Twelve and Fifth Grade Promotion

I have been so remiss in getting things posted this month, but in my defense, it’s been a BUSY MONTH. 

Josiah’s birthday, Mother’s Day, Josiah’s 5^th grade promotion, our wedding, and a very short honeymoon we are calling our “minimoon.”

I am going to end up posting about all of these things out of order, because I don’t have wedding pictures yet. When they arrive, I will inundate the blog with them, never fear.

So, let’s begin with The Boy Who Is Growing Up. 

He turned 12 earlier this month. He wanted a big party, so we invited about a dozen boys and girls to join him at the park for an epic Nerf fight. Then in rained. Actually, it poured, and I ended up with that many pre-teens in my tiny house itching for activity. 

They did play in the rain quite a bit, but at least we had cake and gift-opening to keep them in the house for a bit. 

This was the first time I’ve ever purchased a cake for either of my kids, but Josiah knew he was getting practically no planning from me for this one. That’s why the “let’s just play in the park” idea was perfect. I was way too over my head in last-minute wedding details to do much for his birthday. He didn’t have a problem with that, though.

We took his yearly photos this year outside an old warehouse downtown with murals painted on it. They turned out super cute! 

Closer to the end of the month was his promotion ceremony. I originally wasn’t planning on going – I have an issue with the fact that schools seem to have a graduation for every grade – but I’m glad I did. It was obviously very important to him.

He wore his brand new purchased-for-the-wedding suit, even though he thought he might be more dressed up than most of his classmates. He was so proud! He couldn’t eat breakfast. He said he was “too jittery.” He even wanted to leave the house about an hour before school started (and then pouted for a good half hour when I wouldn’t let him). But as soon as I told him he could go, he was out the door on his way to school, proud as can be. I certainly wasn’t going to discourage him from wearing that suit – at least it got worn twice before he grows out of it! 

Every 5^th grader wrote some sort of poem or short prose to read after their name was called for their promotion certificate. Most students wrote about 5^th grade, or school in general, but Josiah’s was all about 1^st grade. I think that year really had an impact on him for a few reasons. First of all, it was the beginning of a return to normalcy for him. I had left his father the year before, and he had lived in four different places for kindergarten (Texas before we left, my parent’s house with me, his dad’s apt, and then the one I moved into). He had started kindergarten in one state and finished it in another. He rode a bus for the first time. But first grade was all in one place and it was a place he knew he’d be staying.

He also had a male teacher that year. I don’t know why that impacted him as much as it did, but it did. He still talks about that like it’s an amazing thing to have a male teacher. Whatever the reason, it mattered a lot.

Here is his poem/prose: 

One thing I remember is in first grade. In first grade I had my only boy teacher. I remember the tea party in first. My first day was exciting, but it was scary. My first friend: I was scared, but happy. Then I went to see Mr. Vogel [the principal]. I was nervous and he was nice. My first snow day! Wow! Fun to the second power.

 And a photo of him reading part of it.