Will ~ 3.25

Love this boy!

Happy Faters Day!

We started the Father's Day celebration on Saturday by going to Wade's Happy Place...the lake. :) That trait is being passed down because both of the boys love being out on the boat. I am still a nervous boater, but I'm coming around. It makes Wade happy being there, so I'm happy. :)

And on the actual day, we first celebrated with a few treats to show him we appreciate and love all that he does. The Snapfish calendar has become a tradition and fun project. And my favorite part of it all was the "Happy Faters Day" sign. :) (Proof why copyeditors are vital to society.)

We seem to also be making a fun tradition of heading to Mo Mere & Poppy's house on Father's Day. Seems fitting as all the fathers in the family enjoy ending the night hitting from the fairways. And hilarious that Tate still calls them all "goofy golfers," like Mo Mere taught him several years ago. Only one near miss this time with a flying golf ball. Always a special day to be thankful for the dads in my life (missed being with my own Dad this year, since he was not feeling well)!

And this may be the first-ever picture of the four Strzinek cousins all looking at the camera together. :)

 Mary Tish is so sweet with Will.

I love this picture. Robert planted a brand new tree on the day Will was born, April 15, 2010. We all call it the Will Tree. It has grown quite a bit!

And all of these pictures just make me laugh. You can't tell, but these boys sure love their Daddy...and the golf course!

 But hey, I did get one great shot of the evening! Tate & Poppy. SO cute!

Woo Woo Dance

Tate & I were both excited to go see Eddie Coker at a local performance this summer. (And sidenote, I'm SUPER excited that he will be doing student assemblies at Tate's school and a concert that same night for all of the families this fall.) And what a fun surprise to run into some old friends, Jill & Maddie. :)

His performances are full of energy and fun, but also have such a great message to the kids about being "happy, healthy humans." Plus you get to do the Woo-Woo Dance, which is just greatness!

Build Your Kingdom

My super talented friend, Paige, gathered up some willing participants for a music video. It was so much fun for the kids and the adults. Some serious blackmail video would be of the parents in the background directing the kids. :)

Tate now has this song memorized word for word because we have listened to it so many times. Hearing him sing these words is music to my ears.

We seek Your kingdom first

We hunger and we thirst

Refuse to waste our lives

For You're our joy and prize

To see the captive hearts released

The hurt; the sick; the poor at peace

We lay down our lives for Heaven's cause

We are Your church

Build your kingdom from Paige Pearson on Vimeo.

Sports Camp

Our church puts on a great Sports (and Art) Camp every summer. This was Tate's first official year to pick a sport, while Will got to go with the other preschoolers to Mini-Camp.

Tate chose basketball from the options and had a good time. Majority of the kids who picked basketball were several years older, but he and a few other friends his age went for it. It was definitely a little bit of an eye-opener that playing the game basketball is not quite like the preschool TOT program.

One night (while completely exhausted), he came home really upset not understanding why everyone kept taking the ball from him. :)  A good lesson in sports while still being a good sport. By the end of the four days, he was jumping right in there with the rest of them.

And yes, he wore that headband every single day. Totally his idea. And yes, I did wash it!

And oh my, I sure was proud of Mr. Will. I told one of our children's ministers that I didn't know how he would do since each night was a different schedule of activities. He had a few hard moments, but overall did great and was able to stay with the kids his age most of the time and loved all of the games and crafts. Sure made me happy to see these pictures of him having a good time. :)

And finally, I helped in the Art Room (hello air conditioning!).  The kids did such a great job creating some beautiful works of art.

My friend Kelli & I had a group of 3rd grade boys. They called us "Y" & "I." They were pretty hilarious in a mix of a sweet, gross, funny kind of way. :) But that is what 3rd grade boys are supposed to do, right? They really were sweet, and I was pretty impressed with some of the things they shared during our break-out sessions.

Such a fun week, and I'm so thankful our church puts something like this on not only for our family but for several hundred around our community. 

Tate's Last Day of Kindergarten 2012-13

First Day ~ August 2012 & Last Day ~ June 2013

I still can NOT believe that Tate is done with Kindergarten. There was so much anticipation and build up to Kindergarten that once it was actually here, it felt like I blinked and it was over.

It was as close to a perfect year as you can get. I know not every school year will be that way, so for now, I'm just grateful for the year he had. We had no idea what to expect, so our expectations were greatly surpassed with everything...Tate, his teacher, the school, etc.

His teacher, Mrs. B, was pretty fabulous. A great combination of fun & loving but with very clear expectations. Everyone knew what was expected, and she truly helped further a love for learning in Tate. And anytime I was up there volunteering, I was blown away by her teaching, organization, and control of the classroom. We're talking Kindergartners, so that is not for the faint of heart. :)

Tate learned so much, starting the year with some very basic sight-word reading and by the end of the year, reading chapter books. And he LOVED anything history related. If one day he does grow up to be president, you can trace it all back to Kindergarten. He was a little obsessed with all things George Washington & Abraham Lincoln. My guess, though, is that he is going to be a math guy. Numbers seem to click in his analytical mind. He of course loved recess & PE the most.  :)

Some very memorable moments from Kindergarten were also the hardest from a parent's perspective. I never got many details from Tate about his days at school:

My day was good. I liked playing at recess and gym. We went to co-curr. That's all I remember.  (Lord help me when he is a teenager!)

But occasionally, I would hear about some recess squabbles. Let's be honest, even Kindergarteners are not perfect little cherubs every day. As hard as it was on my mom heart to hear, I was so proud of Tate for how he was quickly able to extend grace. I know there were plenty of times grace needed to be given to him (he doesn't volunteer those stories) :). But I can honestly say that for the times he was wronged and was able to forgive and move on, I was the one who learned something from him. He is quick to forgive and rarely ever holds a grudge. I pray that stays with him for years to come.

It was so fun seeing him grow up before my very eyes and learn the ropes of how to be a kid that goes to school from tardy bells, buying lunch, being a friend, conduct choices, the school library, homework, to riding the bus home. Plus all the real schoolwork they learned...that's a lot!

And the last week of school he had Kindergarten Graduation. Oh my, I teared up seeing him look so cute and big with that tie on. He was excited, proud, and a little embarrassed all at the same time. :)

Just a small part of the parent paparazzi. :)

(Mimi & Grandpa were there as well, but we lost them in the crowded hallway after graduation.) :)

What a fun first year of school. I am so proud of you, Tate, and what a great Kindergarten year you had!