Last Day of School in Alaska!

Well, it's hard to believe, but today was our last day of school in Alaska! And I'm already in tears after just writing that first sentence. I probably should have waited to draft this post until I had a little space from the last day to adequately process my emotions first....but here we go!

When we first arrived in Alaska three short years ago & were in the throes of house-hunting in the rainy, dreary weather....everything felt so hard. And I would by lying if I wasn't immediately starting a countdown until we could get back to Texas. 

{first day of school in Alaska in August 2022...we hadn't even received our household goods yet, so no first day of school frames}

But fast-forward three years, and I was crying happy tears as we pulled out of the parking lot of the girls' school this afternoon and their teachers were waving us off. The girls were talking about signing friends' yearbooks this afternoon, and Hadley mentioned how she said "Bye forever!" in a sing-song voice to a lot of her friends...not in a mean way, but in a "we're moving and I'll likely never seen you again" way. Brady quickly responded, "Oh, yeah! That's what I said to my friends at Eagle River Homeschool!" Their resiliency truly astounds me. As hard as our PCS to Alaska was, our family has truly made the best of memories here and our kids have thrived! I am so thankful for all of the growth and experiences that our kids have had in this place! 

{first day of 3rd, 6th, and 8th grades!}

{and last day of 3rd, 6th, and 8th grades!}

Today the girls' school had an end of the year awards ceremony, and it just felt like such a nice way to wrap up their last school year here. Shelby was recognized as having a 4.0 for the entirety of her middle school journey. A few weeks ago, the principal & 8th grade counselor took all of the kids who had a 4.0 for the entirety of middle school out for a special lunch. I didn't think much of the trip until I saw the permission slip and realized Shelby would be riding in either the principal or counselor's personal car--I had assumed they would be taking a bus, but there were only 7 or 8 kids who received this recognition. And Shelby was the only girl on the trip! In addition to being recognized for her GPA, she was awarded the Top Scholar award for her team (each grade level is split into two teams & each team awards a student in the four core subject areas and an overall top scholar, which is the most coveted academic award) & was named the MVP for her school's orchestra. Hadley received the outstanding musician award for band, and she was thrilled! She also received all A's all four quarters! Hadley even thanked me after school today for coming to her assembly, which just tickled me. I love getting to support them & cheer them on! It is always such a treat to see them in their element at school and interacting with their friends & teachers. I love getting a peek into their days! And I really, really love being their mom. What an absolute privilege & joy this gig is!

{Brady & I before the awards ceremony--he is the best brother & cheers so hard for his sisters!}

{back home from the awards ceremony & playing Planted with me}

Another anecdote I don't want to forget--on our way to pick up the girls from school this afternoon, the elementary school aged kids were out on our street in swimsuits and playing with water guns to celebrate the last day of school. Please note that it was overcast and slightly breezy with a balmy temperature of 53 degrees during this activity...very Alaskan. ;)

Summer break has started, which means more time to read together! This was my view while I was making dinner tonight. 

To celebrate the first night of summer, we headed to Cold Stone & the kids are watching a movie now as I type.

Today was certainly a bittersweet & emotional day. I am so sad to be closing the door on full-time homeschooling for Brady {I haven't fully comprehended the magnitude of the gift of homeschooling Brady} and saying goodbye to our middle school here where our girls have truly been known and loved, but we are READY FOR SUMMER! We are ready to sleep in, make memories, and soak up the slow pace of our summer days!