Coming to an End

Madison's first year of kindergarten and Kennedy's first year of preschool are coming to an end. This is bittersweet for me. It has been a long year but also gone so, so fast for us. I spent a lot of this year missing my girls, Madison especially with her long days. I spent a lot of time at school and studying. We (Eric and I) spent a lot of time stressing about unemployment and money. This was a tough year for us but, in the end, a good one. There were a lot of great things Madison gained this past year at school but also some tough lessons were learned, lessons I wish would have been saved for subsequent years and not her first year in school. It is what it is and I think we have really made the best of this year and, in the end, it has turned out to be successful for her. She is reading, writing, her confidence has grown and she is a good friend to her classmates. She sets a good example for the kids, takes school seriously and enjoys it. Kennedy loves preschool and all of her friends and teachers. This week is her last week. She started the year without being potty trained and I wondered if she would ever get there but she did and hasn't had an accident at school at all after the Pull Ups came off at Christmastime. She has a spunk and love for life that I admire. She is rarely without a smile and she is so full of love. I am looking forward to spending more time with my girls.
Already we are booked all summer long. I feel I may have overbooked us but I will cut things out if I think it is too much for them. We are signed up for tennis lessons, swimming lessons, summer soccer and we have a weekly hike scheduled. They will also both be in a week long summer camp at different places. We have two family camping trips planned and I have a girls camping weekend scheduled. The girls have opted for no birthday party this year but requested a weekend in Seattle instead. I would have spent that much money on a party anyway so it sounded great to me! We are looking forward to all of the fun stuff planned and I am looking so forward to more time with my girls while they are still little. I know this will be the very last summer that Madison is a little girl (that is even debatable as tall as she is) and Miss Kennedy is already SO independent. I love my girls so much and I love their unique personalities and temperaments. They bring so much happiness to us and are truly a blessing.