The ducks' first adventure in the great outdoors-- June 2, 2013

After the 4-H meeting, Chelsea took her ducks outside for their first adventure in a little pool. They LOVE their outdoor habitat. Of course, we can't leave them outside all of the time, due to possible predators, but they savor every second to splash around when they get a chance :)

Chauncey-Dover Second Attendant: Ellie-Kate!! June 1, 2013

Ellie-Kate in the parade, with "hair stylists" Chelsea and Elena

Crowning Princess Ellie-Kate

Ellie-Kate and Chelsea Meagan

Ellie-Kate and Elena

Mommy and Ellie-Kate

Ellie-Kate and Emmy

Little Miss Chauncey-Dover Second Attendant!!

 

When Chelsea Meagan saw the letter to the editor about the lack of Chauncey-Dover contestants, she encouraged Ellie-Kate to run. The motivation for Ellie-Kate's decision? She really liked the idea of the trophy, the tiara, and the parades :) She was super excited to be named as second attendant! Given that she was so tired for her interview, we were thrilled that she made court, and we're excited to travel with the other girls. Their parents/grandparents seem very nice, and we're excited to get to know them :)

The 2013-2014 Chauncey-Dover Spring Festival Court

(Kayla, Chase, Christina, Gwen, and Ellie-Kate in the Little Miss/Mister court)

 

Chauncey-Dover Spring Festival-- June 1, 2013

Chelsea with the 2012 Little Mister, Riley, and the 2012 Little Miss, Jenna

Chelsea dancing with the 2012 Little Mister, Riley

Chelsea greets the crowd as the 2012 royalty's special guest

Tiffany and Chelsea

Chelsea and Wes grew very close to the Chauncey-Dover royalty, and they invited them to attend their luncheon as special guests. Wes couldn't attend due to work, but Chelsea gladly attended... I went as a chaperone, and, wow, it was surprisingly fun to get back into that realm. Chelsea just really stood out as such a lovely queen. For some reason, the current Athens County Fair royalty didn't attend so Chelsea's presence was especially important as at least some representation of the fair at the festival's luncheon. As a very cool touch, Chelsea wore the same exact dress to this last luncheon as she did to her very first (the 2012 Parade of the Hills luncheon).

May 31, 2013: Princess Diaries-- Chauncey-Dover edition :)

Ellie-Kate sat patiently at "All About You" for her very special princess hair style :) She looked absolutely beautiful for her Chauncey-Dover Spring Festival interview. Unfortunately, she didn't have time for a nap so she was more than a bit tired for her interview. Still, she looked beautiful and seemed eager to meet with the judges. From what we were told, she smiled, answered questions, and gave them at least one answer to remember. When asked why she wanted to be selected for the court, she responded that "I want to be like my big sister, Chelsea, and ride in the parades!"

 

Ellie-Kate wore her Easter dress for the interview and parade.

Kayla, Ellie-Kate, and Gwen

Our little preschool graduate...

Hi everyone--

It's hard to believe, but our little girl is a preschool graduate... On the morning of her last day (May 31, 2013), I drove her to school and snapped some pics in the classroom before leaving her out on the playground with her teacher and friends. Roger and I both drove out to pick her up, and it was such a bittersweet experience. On the one hand, of course, we want for our kids to grow and thrive and achieve their goals and dreams... On the other hand, we yearn to freeze frame every second...

Ellie-Kate looked so happy on the playground... We took more photos as she played with Carter, Jack, and Aiden. We had just decided that we needed to pry ourselves (and Ellie-Kate) out of First Friends when Miss Vanessa (a former teacher) stopped by to say good-bye. Beautiful and popular, Miss Vanessa was definitely a crowd favorite, and the kids ran to hug her. Ellie-Kate lingered around her for a few minutes and then darted to us with a special request...

In a moment that mirrored the last scene from "Toy Story 3," Ellie-Kate, Carter, Aiden, Jack, and Audrey begged to play super heroes-- just one more time. After a nod of parental approval, the preschoolers turned and dashed across the playground. As I watched Ellie-Kate running and laughing, with her long brown ponytail streaming behind her, tears rolled down my face. This moment will never come again... I plan to cherish it for years to come...

Celebrate today! It won't come again...

Christie 

Ellie-Kate's Last Day of Preschool... May 31, 2013

Ellie-Kate in Miss Tammy's "Begindergarten" classroom

Ellie-Kate, Jack, and Aiden in the clubhouse on the playground...

Ellie-Kate and Miss Megan (her first teacher at First Friends)

Check out for the last time!!

Jack, Carter, and Ellie-Kate

Miss Tammy and Ellie-Kate

Miss Tammy, Ellie-Kate, and Miss Kayla

Ellie-Kate, Miss Vanessa, Jack, and Miss Maddie

Ellie-Kate and Aiden

Ellie-Kate, Miss Janet, and Aiden

May 24, 2013: Congratulations, Emmy!!

At the seventh grade award ceremony, Emmy was one of the very few to be honored with the President's Physical Fitness Award, two "Top Dawg" awards (for records in gym class), and the President's Award for Academic Excellence. She was also recognized for being one of around 15 students to earn all A's, all year!

Seventh grade was an unusually stressful year. After an AMAZING sixth grade year, the pressure was on for all good things in seventh grade, and, for the most part, the year went well. Emmy earned all A+s (with only one A) for two of the four grading periods, with all As in the other two. She started in soccer, ran track, and served as point guard and co-captain for the basketball team-- WOW!!

However, she really struggled with the lack of sleep, and we even ended up dropping science fair because she just couldn't do it all. Emmy loved student council at Morrison, but her home room teacher just picked the room rep (not giving Emmy a chance), and the election for president this spring didn't go her way either.  (heavy sigh...)

As we enter the summer, we have committed to working on balance and perspective. Emmy has so much to look forward to and so much to offer, and we are already excited about opportunities and adventures in eighth grade.