After all of the stresses and major headaches that occurred while buying our home, I am excited to share that as of May 24, 2010, we are official homeowners!! YAY!!! It is truly a feeling like no other. Every time we talk about it, we both get butterflies in the pit of our stomachs. The process was long and very stressful but well worth it in the end because as of that special date, we can officially say that we own our very own home!
Although we were on speaker phone throughout the entire process, both Jason and I were both a little uneasy about not being there for the actual closing process. It is hard to put all of your faith and trust into someone you don’t really know especially when it comes to something as big as purchasing a home. I think the hardest part was the final walk through. We knew what needed to be fixed yet, we weren’t there to make sure it was done properly. Luckily our real estate agent and our home inspector were both there. I have to say that we were extremely fortunate to find a real estate company that cares so much about the people they represent. Our real estate agent is amazing! Our experience with her has been better than I ever could have hoped for. Every one that we have worked with has made this process truly remarkable. I will forever be grateful for all that they have done for us!
The kids have been super busy at school. End of the year activities have kept us all very busy. Between field trips, fundraisers, graduations, a concert, running the preschool PTC and just trying to help out with three different classrooms, I am hardly ever home. It’s busy and hectic but I wouldn’t trade the time I’ve been able to spend with my children this year for anything in the world!!
Bryanna has been working very hard on several different projects. Usually the big fourth grade project is the California Mission report. Bryanna had the opportunity to work on Mission San Francisco de Asis. It was an amazing learning experience for her (and me too). This year she was also one of the few fourth grade students that were selected to be a part of the fifth grade science fair. Science is a subject that Bryanna has come to love. She loves to learn about the environment so it was no surprise when she came home and announced that she wanted her project to be something related to the life sciences. She decided to test the life of a plant. She put together three different environments for three plants. She researched many different things and spent a lot of time recording data. She put together a report and constructed a board to present at the school science fair. She worked really hard on her project. Her intellect and creativeness really shined. She got a lot of positive feedback from parents, teachers, and fellow students. Kalyssa and Travin were both very proud of their sister. From what I was told, they were both extremely eager to share her work with their classmates. On top of all of this and her regular studies, Bryanna has also been working really hard in band. She started beginning band this year and has really come a long way. Last week, she got to perform in her very first band concert. I have to say that this year has been a rather unique one for Bry. As a parent, it has been amazing to watch her grow and develop. She is becoming a very unique person with her own thoughts and opinions. It is so incredible to be able to watch her transform. The night of the concert as I watched my daughter perform, all I could do was cry. She was literally beaming with pride and of course so was her family! She is growing up so fast!
Kalyssa will be graduating from Kindergarten on Thursday June 10th. I can’t even believe it! She has been very busy the past few weeks practicing songs for her graduation program. Somehow she has managed to keep it all a surprise. I am very eager to see what she has in store for us. It is unreal how fast the time has gone. I remember taking her to meet her new teacher Mrs. Guerrero right before school started. She was so excited because Bryanna had also had her when she was in kindergarten. She started off the year so shy and reserved. She did what she had to do but always kept to herself. Since then, she has really started to spread her wings. I’ve heard throughout the year how she is always the first one to finish all of her work so that she can be a classroom helper. She has come so far since the beginning of the school year. She has learned so many fun things this year. Kindergarten is usually the year when kids learn to tie their shoes. They get to discover math concepts along with beginning reading and writing skills. Kalyssa has had the opportunity to experience all of these things and so much more. Her favorite homework assignments has been the literacy packs. During the week she got to pick a literacy pack of her choice. Every night we read a different book from the literacy pack together. Sometimes I would read to her. Other times she would read to me. She would write a couple of sentences about the book and then draw a picture. The literacy packs also came with some type of activity, which Kalyssa described as the REALLY fun part. It has been neat to be able to watch her express herself. I love to listen to her retell a story in her own words. My fondest memory so far was the morning she crawled into bed with me with her literacy bag in tow. She took out “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” by Eric Carle and said Mommy I have a surprise for you. She read me the whole book by herself and said I've been practicing because I know it’s your favorite book and I wanted to read it to you. My heart literally melted! I guess it’s safe to say that my little butterfly is slowly learning to fly on her own.
Travin has also been a busy bee this year. This is his final year in preschool. He had his graduation ceremony on Monday June 7th. I think both Jason and I got a little teary eyed as we watched our baby boy receive his diploma from preschool. Travin has been at the same preschool for the past two years. His teachers have been able to watch him grow and develop just as we have. Last year he was the youngest child in his class. He relied on Kalyssa for everything. This year was a whole different story. From day one, Trav knew where to go and what to do. Over time he made his own set of friends and became quite the popular guy. He has grown in so many different ways and his imagination just keeps getting better and better with each passing day. The other day his teacher gave me his writing journal. It is amazing how much my son has come in just 10 short months. At the beginning of the school year, his journal was a bunch of scribbles. Now, he is very particular on what he draws and why. He takes his time and puts all his effort into what he wants to express. The stories that come along with his drawings are so creative. I don't think his mind ever stops. I know his energy doesn't:)
So, here we are at the end of the school year. Friday my children will have to say goodbye to the only life they have ever known, a life we created over the past 5 ½ years. It breaks my heart to watch them go through the emotions they have gone through especially Bry. Kalyssa and Trav are still a little young. They don’t truly understand the magnitude of this move. I know they will be sad and they will miss their friends but Bry is saying goodbye to so much more. She started her journey as a tiny kinder student learning the ways of the LVS Sea Lions. She won the hearts of all her teachers and made the best of friends. As a shining fourth grader she sets an example by being a leader, a helper, and a top honor roll student. I think that it’s kind of funny that everyone in the school knows exactly who our family is because of Bryanna. Kalyssa and Travin are known as Bryanna’s sister and brother. Up until this year, I was known as Bryanna’s mom. This year was extra special because I also got to carry the title of Kalyssa and Travin's mom:) I truly believe that the Mall family has made a lasting impression over the past few years!
We are about to embark on a true “Mall Family Expedition.” As scary as that sounds, we all know that we have so much to look forward to. Yes it will be hard to say goodbye but I think we are ready to make some new memories.
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I must confess, I don't always respond but I sure do love to read all of your thoughts and I truly appreciate them too =) Thanks for sharing!