huron natural area - class trip

emery's class went on a field trip yesterday. 

it was fun, really well run and a tad chilly!

this is the part of the hike when emery noticed the canopy of trees

and declared it the perfect spot for a photo.

(proud mommy moment)

i told her she didn't need to pose so much,

she said she wanted to!

alright - click!

my sweet girlie girl...  love her.

selah's first day

 selah started senior kindergarten today...

 she proudly carried her summer photo album 

to school to show her teacher.

she was also excited to see her friends again, after a great summer.

she had a fun day at school, 

and this momma enjoyed some quiet time.

it was a good day for all!

emery's first day

my sweet girl is in grade 2 this year...

i think it will be a great year for her!

christmas memories

here are few photos that are special to me from christmas so far

because they hold memories and tell a bit of our story.

this is nana and grandad watching their 

great grandchildren opening presents.

here is selah

(still wearing her antlers, as seen in the last post)

working on her christmas cards for her classmates.

she's wearing her new dinosaur sweater that she got for christmas from nan,

and yes, that is a tower of mini wheats in the background (big sale!).

 these next two are from the girls seasonal concert at school.

their school always puts on a fun show that included everyone.

both emery and selah were beaming up on stage singing their songs.
emery sang 'up on the house top...',
and selah's class sang 'frosty the snowman'.

 this is the moment when selah saw her daddy in the audience.

 here is emmy and selah checking out their goodie bags 

from another christmas party.

every year, my aunt and uncle have a party at their country club.

it's such a fun night to dress up and 

reconnect with family.

the food is always excellent and they even bring in a magician to entertain the kids.
it's a special night for both the adults and children.

lot's of great memories so far and more to come.

i wonder which of these moments will stick with the girls as they grow...

what do you remember most about christmas as a child?

favourite things friday

great to see you back for another week of favourite things.

here are a few of my discoveries!

• ben and jerry's if i had a million flavours ice cream - wow!  possibly my new favourite.  was just enjoying some for dessert.  i had to cut myself off so there would be some more left for another day...  
• dance through the decades in style

• more fall craft ideas 

and i just want to share one more thing:

i love the school my girls go to.

"JFC is the place to be!"

today i got to watch emery and her classdo a skit in an assembly.

the theme of these assemblies is PRIDE.

today's was introducing 'P' which is for 'participating

in making the school a better place'.

great message.

then another class got up to lead the school song,

which was written by one of the teachers.

it was to the tune of jackson 5's 'ABC' song and it was fantastic.

the words were so positive and encouraging 

and it was amazing to see all (okay, most of) the teachers 

and students singing along with enthusiasm.

you know i shed a tear...

enjoy your weekend and i hope to see you soon!

a teacher, a friend and a fashion show

i'm so thankful for the teachers that my girls have had the pleasure 

of spending their time with at school.

emery had the same teacher for JK and SK (brilliant!).

her teacher's name is mrs. leis.

she has been teaching kindergarten for 20 years and is a mentor and example 

for her students and other kindergarten teachers.

sadly, this was her last year at our school.

yes, there were tears shed on the last day... 

i could go on and on about the things she has done for emery 

and her classmates over the past two years, but this story says it all:

(i get emotional just thinking about it)

emery's good friend maggie has had a challenging year.

mrs. leis has played a huge role in maggie's life during this difficult time, 

one of strength, love and comfort...

just last week mrs. leis contacted maggie, 

hoping to take her out for ice cream (yes - during the summer).

the timing wasn't going to work for that, because maggie was at a day camp.

 so maggie's mom invited mrs. leis to a fashion show that maggie was going to be a part of.

mrs. leis willingly accepted that invitation.  

she took time from her family and holidays to attend the show and brought flowers for maggie! 

how fantastic is that?!

emery was also invited to the show and they all had a wonderful time. 

i love this photo below...

a special moment captured - that will be remembered for a long time...

mrs. leis,    

you are an inspiration.  

thank you for loving your "room 4 friends" so much.

your new school and students are so lucky to have you in the fall.  you will be missed.

wishing you all the best,

          ~ cheryl

maggie,

i'm so glad that you and emery have become great friends!

based on all the fans that came out, it sounds like you were the star of the fashion show!

way to go girl!

            ~ cheryl

photos taken by maggie's mom (another inspiring woman...)

last day

yesterday was the last day of school for emery.

she's accomplished so much in and out of the classroom this year.

moving on to grade 1 and french immersion in september!

these are two of her good friends at school - olivia and ava.

i'm so thankful for the lil community that has formed amongst the kids in her class and their moms!

such nice people to see and spend a little bit of time with each day!

as soon as emery got out of class yesterday, there was something she had to show me...

she could do the wavy ("hardest") monkey bars all by herself now!  

there are a lot of monkey bars in the school yard and she's done them all.

love her proud look below as she moves on to the next challenge...

after school we headed to a friends house for a little last day party.

lollipop cupcakes (i will definitely be trying to make myself), lemonade and balloons...  

such a special way to end a great school year. 

pretty flower from their garden

here is emery - homeward bound.  

we need to attach a balloon to her bike more often - makes for fun photos!

i'm so proud of emery and excited to see where life will take her.

she is a sensitive, thoughtful and energetic girl with so much creativity and love inside.

she tells us she wants to be a jewelry maker when she grows up.  

whatever she chooses to do,

i'm sure good things will come her way

and i'll be cheering her on down every path.