunch of 5/6 year old's was a nice way to enjoy the sunshine. Dakota shared her towel with me and we talked while she ate and then she played with her friends a bit while I listened to the conversations going on around me. It's always fun to hear what kids talk about and they didn't let me down with their big imaginations and excitement for the upcoming summer break.

Once the kindergarten classes packed up and went back inside I headed down to Harper's classroom where they were just getting out their stuff for an indoor picnic. Why they had their picnic on the floor of the classroom was a mystery but the kids sure didn't seem to mind! Any break from the norm is welcome. Harper was happy to see me and invited me to sit with him on his towel while he had his lunch. He told me all about what they'd been doing that day (working on some Father's Day gifts) and told me he couldn't wait to get home in a few hours to play Minecraft. I enjoyed talking with some of the other kids in his class also and realized how incredibly sweet they still are at this age. They were all happy to talk about what their summer plans were and about games they enjoyed playing and why they were going to miss school over the summer. I couldn't help but think about how they were all going to be third graders in the fall and about how much older that seemed than second grade. It's a little heartbreaking, truth be told. 

When I left I felt a little sad about it being the end of the school year and not because I don't know how we'll fill all of our hours but because these kids are really growing up on me, and growing up fast. I felt a stab of pain when I thought of Landon and how he'll be graduating high school this time next year. How it wasn't all that long ago that I sat in these very classrooms with Zoe or Landon dreaming of what lie ahead. What new adventures await? The days are long but the years are short...