Endings

May is always a time of endings. The end of school, the end of piano lessons, the end of soccer, the end of Mom's free time while Garrett's at school...oops, sorry! I lapsed into a daydream there! But really, these last few weeks have had many little "endings" in them.

Garrett had his last soccer game on Saturday. We have come a very long way from that first game where he stood there watching and then started crying. This last game, he was stealing the ball away from the other team, dribbling it down the field and scoring goals, all with a great big smile on his face! So, Dave and I are thinking of signing him up for another season next year and we'll see how it goes. I guess there are worse things than being a "soccer mom"! Of course, now Garrett wants to try karate, so we'll see what happens.

The karate desire was fueled by Garrett's end of the year school program. All the kids had to dress up as children from different countries, and his was Japan. So, off we went to the thrift store to find a karate uniform. (Because, really, the silk flowered kimono just did nothing for those long, lanky legs! :) So now he wants to learn karate. I, however, am a little skeptical, since the 3 hours that he wore the outfit were filled with "Yah!" "Hi-yah!" and lots of kicks, punches, and spins. I'm all for the discipline of karate, as long as the first rule is "NO PRACTICING ON YOUR FAMILY!" (or the dog!) I guess we'll wait until the fall to see what the flavor of the month is before we sign him up for anything!

Another thing that is ending is my piano lessons. I will have a few students continue until the end of July, but most of them are quitting next week when school is out. I meet this with a mixture of feelings. Relief is the first, since I often grow weary of asking 10 times a week "Don't you remember which one is Middle C?" Sometimes teaching piano to small children is about as rewarding as slamming your head into a wall! But then, I will miss the kids. Last week was my final piano recital, and they were all so sweet, all dressed up and nervous! They are great kids, and they try really hard. Yet another chapter closing this month.

The only thing that makes all our endings easier is that an ending naturally leads way into another beginning. It's the beginning of summer -YEAH! We can swim, play at the park, and hike, without having to worry too much about the weather. (Well, maybe -it snowed in our mountains yesterday--Sheesh!) Garrett will be starting kindergarten next year, and Paige will go to preschool. Instead of asking about Middle C, I will now be asking if they remember what sound a "C" makes! So overall, our life has been about changes, but what is new? At least we won't grow stale and old! Here's some pictures of our endings:

Endings