The Rollins Ruckus: May 2015

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

next stop...first grade!

Last day of Kindergarten today...he looked at this picture and said he liked himself in the first one better. I guess my kids aren't too thrilled about growing up...and their mom isn't either.

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

I just realized that I completely forgot to publish these pictures. LilliAnn and Jeb went to their second Daddy/Daughter dance at the YMCA a couple of months ago. LilliAnn picked out her dress months before the dance, and decided that she wanted it to be red again, like last year, because she wanted to always have red dresses for this dance. Lol! I agreed completely because I think she looks gorgeous in red! She wanted to wear a tiara and "princess jewelry" again, and loved getting her hair and nails done for the big day!

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After she put her dress and shoes on, she went to look in the mirror and started saying, "Oh my goodness! I look AMAZING! I am a TRUE princess! Yes. I. Am. I am a TRUE TRUE princess!" It was seriously the cutest thing ever!

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Lady in Red

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She was so into taking pictures for this! She was full of poses and ideas!

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Daddy got her beautiful flowers to wear on her wrist!

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When I look at this, I flash-forward about ten years and I see her first Prom date!

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We just HAD to have high heels…and she's worn them almost every day since!

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These pictures turned out so cute!

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She kept saying, "Daddy, you're my true prince!" She was so excited!

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Oh, be still my heart.

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She wanted to take Papa's car on their "date." They went to eat at her favorite restaurant, Paul's Place, and then it was off to the YMCA dance.

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These are precious memories that I hope she never forgets. And I hope she always knows how crazy her daddy is about her!

last day of pre-k. {lilliann}

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Our sweet Lil had her last day of Pre-K a few days ago. And of course, as every mom would say, it was bittersweet. I'm so proud of her for starting to come out of her shell, and have a little more confidence, but I'm a little sad thinking about my baby girl going to Kindergarten next year. There has been talk about a possible D-1 program as a bridge between Pre-K and Kinder, and I had thought that if that was an option I would enroll LilliAnn in that class. I'm still unsure about her being younger for her grade. Academically, she's doing amazing! She can write her first and last name beautifully, knows her address and phone number, knows all of her letters, letter sounds, can count to 100, and is even reading! I feel like it would be silly to not go ahead and start her in Kindgarten, but when it comes to her social skills, she's still very shy and withdrawn…especially in large groups. When she's playing with just a couple of friends she does fine, but in a classroom setting, she's still very quiet. People say that this just may be her personality, but if it is, I would rather her be old and shy for her grade rather than young and shy. It's crazy because I feel like I'm raising two different daughters! Half of the time she is wild, outgoing, and sassy with the most vibrant personality, and then when we're out in public or in large groups of people, she's extremely withdrawn and will not even talk to people! I'm still hoping this is just a phase and she'll grow out of it soon! As of now, I'm going to give it another year and see how she does in Kindergarten. If she is still quiet and shy, we may see about repeating. I know she'll do great either way!

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I cannot say enough good things about these two…Mrs. Whitefield and Mrs. Looper. They have been absolutely amazing this year! Mrs. Whitefield was Grove's Teacher or the Year this year, and we have loved getting to know her. It is an honor to say that she is a good friend, and I feel so extremely blessed that LilliAnn was in her class. She was great about challenging the kids and instilling in them a big love for learning! We will definitely miss this Pre-K family and they will forever have a place in our hearts!

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Mrs. Whitefield - leading in the class for the Pre-K program

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LilliAnn was pretty shy during their class Rise and Shine, so I was hoping she would sing the songs a little better this time!

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Mrs. Whitefield's Pre-K class 2014-2015

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She did so good!

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Receiving her Pre-K certificate from Mrs. Whitefield

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When I found out that I was going to have to go ahead and start her in Pre-K, I worried myself sick. This amazing teacher and friend helped my precious little girl have the most amazing school year! I will forever be grateful for Alisha Whitefield!

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Mrs. Whitefield and Mrs. Looper made each child a scrapbook that included what they wanted to be when they grow up, their favorite cafeteria food, handprint art from throughout the year, a handwritten letter from the parents, and a list of kindergarten sight words!

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They also got each child an end of the year sand bucket filled with crayons, watercolors, bubbles, and a homemade chocolate chip cookie with a tag that said "You're one smart cookie!"