Last Day of School

And…It’s a wrap.
Another school year on the books.

(May 19, 2016)

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I’m proud of my Littles for the great year that they had at TPPK.  And as usual, I’m totally shocked and bewildered by how fast the time went by.  Didn’t this happen just yesterday?!

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My babies are growing up!!!

(Don’t get sucked in by their cuteness, people.  Those adorable grins just mask all of the mischief and mayhem they have planned for the summer.)

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Daddy, the Little Sir and I joined the Little Mister and the Little Miss for their last day of school.  It was a sweet one, to be sure, complete with the requisite (and copious) tears from Mommy.

I know, I know…I can’t help myself.

First up!  The Little Mister.

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Along with their diplomas, the kiddos received “widdle wambs” in honor of being a part of Miss Bobbie’s Lambs Class.  Mike caught these moments below, taken just seconds apart, when they received the stuffed animals.  I laughed when I saw them because they’re totally befitting of our sweet-and-saucy Lil Mister.

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The class performed some of their favorite songs for the parents.  My highlight is definitely the Little Mister showing off his signature move in the PB&J song (video #2).  Work it!

(Type in “wright” to watch)

No doubt, the Lambs Class had a great year together…

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All thanks to the wonderful Miss Bobbie!

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And then, next up.  (Sob!)  Our Little Miss!

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This girl has spent FOUR WHOLE YEARS at TPPK, so her “graduation” felt like the end of an era!  I mean, seriously, the girl has gone to school there for most of her life!

It’s been such a fun ride…

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Complete with some really amazing teachers who loved our girl so well.  (Sob again!)

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Here’s another little video snippet, this time from the Little Miss and her fellow Bears.

Suffice, to say, the 2016 Bears Class had a blast together.

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Thanks to the hilarious and exuberant Miss Kathy and Miss Julie!

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So there you have it, folks.  School is finished and summer has commenced.

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Let the good times roll!

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(Oh, and let the prayers commence too!  And don’t forget that donations of wine and chocolate chip cookies!!!)

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Happy Mother’s Day ~ 2016!

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY
to all the sweet mamas out there!

I am so deeply grateful for these three Littles, plus one more who we’ll meet in heaven one day, who made me a Mama.  Being their Mom is the greatest honor and the most important role of my life.

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Thanks to the kids’ preschool, I was able to enjoy a whole week of Mother’s Day festivities.  They kicked things off with class parties and homemade presents…

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(Check out the Little Missy’s pants, courtesy of Aunt Ashley and Cousins Haley and Emily.  She pretty much was the talk of the entire school that day.  Hello hot pants!!!)

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And then a field trip to pick berries at the strawberry farm!

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In years past it has been crazy hot on our strawberry farm days, so we were grateful for the cooler weather that hit Durham this week.  As you may recall, my Littles were not made for hot manual labor.  And so armed with the (non-sweaty) resolve to actually pick a few strawberries this year, my Littles grabbed their containers and put on their game faces…

Here’s the Hyper-Ecstatic Game Face
(No kidding folks, this Little Miss sprinted up and down every row in the entire farm, all in search of the reddest, ripest berries)

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The Bewildered Game Face
(The Little Mister picked berries like a champ, but all the while was more concerned about the location of his beloved Henrietta the Cow and Farmer Mark’s crazy flying chickens)

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And finally the Let’s Get Down to BIZ-NESS Game Face
(Now I know this Little One picked a few berries, but all of them mysteriously never made it into any of our containers…)

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Oh, and did I mention that Nena and Pops came to the farm too?!?  We put ’em straight to work.

Pops got the extra special job of getting to chase the wild Little Miss all over the farm and try to keep her from falling into a ditch.  Oh, and pick some strawberries too.

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And then Pops got the job of making sure that none of the Littles fell into the nearby pond.  Ain’t he a lucky chap?

And yes, my children are SPIRITED…and then some.

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Here’s evidence of the Little Sir’s strawberry picking shenanigans.  I think we can confidently charge Nena with aiding and abetting.

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So there you have it, folks…our Mother’s Day (err…week) extravaganza.  It was pretty exhausting but also a whole lot of fun.

Here’s hoping your Mother’s Day is filled with fun and love (and, Lord help us, maybe a nap?!) as well!!!  Happy Mother’s Day!

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A 70th Birthday Bonanza for Nena!

Check out this lovely lady…

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That’s my Mom and the kids’ beloved Nena.  She’s the heart and anchor of the Plaxico family and the best woman that I know.

In honor of Mom turning 70 this April, my sister and Dad masterminded a big, boisterous, super secret, super FUN surprise birthday party.

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And boy was Mom surprised!

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This was taken right after we burst through the door (and grabbed a few cookies, clearly).  I’m sorry, Mom, don’t kill me.  I had to post this photo…for posterity’s sake!

Once the Plaxico siblings and our families were all able to gather in Annapolis (and Mom had a chance to do her hair),

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we FILLED the house with family and friends who love Mom most!

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And then partied like ROCKSTARS!

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You know, the kind of rockstars who try to drink responsibly, converse in normal tones, and wear pants.

Well, for that middle one, at least the older subset of us do…most of the time.  Except when we’re yelling at our brood of highly spirited children to stop jumping off the furniture and screeching like rabid howler monkeys.

Yep, definitely rockstars.

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Where was I?  Oh right, the party.

Here’s the Littles’ Uncle Joe blessing the meal.

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And then it was chow time!

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Oh, how I love any meal that I don’t personally have to cook.

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Here’s Dad making a toast for the Lady of the Hour.  You know any speech including the presentation of dirty, holey running socks is gonna be good.

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Finally, to the kids’ relief, it was present time!
(I’m pretty sure that staring at wrapped gifts for hours without being allowed to open them classifies as torture for Little People.)

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The kids all did really well.  One guest even commented that they were all “so well behaved.”

HA!!!!

Little did she know that right before there was an eruption of small-people-energy-and-hysteria, the Mamas ushered our crew outside to get their wiggles out.

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Aren’t we clever?!?

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I don’t know much, but in my years as a parent I have learned that
(sand + fresh air + kids) + (beach chairs + wine + mommies) = GOOD TIMES FOR ALL

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Water fight!!!

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Yeah, I think we wore them out pretty good.

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Well, there you have it – Nena’s 70th birthday.  It was a blast, and best of all it gave us a chance to love on the lady who cares for us all so well, with such enthusiasm and devotion.

Cheers to you, Nena!  We love you, and we wish you a very HAPPY 70th BIRTHDAY!

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