Good-bye Pencils, Good-bye Books...

Wow!  Parker is heading to 4th Grade!  Can't believe his 3rd Grade year has come to an end!  It feels like it was only yesterday that he was getting his award for "Best Storyteller" in Mrs. Tooker's Kindergarten class!  (And then a second award for "Best Bike Rider").  Those memories make me smile!!!

This was a great year for Parker!  He has grown so much!  Every day, I grow more and more proud of the person he is growing up to be!  He loves to learn and LOVES to read!  He read the first three Harry Potter books in a month and was finished with the entire series in three months!  He couldn't put them down!  He recieved an award for placing 8th over all the 3rd Grade classes for AR points...302 points!  This year, he was also accepted into APEX and we couldn't be more proud! 

He is also learning so much about how to treat people and how to take care of his friends and family! Yes, he is a 9 year old boy who can get mad at his sisters and complain about having to clean his room...but when it counts, he has a heart of gold and that makes me so proud to call him my son!  We are so blessed to have him in our lives! 

Top AR Readers for all 3rd Grade classes

Getting his conduct award from his principal, Mrs. Crouch

Getting his medal from Mrs. Lockhart

With my sweet boy!

Best friends!

With his teacher Mrs. Reed

And with dear, sweet Mr. Frank!  He volunteers at Lakeland EVERY day!

So Long Kindergarten...

I can't believe the year is already over!  Wow!  Kindergarten days for Ava have come to an end.  I am so very proud of her!!  So many wonderful friends she made, so much learning she accomplished, and so much growing she did into a fabulous 1st grader!  She loved going to school each and every day!  Their Kingergarten program definitely brought tears to so many mommy's eyes!  My favorite memory is the song "First Grade, First Grade" (to the tune of New York, New York).  Just the sweetest voices telling us all they were ready to move on! 

Start spreading the news

We're leaving today.

We want to be a part of

First grade, first grade!

We've worked very hard

Our teacher's so proud.

So open up those doors to

First grade, first grade.

We know our... alphabet

And numbers too.

We all can write our names

And tie our shoes!

So when summer's done

And we're all done with play

Our mom's will send us to

First grade, first grade.

If we can make it there

We'll make it anywhere

So here we come

First grade, first grade.

Just so sweet!!!  Here are a few pictures from her big day at her Kindergarten Graduation!

With Mrs. Filsinger... such a great year with a GREAT teacher!

singing away...

with our girl

love my Ava hugs!!

with Mimi & E

with Grandmama... and knowing Grandaddy is looking down, so very proud of his Ava

Ava and Olivia

Ava and Halle

Sweet Mia

Her two best "boy" friends... Henry and Landon

Lily and Megan...

the two little misses who BOTH cut their bangs on the same day...

and NOT while they were together!

Take me out to the ball game...

Redbird's games are always a hit in our house!!  Who doesn't love baseball, Rocky the Redbird, barbeque nachos, a nice cold beer, and fun times spent with three smiling faces?  This year was extra special!  First, Arlington Youth Little League had a special night where all the players marched in a parade on the field before the game! So neat!  The next time we went... Ava was asked to be the Delta Dental Tooth Fairy and was joined by the rest of the crew to "sweep" and clean off the bases during the 7th inning stretch.  So cute to watch them all run around the bases!  So fun!    :)



Field Day at Lakeland

Field Day is such a fun day at Lakeland!  The kids have a blast and we have so much fun watching them!  :)

Mrs. Filsinger's Kindergarten Class

Tug of War

Ava and Lily

Ava and Olivia

Mrs. Reed's 3rd Grade Class

Tug of War Part II

Off to a great start!

Waiting his turn... and probably so annoyed

for taking his picture!!

Sammy and Lily

Sweet friends!

Parker's sweet thoughts...

I had to share what my Parker wrote about his sweet Grandaddy.  Ever since he heard the news about his Grandaddy, he asked when he would be able to stand up and share with everyone what a great man he was.  So, without a doubt, we decided we would let him speak at his funeral. We woke up on Tuesday morning, and got started. I thought I would really try to help him put his thoughts on paper... but he ONLY wanted help getting started. So I thought I'd write the first sentence, and give him time to finish it up. (Still thinking he was going to need my help- I guess that's where the teacher still comes out in me!)  Turns out I was completely mistaken!! I came back up an hour later, and he had it done. He told me over and over... he knew exactly what he wanted to say, but just needed to write it out. Needless to say, I couldn't read the words without kleenex. It said so many things that would make Bobby so proud. I was so proud of him at the funeral b/c he spoke slowly and loud enough for all to hear. I must say, I was one proud mom!

And I know a special man who was beaming while watching him speak! He said over and over... I want to make granddaddy proud... and I think he did just that!

So, I thought I'd share what he wrote!

Today is a very hard day. Some of us lost a friend, a very special woman lost her husband, another wonderful woman lost her son, and a few lost their dad. I am here to say I lost my granddaddy. My granddaddy was really a great man. He was loving, selfless, and always had a smile on his face. He was very strong to suffer all the medicine they gave him. He never complained about it once to anybody. He was the only man I knew to become an Eagle Scout. He died and went to heaven, and it makes us all feel good to know he is now with his daddy. They are probably playing golf right now. He is at peace in the hands of the Lord. A pastor told me yesterday that “He is not leaving home he is going home.’’ I am glad that now he is able to talk, run, walk, and jump because that’s what he loved to do. He never wanted us to come over to sit; he always wanted to talk with me and play all kinds of games. We had fun with him. I remember some good times with him. When he used to take me to feed the ducks, ride the trolley downtown, and see the sun set in Downtown Memphis. He always wanted us to have fun memories with him. He told me that he knew I am going to grow up to do great things. I’m going to follow that and get it done for him because I love him so much. In both our hearts we were like two peas in a pod. I think it’s harder to leave the ones you love, then to have a loved one leave because heaven is just that great. I bet that my granddaddy would want all of us up there today with him to enjoy the wonderful heaven with him. Once he entered the gates of heaven I bet he wanted to redo that moment five more times again. I bet the angel that took him to heaven was his dad, so that made it even greater than just going by himself. Everybody here probably thinks that he is gone. But he is in our hearts the rest of the way. I know he would love to see all the people who gather here today to pay their respects to him. I bet he would feel so happy to know that everyone is grateful to him for so many reasons. I am happy to know that God answered my prayers in a way I didn’t expect him to. He does the stuff we ask him in ways we’ve never seen before. I asked that my granddaddy be happy, and he was. He was so happy when God accepted him in to Heaven. I hope he knows I love him so much and I will never forget him. I’m just glad to know I’ll see him again one day.

Always in our Hearts!

Robert D. Douglas

February 25, 1947 - May 6, 2010

With a very heavy heart, I write today to tell of the loss of an amazing person.  Bobby passed away peacefully tonight after a long battle with Glioblastoma.  He will be missed by so many!  Words are hard to come by.  It is a sadness that is hard to describe.  Knowing how much he will be missed... Understanding the pain Manley and his sisters are going through... Heartbroken for the devoted wife he left behind... Having to share the news with our three little ones...hearing them talk about sweet Grandaddy and asking what he thought heaven was like.  It's a sadness that is makes my heart hurt for what I feel, but hurt especially for everyone around me.  Bobby was truly loved by so many and he will be missed more than words could ever express.  All I know is that heaven received a very special angel tonight and I know he is watching us all.