Kendyll Grace
Next week marks the end of Kindergarten for Miss Kendyll. And, as usual, the time has flown, and I'm amazed at the changes we have seen in our six year old this year. You always hear that something changes forever when they begin school...and I expected it on some levels. But, as I look back at the beginning of school, I am amazed at how different she looks, and how much she has learned and grown since September!
Here are a few changes I have seen, just off the top of my head...
*Physical and mental growth!! It's crazy how much she has changed physically! She's taller, older, and I guess, wiser. :) Here she is the first day of kindergarten...
And here she is last week...
What happened to my baby?! She has learned alot in kindergarten and it's amazing to me--as a non-teacher--to see how they fit it all into such little time!
She has learned things like addition, subtraction, telling time, authors, illustrators, famous artists, history, natural habitats, weather, handwriting, narrating, scripture, Bible stories, phonograms, reading comprehension, and probably more that I can't remember! We get a newsletter home each month about what they are reading and learning. I plan to keep those in her memory book for future reference. :)
She has also begun piano lessons this year, and is really doing well. I can't say that she always enjoys practicing (it's usually only with a few reminders and warnings that she gets it done), but she has really learned alot! She loves her cool, young, teacher, Miss Kayla, and, she wants to keep going...so I guess that's a positive sign!
*
Becoming an individual... I still remember a few things from grad school, and one of those is the different stages of development in childhood. This one that Kendyll is in is all about becoming an individual. And, she has definitely started down that road to desiring her own choices and preferences...from food, clothes, activities, and even the way I fix her hair. Before this year, I pretty much made most of those choices for her and she never even noticed. And, I would say that watching her want to be "her own person" has been very hard for me! I continue to try to balance what is okay for her to decide (at the ripe old age of SIX), and what should still be up to me. And, it's been an interesting journey in that way. :) I have had to learn to let go of some things, and she has had to learn what it means to still be "the kid" on some things. But, we're both learning. :)
*An awareness of others... That sounds pretty basic, but it's true! She has been in preschool for years, and sure, she had friends, and was in classes with many other kids. But, this year, I have really seen her start to notice some things about others. First, she has learned more about her own God-given gifts...what she is naturally interested in and gifted for. And she has also learned that others have gifts she may not have, or be interested in---and how to still celebrate what their strengths are. She has begun to understand friendships on a deeper level, as some come naturally and others don't. We have been so incredibly blessed with the sweetest group of girls for Kendyll to be in school with, and it has been so much fun to watch those friendships develop.
And, yes, she has even developed an "awareness" of boys too. Hard for me to even admit!! This is something she has NEVER been aware of before now...and something I wish I could have held off on a little longer! But, I have to say, it's quite innocent at this age. They have no idea, really. She has especially befriended a sweet boy named Patrick in her class and has had a play day at his house, and we have an upcoming family barbecue with our two families. When she was telling me how nice he is to her, she said "Mommy, it's like I wish I was his sister." Now THAT is what I want her to keep thinking!! :)
Here is a picture of Patrick (on the right)...again just for my memory, years from now! We really don't talk about him any differently than the rest of the kids in her class, and DEFINITELY don't even bring up the fact that "he's a boy" if you get my drift. But, he is a cutie!
*Spiritual Changes... Again, a great blessing of our school is the Christian teaching she receives. The details they teach of the Bible stories is amazing, and Mark and I often find ourselves in awe that she knows things we don't! And, the scripture she has memorized along the way makes me smile. Our prayer is that these things become rooted deep in her heart for a lifelong walk with the Lord. She has asked many questions this year about many spiritual things. And, I love having these conversations with her. She loves God so much, and is wise in so many ways about what He wants for her life.
At the same time, as her knowledge has increased, and her desire to know more about God has deepened, I have seen more of a struggle in her heart with "doing good" and "choosing the right way" to respond, act, react, etc. Honestly, we have struggled more with her "attitude" this year than ever before. Not in "big" disciplinary things, but definitely in everyday things that really matter...like obedience, complaining, arguing, respecting her siblings and parents, and becoming angry. And, as extreme as this might sound to some, I pray constantly that Satan keeps his distance, as we begin these transition years of childhood. As parents, we know it is in these early years that we must cultivate a fertile soil in her soul, so that God can plant and grow His character in her heart. So, while she is becoming more of an individual, and that is GOOD, it is also hard at times! Basically, it's a good thing that God is in charge of her heart!!! Because there are days where I am completely stumped, and many days where I feel like I mess it all up! And, those are the days I have to hand her back over to Him repeatedly! :) And, we haven't even hit the teenage years!! Oh my!
Kindergarten Conference
Last week, we had our end-of-year conference with her teacher, who we love.
She has been perfect for Kendyll and is truly a mentor to all of us with such young families. She has so much wisdom to share about being a Christian mother who educates her children in all ways, and I wish I could just soak it all up! Anyway, before we left for the conference, I asked Kendyll what she thought her teacher would say during this meeting. This is what Kendyll reported (as if she was the teacher):
"I think Kendyll has done AWESOME! She obeys the first time, she is always respectful in art, she has the proper posture and holds her pencil perfectly WITHOUT her pencil grip! Her handwriting is much better and she usually does her "d's" the right way. (This has been a problem for her since the beginning of preschool!)
She really likes math because we learned about numbers and all sorts of stuff...like addition and subraction and greater-than and less-than and we had to write things too.
Oh, and I bet she'll say that I really love geoboards because I even do them at home!
