Annika's Grade 5 Graduation

12 June 2014-

Oh my.

That "oh my" is for so many different reasons…

1) I'm waaaaaay behind on posting photos. Whoops.

2) I forgot to tell you that we had our friends, the Stader Family from Wisconsin, visiting us.

3) The end of the school year- so many good byes. I hate them! Good byes just stink. Period.

but lastly but certainly not the least important….

4) Annika has now graduated from elementary school! Yes, that definitely gets an "OH MY" in my book!

On Thursday, July 12 at The International School of Tianjin in the Han Building auditorium we helped Annika and her classmates celebrate the rite of passage of finishing elementary school. We were lucky enough to have the Stader family (who had arrived the previous Sunday) along for this event. Sadly, Daddy was waaaaaaay too busy with work and couldn't attend. Sometimes life is like that.

a pensive looking Annika, don't ya think?

and several speeches were made…

1) Elementary school principal (Ms. Nicol)

2) Mr. Moody; IST's director:

3) Secondary school principal:

Several of the fifth graders got up and either recited poems they had written or played their instruments for us (ChaeRin was lovely on the violin!). Some of the students couldn't be seen over the top of the podium!

Annika's turn!

MVI 3698 from Astrid Breutzman on Vimeo.

Annika receiving her diploma from her teacher:

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Hey… I'm gonna tell you about that dress Annika is wearing. I'd been putting off and putting off getting a dress for Annika (if I forget about it then it can't happen, right? RIGHT??? I don't think everyone approves of my logic….but I want my Buggy to stay small. What do you mean I can't stop that????? Whaaaaat????)

ANYHOOO….we were coming down the wire and she NEEDED a dress. We looked in my closet (the BACK closet…you know…where all the clothes are that really should be given away because you'll never wear them again. Yeah, that closet) and we found this dress. I bought it many moons ago for one of our anniversary dinners (B.C.: before children) when Mark and I celebrated our anniversary with a fancy dinner at an amazing restaurant in Seattle. So amazing, in fact, that I can't remember where it was (I think down at the Pier) or which anniversary we were celebrating.

To make a long story short (too late!): the dress fit Annika!

Yahooo!!!

Dress shopping disaster- AVERTED.

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Mimi and Annika waiting to be seated:

Do you remember the Grade 5 Exhibtion post I wrote a few months back? Do you remember Annika got to sing a solo for it (as did our friend Simon)???? Well, at the end of the graduation assembly the fifth graders sang that exhibition song again. Awwww…

There's Annika singing her solo part (I've got a video of her that I'll upload as soon as I'm able to):

My sweet Buggy has a very sweet voice (she's shy and a wee bit timid when it comes to singing but she does have a lovely voice):

YAAAAAAHOOOOOOOOO!!!!

Way to go Grade 5 students! You've successfully navigated your way through the twists and turns of elementary school….now onward and upward to more fun, challenging and rewarding secondary school (and then university…oh gosh. Don't even get me started!)

Buggy Boo and me:

The Stader family (minus Lilly….where was Lilly in these photos??? I know she and Ava watched the graduation ceremony):

There's Noah, Emily, Annika, Dani and Eric

Mommy & Buggy (and yes….it won't be too much longer and she'll be taller than me!!!!):

Oh. My. Goodness.

The flowers.

The photos.

The goofy fifth graders!

My goofy Buggy!

Annika with Lizzy. Lizzy is a librian at IST and she's AWESOME! She was so sweet!!! She gave Annika a bouquet of flowers! (Oh…Eric and Dani helped me pick up a bunch of bouquets from the local flower market. I'm so grateful that Frances ordered the bouquets for us. Thank you!)

Annika with her teacher, Linnea Simon. Ms. Simon has been her teacher for the past two years and I can tell you…I will whole-heartedly miss her. She really helped Annika grow – especially in terms of her writing abilities. She was a wonderful and inspirational teacher.