{Field Day}

The momentum of May has 3 children eagerly awaiting summer vacation. The school year is winding down to its final days!! As of today, we only have 10 official school days until our little guy graduates from kindergarten and 12 school days left until the first torch moves on from elementary school to middle school. (I’m trying really hard to keep my breathing under control these days).



The school hosts a unique field day as a special treat for all of the hard work and dedication given throughout the year by all of the students and the teachers. The past two days were spent outside under the southern blue skies and the bright warm sun.


If anything has been learned this year about Stockwell, it’s that they have a t-shirt for EVERYTHING and that means that my kids have a t-shirt for almost EVERYTHING =) Field day was of course no exception when it came to purchasing cool new t-shirts. The idea was cute and the shirts turned out even cuter so, I wasn’t disappointed in having to make another purchase or having to find 4 extra hangers in the closet.

I will explain that each grade had a different color shirt.

Kindergarten: Red

First: Green

Second: Orange

Third: Yellow

Forth: Purple

Fifth: Tie Dye

I wasn’t the super cool mom who bought a red shirt and a green shirt to match her kids. However, my logic was one step better. I decided to buy the tie dye t-shirt. Not only did I sport red (for Trav) and green (for Kalyssa) but, I also sported Bryanna’s name on the back.

I was deemed TOTALLY SUPER AWESOME MOM!!!

Cinco de Mayo wasn’t about tacos and margaritas (tequila free of course) this year. Our energy was focused on kindergarten and first grade special events, relay races, hula hoops mixed with some chalk and bubbles, and of course ICE CREAM from the ice cream truck.

Thursday morning was HECTIC!!!! Bouncing back and forth between two different grades on field day is not exactly a walk in the park. Luckily for me, running is something I enjoy doing, which turned out to be a good thing because from 8:30 AM until 12 PM, I was hoping back and forth between one end of the school to the other in order to snap some pictures and try not to miss out on any events that Trav and Kalyssa were participating in.

Kindergarten Events:

First Grade Events:

Field day was an all day event for the first graders. The kinder kids were smart and ended their day with lunch and a movie in a nice cool classroom. Needless to say, I had some very tired kids once the sun made its way down. However, lurking behind the moon was another day full of events.


Friday was all about the older grades. For me it was all about 5th grade. This was the first time this year that I got to truly enjoy some “school” time with Bry. Her schedule doesn’t allow for mom time in the classroom so I have done what I could this year to help out in other ways.

Fifth Grade Events:

I have to admit, 5th grade has always intimidated me a little. Fifth and sixth grade were the two grades I detested the most when I was growing up so maybe that’s why. Since my journey into the wonderful world of teaching, I haven’t had too much experience with 5th grade. I always chose to be with 4th grade and below (mainly kinder, 1st, & 2nd). I learned today that 5th graders are pretty special beings. They are crazy and sassy and probably a little obnoxious but underneath those layers are these sweet kids who want to sit and talk to you about what they like, who they like, and what they want to do when they are able to spread their wings just a little bit. They are smart and thoughtful, even if they don’t always want to show it.


It was quite the moment for me to be able to have a whole day dedicated to Bryanna, a day that involved a side of her that I hadn’t met yet. This whole year has flown by. I see my daughter every day. I talk to my daughter every day. I feel very fortunate to have the relationship with her that I do. I can’t express enough how much she has grown this year and how much she has transformed. Watching her today among her peers reminded me of how amazing life truly is. I couldn’t help but smile as she smiled and laughed with her friends. We were so nervous with this move. I hurt for Bry when we moved from California but watching her today, I realize that she has matured in so many ways. She has paved a path for herself. She has planted a few roots for herself. She has allowed herself to blossom. She has managed to find a place for herself here in Louisiana.


I’ve had so many mixed emotions watching the kids over the past couple of days. We haven’t quite been here a full calendar year just yet but, I can honestly say that we have all managed to pave our own paths here in some tiny way and for the first time in a long time I can genuinely say the words “this is our home.”

{Embrace the Camera: May 5th}

I found this really great shirt.

