Graduation!

"Graduation" is such an exciting word. It brings to mind things like, accomplishment, success, hard work and much more. This may only be a 6th grade graduation, but for Kiley, this is huge! Kiley didn't have a "typical" start to school. My husband had just had life altering surgery after a life altering injury from a life altering accident. To say that the Moore household was in the midst of CHAOS when K started kindergarten would be an understatement! It didn't help that I was also having some serious health issues and underwent 4 surgeries in her first 7 months of school either. Add Kiley's shy demeanor to the mix and you get a rocky start to school. Along the way, K was surrounded by wonderful teachers, great friends, close family and supportive parents, which lead to extreme growth in her life. We are so proud of the young woman she has become.

Her last week of 6th grade was an adventurous week. Monday brought a softball game of 6th graders against the school staff. The staff won 24-12 (the closest the 6th graders have ever come to beating the staff). Tuesday held a pool party at Pitzer College and a feast fit for royalty! It was games in the park on Wednesday and finally the big day on Thursday......GRADUATION!!! Of course, it had to be the hottest day of the week and no "June Gloom" for this outdoor event. My parents, "Mamaw" and "Guga," were also there to cheer on Kiley. We all beamed with pride as we watched Kiley graduate. The biggest excitement of all came early in the ceremony when Kiley won the "President's Award of Academic Achievement." Of course, I would have preferred McCain's signature was on it as President instead of Obama, but it's still very exciting, none the less. We all applauded with joy over her achievement and I teared up at the memories of walking my sweet 5 year-old to her first day of kindergarten. How quickly 6th grade came and is now gone. K accomplished so much in her 7 years of elementary school, obstacles that many other students take for granted. It is K's determination and hard work that makes us so proud and caught the attention of her teachers that they would choose her for such an honored award. We LOVE you Kiley!!!

7 Years with Mrs. Colinco

Patti Colinco first approached me about Kiley joining a new Daisy Girl Scout Troop she was starting during the first week of kindergarten. With K being so shy and weary about making friends, I thought it would be a great opportunity for her. The troop started the next month with 12 girls. Little did I know then that this group would still be together 7 years later, with Patti still the DEVOTED leader. Even more astonishing, 10 of the 11 girls in the troop today have been in the troop for all 7 years!

These girls have done so much together, it just blows my mind when I think about it. They've gone to camp together, sold cookies, ice skated, swim parties, many trips to Raging Waters, dance classes, painting, community service, 4th of July parades.....the list goes on forever. It's been such a pleasure to me as a mother to watch these girls grow from tiny 5 year-olds to preteen 12 year-olds. They've learned to work out issues with each other (bound to happen with this many girls entering puberty!) and share their lives together.
I have no doubt in my mind that Patti Colinco is the only reason this troop stayed together so long. She is beyond AMAZING at what she does. She is the definition of patience and kindness. She just happens to be a teacher at the girls' school and both of my girls were fortunate enough to have her for their 2nd grade teacher. Although her family has gone through some tough times (the death of her mother after a battle with cancer, her father's heart attack and surgery and the death of her father-in-law) she has never neglected these girls. The woman should be declared a saint!

Recently, the girls participated in a "Culmination Ceremony" wrapping up their 7 years together under the guidance of Patti. It was a beautiful ceremony, honoring the girls that have gone from Daisy's to Brownies to Jr. Girl Scouts and now to Cadets. Patti will be passing the leadership baton over to Maia West, the mother of one of the girls, but she will ALWAYS be a huge part of all of our lives. To honor her, all the girls wrote a letter to Patti and I put them in a Shutterfly book along with 7 years of pictures and presented it to her along with gift cards to all her favorite stores. It was truly not enough to pay her back for the incredible dedication and impact she's had on the lives of these girls. I know Kiley and I will never forget her! I also believe Kiley is a well-adjusted, kind-hearted young woman because of Patti's influence on her life.

True Respect is Earned

Today, as I sat at the softball game of the 6th graders vs. the staff at the school, I just couldn't believe that my oldest daughter had only 3 days left in elementary school. In the fall she will be off to Jr. High. Where has the time gone? I can't believe she will soon be done with elementary school and that my younger daughter only has 2 years left! As I walked home from the game, all I could think about was blogging!

I actually have another blog. It's where I write to my daughters and a handful of other important young women in my life. It's not necessarily for them to read now, but for them to read later on in life. I use that blog to write my desires for them, the things I pray for them, my dreams for them and much more. Today, as I'm realizing just how old they are getting, I decided to write about marriage.

Here is just a little of what I wrote:

As I've mentioned before, I have been praying for your future spouses
since before you were born. I often wonder about them. Who are they? Do we
already know them? Are they living a good life or is life difficult for them?
Most of all, I pray that they are growing to be God honoring men. I pray that
they are growing to be fully devoted followers of Christ, just as I pray that
for you. I believe that if they are fully devoted to Christ, then they will
treat you like gold! The Bible is clear on how men should treat their wives,
therefore, they'll treat you as God intends a husband to treat his wife.

Recently I was reading Ephesians 5:22-30 and focused on verse
25, Paul says, "Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave
Himself up for her." Husbands are to be equally respectful to their wives as
wives are to their husbands. Marriage is to be GOD CENTERED! A
marriage is set up to fail if God is not the center. With God as the
center, it won't always be easy, but it will be good. That's because God is
perfection and will bless your marriage if you honor Him.

What I'm about to say is extremely important! If you are
dating a young man and he is not living for Christ, run! If he pressures you
about anything, run! If he says the only way you can prove your love to him is
by sleeping with him, RUN FAST! A true, good man will TREASURE you and RESPECT
you. A true, good man wants nothing more than to meet you at the alter
completely cleansed and pure because he loves God and he loves you and wants to
honor you both.

I realize that's kind of deep for today, but it was on my heart and I'm committed to sharing my heart on my blog. :) Don't worry, my next couple posts will be much more light hearted and will include everything about the end of the school year. God bless you all!