Nature studies was soooo interesting and we studied the farm, the ocean, the desert, the pond...I learned ALOT about it that my mom and dad didn't even know! That's the last thing we do in our day.
And, I love the garden and I always take everyone to see it when they come eat lunch with me."
Then, I said "What will she say that you didn't like?"
And, Kendyll said "Are you kidding me? NOTHING!"
"I really LOVED Literature and Bible Time. They are my favorite because Mrs. McWhorter reads to us and we learn about authors and illustrators and then we have to narrate, which I have done ALOT of times!
At lunch, Patrick always talks to me, and so does Kate, so I never finish first. I always wanted to finish so I have time to read a book, but I never do."
I wouldn't say that's EXACTLY what her teacher said, but she did have many good things to say about our little girl. It was fun (and funny) to hear her describe Kendyll EXACTLY as she is. Here are a few of the highlights that I want to remember (and, yes, we are proud, and, yes, it will probably come across bragadocious...so don't read if you don't want to. :)
Mrs. McWhorter started by saying "Well, I hope you guys have some things to ask about, because I really don't have much to say! She is a perfect little student, and I have nothing but good to share!" That's a great way to start our first parent conference ever. :)
She went on to say:
*Kendyll is very bright and enjoys learning. I don't think you will ever struggle with her wanting to be in school and learning new things. This summer, I would encourage you to let her read nonfiction, biographies, anything that interests her. Make timelines with her and have her do short story reports on different people. She will love that. (Mom & Dad, does that sound familiar??? Maybe I'll start her on "dogs" first. :) Ha ha. I've actually already bought summertime "school books" for us to do, and I finally had to hide them, because she had already finished one. What can I say? She's a nerd like me!)
*Kendyll remembers everything. From narrating back the stories we have read, to the daily schedule, to what we did earlier this year. She knows it in detail! (This one didn't surprise me either, seeing that she reminds me of all kinds of things I've forgotten!)
*Kendyll does not like change very much. I changed her seat a couple of weeks ago, so that another child could see me better, and even though she didn't complain about it, I could tell it bothered her so much, that I eventually changed them back. This was after she quietly raised her hand, and whispered "Are we going to stay like this the rest of the year?"
*Kendyll has a hard time being "silly" with her friends. She gets along with everyone, and they all love Kendyll. But, some of them get pretty silly and are a little more immature than she is...and you can see her trying hard to follow suit. But, really, she is a 30 year old in a six year old body. (This one cracked me up! I've been accused of that my whole life...and I still admit that I can't be silly! It's just not in me!)
*Reading, spelling, and literature is by far her strongest subject. (Again, just like her mommy...just don't ask us to do math!! :)
Parent Perks
A couple of fun memories of our year was getting to have one-on-one time with Kendyll throughout her year. For me, I got to have her at home three days of each week. It was a unique situation that has made for great memories for our family. Early in the year, we were much better about using those days for field trips and activities , but even as the year went on, when we were just running errands or staying at home, I still loved the extra time with her.
Some of our favorite things from our "Mommy and Kendyll" days were: going to the art museum, the farm, the library (often!), the aquarium, doing lots of arts, crafts, painting, and experiments, and always having girly lunches (her favorite pick was always Celebrity Bakery, Paradise Bakery, or Corner Bakery...notice the theme...girly and "bakery"). 
For Mark, the "parent perk" was getting to be a part of Indian Princesses with Kendyll. The daddy-daughter trips they went on will go down as some of their favorite memories, and definitely marked the beginning of new activities in our family. This is where the inspiration for fishing and camping came from! 
They did everything from picnics in the park, to overnight campouts, to horseback riding, to campfire cookouts. Providence also has a program called "First Thursday", where all the dads come to lunch with the students on the first Thursday of each month. Mark made a point to go to lunch with Kendyll ALOT this year, and this was always such a treat for her.
Overall, this has been an incredible school year and I'm so thankful for my little soon-to-be first grader. I know this is just the beginning of even more changes in Kendyll, and we are praying constantly that the Lord equips us to be her parents! We love you, Kendyll Grace, and are so incredibly proud of you!
Kendyll and Carlie have been playing build-a-bear picnics ever since. Oh, and alot of "build-a-bears in jail" and "build-a-bears in the dungeon" too. What?!
After all the craziness of swimming, we rented a movie, ate pizza and popcorn, and ended the day like this:
Here's a picture of the lobby...except that it mostly just shows me and the clock tower. BEHIND me is some gorgeous decor. :)
Hershey's original location (now in Pennsylvania).
The girls got their souvenir here--A very large Hershey's bar with "Chicago" on the front. (NOT as big as the one in this picture!)
And, this sculpture was VERY cool. Mark had a hard time taking a picture while looking into the mirrored art, which eventually made me laugh so hard, I almost peed in my pants.
and we even took a nap in the middle of the park! 
It was so fun...and made me wish Dallas had a few more positive traits like these. 
And, the final result (with their Daddy, of course!):
But, of course, Kendyll loved it! (A side note...it was pretty funny when they told her the dance song options. the first one on the list was something by Hannah Montana. We don't watch her and have never really even heard her music, but Kendyll knows it's something that other girls like. So, she looked at me with this unsure look and said "I know you may say no, and that's okay, but can I pick the Hannah Montana song?" It was so cute. And, of course, she danced her heart out to Mylie Cyrus...for the first time. :)
What a beautiful city! With such fun things to do and YUMMY food to eat. I'll be back with pictures later...thank you, Mark, for a wonderful getaway!