School’s Out for Summer & Spread The Kindness Link Up On the Edge #763
It has been a very busy end of school season with last Thursday marking the final day for my kids. In September, Ralph will be moving up to 7th grade in the middle school and Archie will be heading off to 9th grade in the high school.
The week before school was out for summer, we attended the Smoked Country Jam Bluegrass Festival in Pennsylvania. After 3 days of rural camping, we came home dirty and exhausted but my kids still managed to push through that final week of school like superstars.
Just before the festival, we helped Ralph complete a giant diorama for his final ELA project. He recreated the burial of Reverend Robert Hunt from the book Blood on the River by Elisa Carbone. He used the gigantic box from his new electric piano. The structures were built from the styrofoam and cardboard packing and the people are spray painted G.I. Joe figurines. There is even a G.I. Joe wrapped in the burlap burial shroud as Reverend Hunt. He received a perfect score for the diorama part of this project. Now I don’t know what to do with it!
The final few weeks of school were super busy with band concerts, awards ceremonies, a semi-formal dance, a moving up night, and our camping trip.
Both of my kids maintained averages over 90% for all four marking periods and both were invited to their respective awards ceremonies. Ralph won a whole bunch of awards for music and academics and Archie brought home an award for Science. I am so proud of them.
Our school district has a decades old tradition for 8th graders called the Boat Dance. The school transports the kids by bus to Alexandria Bay, New York, where they have a chartered boat to cruise them down the St. Lawrence River. It is a semi-formal event and kind of a big deal for the kids. Archie and his friend Theo got ready for the dance at our house, we got some photos of them, and off they went in all their excitement, forgetting to take any photos with us!
This first week of summer vacation was a lazy one for the children, but they deserve a little rest. Next week, we’ve got stuff to do like football camp, mowing lawns, and getting working papers squared away for my high school kid. Oh, I am not ready for this. I am not ready at all!
Now I am going to enjoy our Independence Day weekend with my family before we head off for another vacation in the woods next weekend. Happy 4th of July!
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Keeping it on the edge,
Shelbee
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
I am a midlife woman, wife, and stay-at-home mother of 2 boys and 2 cats. I have a passion for helping other women feel fabulous in the midst of this crazy, beautiful life.
20 Comments
Anne M Bray
The boys are getting so grown up!
And Archie is SO TALL!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
I know! Ralph will probably be taller than me by the end of summer. They aren’t my little boys anymore!
xoxo
Shelbee
Marsha Banks
Congratulations to both Archie and Ralph! Those are big accomplishments in middle school! A boat dance sounds like a lot of fun…especially at that age! Ralph’s diorama is astounding! That shows true understanding of the book as well as commitment to completing it. That’s always the tough part…what to keep and what to not keep. Thanks so much for the feature as well as the new link up.
https://marshainthemiddle.com/
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thank you so much, my friend. Archie had an amazing time at the boat dance. I love seeing them so happy. Ralph definitely showed commitment to the creative part of his ELA final. He slacked on the essay part though despite our efforts in helping him. He just refused to write more than the bare minimum and lost points for not writing enough…just like mom and dad said would happen! Ha. But in the end, he still had amazing grades so we let it slide. I think the diorama is going to the attic for a while. When I find it again years from now, I will be detached enough from it to throw it away then. LOL
xoxo
Shelbee
Di
Sounds like you have had one busy summer already so far! I know you are very proud of your sons. They have grown so much since I started following your blog, I can hardly believe they are two teenagers, now! You will have your hands full in the years to come. Thanks for hosting the link up and sharing these special moments with us. Hope you and your family have a great Fourth of July holiday weekend!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Di! I can hardly believe it myself! They really do grow up in the blink of an eye. They are keeping me busy, for sure! I hope you have a lovely holiday weekend as well, my friend.
xoxo
Shelbee
Joanne
I love the sound of that boat cruise; how special! I was looking so forward to our school’s 8th grade semi-formal and then they announce 1/2 way through the school year that they were going to “switch it up” and were having a BBQ in the school yard instead. They tried to spin it as no semi-formal wear required but I was just crushed. Looks like both your boys had a wonderful year and I love to see that their hardwork was acknowledged.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Joanne! What a bummer that your semi-formal was canceled. We have so few occasions to be fancy when we are kids and that makes those events even more special. It really is crushing when things you look forward to are canceled. At this age, however, you can cancel all the things and I’m happy to stay at home! LOL I hope you have a wonderful weekend, my friend.
xoxo
Shelbee
Nancy
Oh my goodness, Archie is tall! I still thought he was a kid, lol. How great they are doing. And Ralph got your creative talent. Enjoy the summer!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, my friend! I haven’t shared many photos of the boys because they don’t like it so you haven’t sen them in a while. Ralph will likely be taller than me by the end of summer. Have a lovely weekend!
xoxo
Shelbee
nicole orriens
I”m so impressed with Ralph’s diorama! It looks very good!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Nicole! We helped him with building and assembling it but he directed every detail. He also created it in Tinkercad and has a 3D print of it which is really cool. Have a wonderful weekend, my friend!
xoxo
Shelbee
Melynda Brown
What a great end to the school year, and a great start to summer! Don’t blink or they will be not only taller than you, but full grown and on their own…my oldest turns 51 in a month, and it (too) seems like yesterday he was out of school for the summer.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Melynda! Honestly, even my own life has flown by in the blink of an eye. I can’t believe that I just turned 51!
xoxo
Shelbee
Michelle
OMG! When did Ralph and Archie get so tall? They grew up while I wasn’t paying attention. It’s awesome that they are doing so well! That diorama is impressive.
xoxo
Michelle
https://postcardsfromthe3rdplanet.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
They grew up while I was paying attention! LOL It boggles my brain sometimes how fast the time just flies by. Are you all settled into your new home, my friend?
xoxo
Shelbee
Debra | Gma’sPhoto
Shelby, I absolutely adore your family picture!! Nice looking family. Did you decide what to do with the diorama? What ever you decide, you have fabulous images of it.
Thank you for hosting.
Take care and best wishes.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Debra! I am going to store the diorama in my attic for now. I have the space so I will keep it there until I clean the attic. By then I will be further removed from the hard work put into it and it will be easier to throw away!
xoxo
Shelbee
Melody Jacob
A joyful and full-circle end to the school year your boys’ accomplishments and memories will surely last a lifetime. Well done to them both.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Melody! I really appreciate that!
xoxo
Shelbee