First first and last last*

How many times, I wonder, have I posted that picture from PreK-3 on this blog? At least 15 times, I’d guess. But today is the last time.**

I got very teary last night (and alarmed Miles) when I said it was the last time I’d say goodnight before a school night. The last time I’d be waking them up to go to school. (Dangit, I’m getting teary now.)

There’s nothing to say I haven’t said a million times already. It goes so fast. Where did my babies go?

Today was also my last day working at the concession stand at lunch. I started volunteering there freshman year with Terry, and then once her girls graduated, I worked with another mom, and this year, with my friend Victoria. Her twin boys have been going to school with my boys since PreK-3, so it was nice to spend the last day of school with her.

And yeah, I made us t-shirts.

*I know the title should be “last last and first first”if I’m going to post the pictures in this order but it’s just not as catchy.
**no promises

Last day of 10th grade

I’m telling you, we are crawling to the finish line of this school year. As usual, it seems like, they got sick, which just complicates everything. (Like the year Miles had COVID and had to just not take his exams.) And Miles and Linus have an AP French exam this afternoon until 4:30 which just adds insult to injury.

But we made it. On to junior year! (GAAAAAAHHHHH)

First day:

I didn’t think they’d gotten that much taller but the window doesn’t lie…

Last day of the first year of high school

I showed them the picture from the first day of school, and they said, “I don’t think we look different.”

I respectfully disagree.

(and I don’t just mean the hair)

Last day of a lot of things

Today was the boys’ last day of 8th grade. Their last day of middle school. And their last day at the school they’ve been at since they were 3. Eleven years of French schooling, au revoir!

Last day:

(It was pouring this morning, so I couldn’t get the usual pic, and then the bus just flaked on them and never showed up this afternoon, so I went to pick them up on the condition they’d let me take a picture outside the school.)

And just for comparison, first day of 8th grade, when their voices were at least an octave higher:

It’s been a harrowing couple of weeks. The plague finally hit our house (only 40% of it) but it meant Linus and Oliver had to miss all of last week and Miles missed most of this week, and I had to cancel a work trip to New York (but I’m not bitter.)

Fair warning: tomorrow night is the 8th grade promotion ceremony, so expect another blog post and lots more pictures. Maybe even a family pic?!?

Last day of seventh grade

Today is the last day of seventh grade. Hard to believe we all (and by “all” I mean “the whole world”) got through this year. Let’s just hope next year looks more like, say, fifth grade. The last normal school year.

Based on their first day pic from August, I’d say they have grown a little bit.

If nothing else, their hair certainly has!

Some notable things about seventh grade:

They were in the same class for the first time since PreK-3.
Okay maybe aside from, you know, pandemic, that’s the biggest thing.

And on to eighth!

Last day of 6th grade

Well that sure was a weird school year.

They were going to wear their uniforms but lost steam about halfway through. Close enough. (That yellow hoodie is definitely Linus’s quarantine uniform…)

I can’t tell if they grew much this school year but their hair definitely did! (I should have made them stand up straight for this picture. Oh well.)

First day:

Last day of elementary school!

Can you believe it? Today is the boys’ last day of elementary school. Sniff, sniff. Not that they’ll be changing schools or anything, but they’ll be in sixth grade, and things will change a little bit. They’ll be switching classes (though staying with the same classmates all day.) They’ll have lockers. They’ll start learning Spanish (along with continuing French, of course.) They’ll be able to join clubs! Pretty cool.

As usual, I’m gonna get all nostalgic and stuff. And I’m going to post this picture from the first day they started at their school, in August 2011.

And a picture from this morning, the last day of fifth grade:

To compare, a picture from the first day of fifth grade:

Geez, it looks like they were more excited about starting school than it ending. Hmm. Maybe I should look into summer school?

Last day of Fourth grade!

I cannot believe how fast this year went. I mean, this year really went by in a flash. Even the boys thought so. I think partially because they rode the bus and partially because third grade went at a snail’s pace because of whooping cough. But I am already predicting that fifth grade is going to go by even faster because my sabbatical starts in December, so by the time that’s done in March the year will be practically over and OMG MY BABIES ARE ALMOST IN MIDDLE SCHOOL.

First day:

Last day:

Okay, they don’t look that different, except for their hair.

At the bus stop with the girls:

Mary Catherine was excited on the first day about the bus, today was my turn to show my excitement:

Our golden steed, driven by our knight in shining armor, Mr. C…

On to fifth (!!!) grade!

Last day of third grade!

Got the whole carpool crew in this one:

and of course this must be compared with a “first day of third grade” pic:

Definitely some height and hair color differences there.

And just because I can’t not, the very first day they started at their school, back in preK-3:

Last day of second grade!

This year just flew by, didn’t it? I can’t believe the boys have been at their school for five years now. Seems crazy.

First day:

Last day:

Have they grown? Not noticeably. Have they changed? Uh yeah. I love seeing the pristine shoes and backpacks from the first day. And look how tan their legs are from the summer. Oh, and we have a dog now, too.

Third grade, here we come!

Last day of first grade.

Yesterday was the last day of first grade. When I went to pick up the kids, Oliver and Millie’s teacher was walking them to the car, crying with Millie. One of the hard parts about going to a school where the teachers are coming from a foreign country is that they can’t stay forever. So I wasn’t able to get a picture with the boys with each of their teachers, but it’s okay. I’ll survive without having every single aspect of their lives documented.

Last day (standing the same order in both pics):

and first day:

Want to see more last days? Here you go.

Last day of kindergarten!

Oof. Slow down, time!

First day of school:

Today:

Hard to tell if they’re any bigger, since Oliver is standing funny, but they at least…have more hair?

Yesterday was the end of the year ceremony, which I decided to just watch and enjoy rather than try to photograph every moment. Just as well, since these were the only pictures I could get of the kids:

SAMSUNG CSC