Good-bye 1st Grade and Hello Summer Break!!

What a wonderful school year this was! In my books, it was successful and blessed first and foremost because we didn't have to use the Epi-pen at school and that we were able to make great progress with Ella's 504 plan or allergies at school. Our accomplishments on this front lay the foundation for hopefully many more safe school years in regards to food allergens. (I am very grateful for a couple of other parents like us, who fought and continue to fight for our children's rights for a safe and inclusive environment at school.)

On the awards front, Ella got quite a few and needless to say, we are very proud of her!! She did great in math (currently working on 2nd grade math), and is a super start in reading/writing/comprehension. Her DRA is 28 (of a third grader based on the standard.) I am not surprised, this kid loves to read and discuss what she reads. She loves to make connections and interpret things in the most creative and funny way.

She delighted us with her classroom projects and play they put together for awards day. But what she touched our hearts the most with, was her asking a friend, whose parents were not present for the classroom ceremonies, to share his work with us. That was the children's way to show pride in their beautiful year-long projects. (Her friend is a special needs child.)

Awards ceremony:

Aside from the school awards, she received special recognition for her art piece exhibited at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, yay!

We love it that summer break is here. Ella is enjoying her free time after the daily math/reading/spelling drills faithfully administered by her mother. Ha-ha! And I love having her home with me. We asked her about summer camp but she refused saying she loved being home with momma. :) She is almost in horse camp though as she gets to ride three or four times a week, lucky girl!! So this summer we're living and breathing horses and riding. We all love it. We're at Sienna almost every day. I recognize that we are very blessed with this wonderful opportunity to own, care for, and watch our pony grow. along with watching Ella go through the same amazing process, as she progresses as a rider and horse lover. As Heather pointed out, it is a great sacrifice that we are making for her to grow as a rider and without any shadow of doubt, it is all worth it. In Hrishi's words, "this is a personal and family enriching experience." And it is. Every ride, every visit, every interaction with him, or between Ella and him, is a new experience. Every conversation with Heather, every little bit o knowledge she is generously sharing, are all wonderful experiences.

Some shots from tonight's Sienna experience. Tonight Hrishi also put into practice his amazing engineering skills and mounted a fan for one of Heather's beautiful horses, Duende or Dew how we like to call him.

Here with Scioban, a wonderful young lady, future MD and stem cell researcher, and Heather's assistant. She helps us a great deal too with Remi.

They stirred up some dust tonight. They started cross rail jumping.

Tonight, Hrishi was also able to place the bridle on, almost by himself. Yay for milestones!! (I'm usually responsible for putting on his polo wraps.)