School's Out for Summer!

Above is the happy face of our new third grader!  Friday was Luke's last day of second grade, and we celebrated with an afternoon at the pool and evening pool/pizza party with our friends.  The last week of school was full of fun and games for Luke's class, including a Luau-Themed End of Year party at the Town Park on Thursday.  Luke is now halfway through elementary school, which seems like another big milestone for our family.  Here's our big boy on his last day:  

And my annual comparison picture, which takes my breath away.  Every. Single. Year.

Second grade was a great year for Luke.  He had two very special buddies in his class (Aiden and Maxim) and we adored Luke's teacher, who gave him many enrichment opportunities.  Luke thrived in his weekly advanced math group, Book Club, and Chess Club this year.  The Chess Club held an End of Year party to celebrate their inaugural year, and the 60+ students who attended on a weekly basis posed with their principals (the White Queen and Black King).  This club was such a wonderful niche for Luke this spring, and Mark enjoyed the opportunity to volunteer (since the Chess Club meets at 7:00 a.m. before school/work starts):   

Since the boys in our family play chess frequently, Leah has been watching and learning as well this year.  Families attended the End of the Year party along with the students, and during the festivities, one of the students asked Leah if she wanted to play chess.  I think he was looking for an easy win, and was NOT amused when Leah had him in checkmate in 4 moves.  The photographer at the party took this picture right after Leah's winning moment, and we can't stop giggling at both players' facial expressions:

I see Chess Club in Leah's future next fall!

Leah and I spent the last few days of Luke's school year doing some special activities.  As always, Krispy Kreme was a perfect Mommy/Daughter morning outing: 

We also met Daddy for one last lunch date with his girls, and chose a special location:  Deacon Tower at WFU's football stadium!

We didn't waste any time kicking off our summer vacation after the last day of school, and visited Grandpa in Myrtle Beach this weekend.  The waves, sun, and surf were just what the doctor ordered, and we are so excited that Grandpa is now a full-time resident of MB!  

While we were in Mrytle Beach this weekend, we also explored Brookgreen Gardens for the first time.  Brookgreen is a huge property that lies on four former rice plantations and consists of a zoo, wildlife preserve, trails, and sculpture gardens.  We focused on the Lowcountry Zoo at Brookgreen during this trip, since it is currently featuring a traveling Lego exhibit called "Nature Connects".  There are 12 giant Lego sculptures displayed throughout the zoo this summer, and this is right up our alley!  Here were some of our favorite Nature Connects sculptures: 

Leah poses below a huge Lego Garden Spider!

Lego Bee/Flower Sculpture. 

Love this Lego Turtle!

The Lego Hummingbird appeared to be suspended in air and was amazing.

Leah in the Lego Ant Hill.

Lego Dragonfly.

Mommy's favorite:  Lego Butterfly and Flowers.

We also participated in "Mother Nature's Cafe" at Brookgreen, where we walked through the zoo with a zookeeper as he fed the animals and provided educational information about their behavior.  We weren't sure how the kids would do on the hour-long tour in the heat (it almost 100 degrees by the afternoon), but the stars aligned, and L&L absolutely loved it!  We had front row seats to observe the feeding sessions, and our very favorite was the aviary, where we were literally among all of the birds as they were fed.     

We cooled off with lots of beach and pool time that afternoon, and had such a fun weekend in Myrtle Beach.  What a perfect way to start summer break!