4 years, 4 months/2 years, 2 months.

Pool party for Lulu's birthday!  Everyone got drenched and then walked home wearing underpants and sandals.

4 years, 4 months/2 years, 2 months.

The water is on at the parks and Graham doesn't hesitate at all to get soaking wet.  Connor isn't interested in running through the sprinklers but he likes splashing in the run-off.  Both of them get very mad that their sandals are still wet the next time we put them on to go outside.

4 years, 4 months/2 years, 2 months.

A portfolio of Graham's artwork from school this year.  The sharpie drawings are self-portraits.

4 years, 4 months/2 years, 2 months.

Last day of school!  Graham and his school friends wrote and performed an original play about bears and crabs and sea monsters.  Graham was a sea monster.  He's had a wonderful year and I think will be very sad when he realizes that summer vacation is quite awhile.  Hopefully our upcoming trips to the two Portlands will take the edge off!

Compare the top picture with the first day of school in the fall.

Therese's e-mail of the week, entitled "Some Summer":

Dear mamas and papas,

It has been a most lovely week and year.

We examined our year long seasonal photographs of us under our tree. We noticed that we began the school year under a green summer tree and are ending the same way.

Here's to a happy healthy sunny summer.

Looking forward to seeing all your smiling faces in the fall. Or some of you around the neighborhood if you're not returning to Old First.

Thank you all for the cards and kind words.

Let the summer begin!

4 years, 4 months/2 years, 2 months.

Today was our last after-school picnic/playtime at OFNS for the 2014-15 school year.  We'll all really miss these lazy afternoons playing with school friends and siblings in the shady backyard of Graham's school.  L to R, Mirabelle, Lily, Mikkel, Graham, Connor.

4 years, 4 months/2 years, 2 months.

Connor's favorite part of Graham's school is that there are several very maternal 6-year-old big sisters who love to wrangle him, and there's nothing he loves more than being herded.

4 years, 4 months/2 years, 2 months.

I'm not sure what these costumes are, but Lily and Graham played some game involving them completely independently for hours.

4 years, 4 months/2 years, 2 months.

Graham's last t-ball game!  Graham likes batting, catching, and throwing, but not waiting.  His favorite part of t-ball was Lily.

After t-ball, Connor took his first swing at a piñata at Lulu and Mirabelle's birthday party.  He's a natural!

Therese's e-mail of the week, entitled "Swimming with bears and crabs":

Howdy all,

This week we reread one of our stories the children wrote. Everyone chose a character they wanted to be in the story and we discussed ideas about how to make everyone look a little more like their character. Ideas included adding claws, shells, fur, jaws with teeth, eyes, and more legs.

In the yard we took turns painting with water on the brick wall. People noticed that some bricks reacted differently to the water. We also played in water bins with boats, water squirters and shells from the sea.

Our swimming pool was a hit. The class was beside themselves with joy. If anyone missed it we will rinse and repeat next week.

The children worked on their costumes for the graduation show all week. They painted, glued, sparkled, measured, eyed, modeled, growled, pinched, and swam about.

In the yard: swinging, sliding down and climbing up, shooting spider webs, chasing, running from, insect watching, and just plain ole fun.

The beach trip was partly cloudy with a chance of beachballs. Much better than our regular sandbox and above ground pool. Let's meet there Monday too. Okay? Okay!

As the year comes to an end, we are filled with happy warm thoughts, laughter and smiles, but especially gratitude for a year spent with sweet, fun, intelligent, growing, witty children. Thank you all for this.

Graduation will be Friday, June 26th at 11:15 am.

See you next week, our last week of school,
Therese

4 years, 4 months/2 years, 1 month.

Old First Nursery School beach day!  Daddy took the day off to continue gently coaxing Connor into the water.  We're making progress!  After some good, long post-beach naps, Graham and Connor attempted to make their own bubble wands.  That didn't work, so they blew bubbles--at least as satisfying.