Trav thought it was the “BEST SHIRT EVER!”

Trav decided we should take a picture together

just for Daddy because

“our shirts really do match”

Trav has decided that Daddy needs a cool shirt like Mommy’s
because after all
Ranger Blue is the new Black
(at least according to Trav)

Happy Thursday!

{May Day 5K}

Over the weekend, the kids and I participated in our first official race together. The school held its 4th annual May Day 5K event.



This was my first race since moving to the south. With our hectic schedule and Jason’s deployment, it’s been a little difficult to sign up for races. Needless to say I was a little excited to be able to participate. My first thought: “How fun would it be to run a 5K with Bryanna?”


My sweet little dream was short lived. As a cheerleader, Bryanna was required to participate. As a cheerleader with lots of friends, running with mom was not the first thought on her mind. I was gently let down with the explanation that my daughter wanted to run with her cheer friends. (Sigh...Mom just isn’t that cool anymore)


Saturday morning, we all woke up in good spirits even though it was early and there was no time for Saturday morning cartoons. A power breakfast full of carbs and hydration was a must!! The sky was grey and the clouds were thick but we all got into our May Day shirts, pinned on our numbers, and made our way down to the school. It was drizzly and chilly out but the mood was cheerful.

The Stockwell Cheerleaders kicked off the event by providing a little Stallion Spirit.

Kalyssa and Travin participated in the kid’s fun run around the school while Bryanna stood back handing out medals as the kids made their way across the finish line.

At 8:25 AM we all lined up as official runners to embark on our first 5K journey in Louisiana.

I ran on my own.


Bry ran with her best cheer friend.


Kalyssa and Travin lined up with their best buds and my very good friends The Christopher’s.


Everyone was in place. At 8:30 the horn sounded and we were off for 3.1 miles.


I am learning that something is always bound to happen at every race. For this particular event, my Garmin decide to not work. I am not sure what happened (we are still not on speaking terms). My Garmin is my running partner and I was very lost without it. I didn’t realize how much I rely on my watch until this race. My watch keeps motivated. It tracks my pace which helps me guide myself but more than that, it allows me to see where I am distance wise. I have never run the course that was set up for the 5K so I had no idea where I was, how much I had run, or how much I had left. Add all of that to not knowing what my pace was...I was a very lost girl during this run.


Unfortunately because of this, I will never know my official time. When I crossed the finish line the clock read 25:34.


I grabbed some water, filled out my form, and stretched my muscles a little bit. After I finished my water, I headed back on the course passing fellow runners in search of Bryanna. When I found her, I could see that something was wrong. When she saw me, tears formed in the corner of her eyes. She was having a really hard time breathing. I could hear her wheezing. (Double whammy: allergies and now I’m pretty sure that she has asthma). We walked for a bit. Once I got her calm, I ran back to the finish line to get her some water. She was determined to finish, even if it meant walking the rest of the way. When I got back to her she was a bit better. She drank her water. She looked at me and said “I want to finish. Will you finish with me?” So we ran the rest of the way together. I stayed back right at the finish line so that she could cross it and earn her medal.

I ran around to find her and gave her a huge hug. That was one of those moments that I will ALWAYS treasure!! I made sure that she had what she needed and then made my way back on the course to find my other two favorite kids.


When I reached them, Mr. C had Miss Kalyssa on his shoulders (yeah he’s a big softy for being a big bad Marine). We walked together for a little bit. I told them that they didn’t have far to go. I used markers to help them break up their walk and run pattern. When we got towards the last leg of the race, I asked them if they were ready. They all took off leaving me trailing in their dust. I had to weave my way in and out of others just to catch up =)

Race Results:

Female 9-12

Bryanna
Placed: #9
Time: 41:35
Overall: 134

Female Under 8

Kalyssa
Placed: #18
Time: 56:29
Overall: 223

Male Under 8

Travin
Placed: #25
Time: 56:24
Overall: 222

Female 30-39

Shannon
Placed: #1
Time 25:47
Overall: 33