As the last few days of school approached, both of my kids had so many reasons to look forward to the final day of what was a wonderful year for all of us. My daughter was “graduating” from kindergarten which seems like a really big deal since she’s our youngest. I admit to sharing a few tears with her beloved teacher that we will no longer have. And my son moves up to the “intermediate” grades which he appears to be more prepared for than me.

There was so much to celebrate beyond these special occasions, but the idea of an eleven week summer vacation full of carefree fun ahead of them was enough to get them pretty giddy. To really top things off, they each had a special weekend planned that they were equally excited about it.

How we spent the first day of summer vacation

My husband took my son to Seattle with his dad for some Rau Boys fun watching San Francisco Giants’ baseball. All three of them are huge fans and made special memories that I know my little guy will cherish for a long time.

Marci and I had our own special weekend alone which is a rare treat for us. I wasn’t sure what I’d be getting myself into when I asked her how she’d like to spend our time together, but I couldn’t be happier with her response:

I must have sushi!

And volunteer at the Oregon Food Bank

Now see, for years I’ve taken my son on volunteer excursions at the Oregon Food Bank and she’s had to stay home because they have a minimum age requirement of 6 years old. Since the day she turned six, helping at the food bank has been high on her bucket list. I was impressed that she remembered that when I asked how we should spend our time together.

That little girl made me really proud this weekend, as she so often does. And we had so much fun!