Without a doubt, June flew faster than a freight train - the first two weeks in particular were like being shot out of a canon as we tried to balance a calendar filled with end-of-school commitments, little ladybug's birthday, the first time big ladybug had ever endured final exams (yikes!), plus all the parties and celebrations that go with all of the above ... it was day-in day-out madness!
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| big ladybug got a mouth full of hardware on the last day of May - still so beautiful to me, my brace-face beauty :) |
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These next four pics deserve a post of their own - old time readers may remember this same event when my big ladybug did it two years ago ... the annual 5th grade regatta ... the kids each get to launch their own built-from-scratch sailboats at a local pond. This regatta is a very special rite of passage for the class, as this is their last year in elementary school - it's on to middle school next Fall, I can hardly believe it!
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| my lens was too long to capture the whole class as they posed with their amazing teachers - what a wonderful group! |
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Little ladybug is jumping for joy over turning eleven years old ... my heart breaks just a little bit more with every birthday ... she hosted a sleepover for her three best friends - they ate fondue and cake, got manicures, and giggled until midnight ... the perfect way to celebrate eleven magical years!
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| woot! |
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| e.l.e.v.e.n!! |
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| love this little group of bff's so much - they're the best! |
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Meantime, in big ladybug's busy 7th grade schedule, there were final exam days interspersed with party days ~ high highs and low lows all at once ~ it was a tough stretch, though it doesn't show in these happy photos ...
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| before heading out to the 4th and final bat mitzvah of the year |
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| the luckiest boy in 7th grade - hanging out in the m&m photo booth with 4 giggly girls ;) |
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| on the last day of exams, our school held a 'semi-formal' dance for the 7th and 8th graders after all that hard work |
The three beauties above are good friends, fellow carpoolers, 8 years as classmates, and neighbors to boot. The girl in the center is the same girl whose bat mitzvah it had just been days earlier (seen in gold in the 'm&m' photo) - it will be a tough blow for my ladybug when she moves away to Florida later this summer. My sweet teenager has had a tough go this year, not a large pool of friends to choose from at her small school and within that pool I'm sorry to say there's a pair of 'mean girls' pulling strings and holding court. Sure makes for a roller coaster of a ride when you're thirteen. Though we wish her the best in her new life in Florida, it's a real shame to see one of the good ones go :(
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School let out for summer vacation just a couple of days after that last photo - Friday June 15th - and we had a great week after that just chilling and hanging low ...
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So that wraps up June ... 275 photos in a single month - a full one for sure.
And speaking of photos ...
School let out for summer vacation just a couple of days after that last photo - Friday June 15th - and we had a great week after that just chilling and hanging low ...
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| an amazing father's day cake courtesy of our resident jr. cake boss |
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| ribbit ... |
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| a puppy pedicure (!) |
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Hollywood has invaded our small town - seriously! Adam Sandler and a lot of his movie buddies are living here and shooting a movie ("Grown Ups 2") all summer. David Spade, Chris Rock, Kevin James, Samla Hayek, Maya Rudolph, and a couple of Disney Channel kids (China-Anne McClain and Cameron Boyce) are all here and have been seen regularly around town - both on and off the set. If you look very very closely at the center of this next photo, you'll see Shaquille O'Neal dressed as a police officer. Sights like this are now the norm in our sleepy town - sure makes the days interesting ...
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Outside of the whole movie thing, life is plugging along in typical summertime fashion here on the New England shoreline - it's all about the water around here ... the pool is open, the racing season has begun, and junior sail camps are running full steam ...
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| high dive!! |
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| off to sail camp! |
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| just another lazy sunday for my big ladybug ... |
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| grainy but gorgeous - note to self, dslr sunset session is in order! |
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| dead center in this pic, out in front, is sail number 1217 ... our manbug, of course! |
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| and at the end of every wonderful summer day this sweet face is waiting for us ... our dear isabel, the cutest dog that ever lived :) |
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So that wraps up June ... 275 photos in a single month - a full one for sure.
And speaking of photos ...
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| i've finally joined instagram - it's been a slow start, but it's growing on me - if you're there, i hope you'll look for me at "luckyladybug123" |
