goodbye kindergarten

exactly one week after welcoming her new baby sister we all gathered in st. gerard's gym for the kdg graduation ceremony. by we, i mean myself, dan, mj, elaine, mary, walter, sharon, nana and her sisters. talk about an entourage!

(yes...i brought annie out in this big bad world at a just 7 days old. i'm pretty sure ryan didn't leave the house until she was 7 weeks old. poor fourth child.)

the graduation ceremony was adorable. a lot of the kids had a little part in it. for our budding popstar (which is what ryan will tell you she is, not wants to be, but is going to be when she grows up) snagged a singing solo.

apparently her music teacher held "auditions" and everything for this part. ryan was picked along with another cute little girl from the other kdg class. she took her part very seriously! she wouldn't so much as tell us the name of the song she was singing before the big performance. 

needless to say, she nailed it!

(it's not letting me post the video...boo)

we also received her final report card. she rocked the entire year but especially the last quarter. just look at those comments!

i also have to post this...

at the beginning of the year my mom asked me to try my best not to be tardy. she said there is nothing  more distracting to the class (and frustrating for the teacher, i'm sure) then when a child is constantly late. take a look at that mom...zero tardies! 

(insert a pat on the back for me)

i don't know if i can put into words how wonderful this first year of school has been. the transformation in you, ryan, has been an incredible one to watch. the way you have soaked in all the knowledge astounds your dad and i. although the big changes haven't always been the most blatant. sure i noticed your jumper becoming a little shorter as the year went on and your shoes getting a little tighter but the major changes seemed to be a little more subtle. 

the one night this winter when i came upstairs to find you reading...full on reading...a book to may or the time i opened your yellow folder to see that you had aced your 6's in addition. those were the moments that made me stop in my tracks and realize holy cow you are learning so much. 

your enthusiasm for school truly makes me smile. i honestly don't think a week went by that you didn't come home with some sort of accolade from your teacher. whether it was for being a good listener, a good friend or a good helper you always seemed to be right in the mix. 

i think a lot of that enthusiasm was because of this lady...

god bless mrs young!

you know even at 33 i can still remember my kindergarten teacher. mrs schroeder was a fantastic teacher and her face has stuck with me all these years. i have no doubt mrs young will be like that for ryan. to say she adored mrs young would be a complete understatement.

ryan...i love that you loved kindergarten. i love that you loved your teacher. i love that you love to learn. i love that you are just as excited about first grade.

we cannot wait to see how much you grow next year...