Chica’s 5th Grade Graduation!

Oh my goodness, peeps!

I’m still processing the high of an amazing family evening and milestone last night: Chica’s 5th Grade Graduation!

Ugh.

It hurts me how composed and mature my girl looks in that picture! Certainly far more put together than I was at her age (hello, regrettable, but of-the-era Venus Fly Trap bangs).

There are soooooo many sides to my eldest—and that’s part of what I adore about her—but that pic is so quintessentially her. Somehow composed and lovely and just very…Chica.

I’m thrilled to report that the prep for this major ocassion was nice and angst free. (Amen, Halleluiah!). 

We shopped for a fancy outfit last week and found one (a jumpsuit; shocker for my girl—not) with very little drama and only two store visits. And on the actual day, when it was time for Chica to get ready, moods were high, stress was low, and timing was nice and non-rushed. Seriously, a cause for celebration!

I even took the time to wrap a gift worthy of the milestone (more on that in a subsequent post), that was set and ready to go, and you better bet I bought an inexpensive little cap and gown for some at-home photo opportunities, tehe. ;)

It was just so wonderful to see my girl looking confident and excited without a lot of the anxiety that often accompanies recitals or performances and what not. She was ready. 







Now.

It was quite fortunate that Chica’s 5th grade strings group was performing a low-key orchestral accompaniment during one of the songs that was performed during the ceremony, because it meant she had to be there ten minutes before the rest of the 5th grade masses.

Had that not been the case, we probably would have rolled into the parking lot just a wee bit later, and we would have ended up much farther back in line. And that would have meant missing out on a seat and standing throughout the ceremony, in the very packed space!

So…small victories!

It was such a beautiful thing to greet families and friends prior to the ceremony and to recognize what a lovely community of people we’ve established. Familiar faces everywhere, and lots of cause for parental jubilation. 

The kiddos all looked so put together and mature; it was certainly a hive of excitement.

In retrospect, I’m so grateful I knew absolutely nothing about the ceremony, as I got to experience it all in the moment.

The whole thing began with a fun picture slide show, followed by some remarks from a couple of students, a tiny little speech from the Principal, and then…the extra special fun: some awards!

Prior to the ceremony, the kiddos were aware of some awards that were going to be handed out, but I hadn’t received any notice from the school and just assumed Chica wouldn’t be receiving any. All good; we were just excited about the ceremony—though, I know Chica secretly harbored a tiny shred of hope that she might receive one. 

Welp. 

What a surprise to learn, on the spot, that she received not one, not two, but three awards! I was a bit gobsmacked!

I mean, I know my girl is wonderful, but we always place little emphasis on awards and medals in our household, so we’d been tempering expectations and just playing up the hype of the milestone evening.

So what an incredible surprise to watch my girl glowing with PRIDE over each recognition.

I only caught a couple photos amidst the crowd, but her face is priceless.

The first award was for exemplary conduct throughout the entire year.

The second award was for academic excellence throughout the entire year.

And the third was the real kicker: a Presidential Award for Achievement—that was given to just one boy and one girl per class—in honor of academics, leadership, attitude, and growth achievement.

Truly, by the time that third award was announced, I was swimming in the “embarrassment of riches” deep end, but knowing how much it meant to my humble daughter made it so JOYFUL.

The ceremony ended with the musical performances (adorable), another slide show, and a happy send off—and then we migrated to the gym for some pictures and small refreshments.

I adore that Chicklet and Little Man had fun with some of their own friends who were also there to support siblings. It was just a really happy, friendly vibe all around. :)



It was also SO wonderful to see Chicklet and Little Man stop in front of significant bulletin boards that held their own awards and recognition for the year. Seeing my babies prideful over their kindness and character is pretty much THE BEST thing as a Mama. I’m mean, look at these happy faces!

After some visiting with families we love, we headed off to quite a late dinner for us, and it was such a riot to end up with an obnoxious round of coupons that brought our total bill for our family of five down to about $6. Baha. Talk about high rolling for a celebratory graduation meal! It certainly added to our blessed vibe of the night. :)



Back home, we dolled Chica up for a final round of pics, gave her the present I’ll post more about mañana, and corralled our hyped-up crazies to shower and bed.



I know this post is all open braggadociousness and obnoxious parental pride, but sometimes, on occasions like this, it’s warranted!

My girl has worked so hard throughout elementary school to be a kind human and a diligent student; it was amazing to see her bask in all of that for an evening that was all about her.

So often, parenting involves doubting, second-guessing, worrying, hitting your head against a wall, feeling like a failure, or wanting to pull your hair out (or all of the above, all at once), but every so often, you get a day or a moment or an occasion when it all feels worth it in a very big way.

Like the hubby said: the night was a parenting win, and we needed to take it!



More mañana as we begin to close out these final handful of (half) schools days.

Until then…HAPPY CHICA’S GRADUATION!

Over and out.