Ladd Photos

Pictures taken by Aliciana of the preschoolers having a blast at their party. They made heart shaped pancakes with strawberries, as well as doing other fun crafts.

Aliciana took photos while helping out at Gavin’s Valentine’s Day party.

For the science fair this year, Gavin experimented with various objects to investigate which properties impact how fast they fall (not in a vacuum). He won an honorable mention… good job little scientist Bub!

Photos by Aliciana:

Gavin won an honorable mention for his science fair project about gravity. Good job Bub!

Aliciana was on hand to take some photos of an Apex Fun Run rally at Turtleback.

Photos of the kids running in the Apex Fun Run, taken by Aliciana.

Thank you for all the support and donations given to Gavin! This year’s Fun Run was a huge success for Turtleback Elementary and will allow them to resurface their track, which is sorely needed.

I tagged along with the boys when they went to school and got to see Gavin’s classroom and the chicks his class hatched. Then Connor and I read a book in the library and he showed me around his class before it was time for the main show.

Mrs. Patwa’s preschool classes put on a wonderful end-of-the-year performance. Connor did so well singing the songs and looked so cute up there with all the other little kids. All the little ones enjoyed the after performance party, complete with cupcakes, strawberries, and lemonade.

Videos of three of the songs they sang:

Aliciana captured some nice photos of the fun happening at Turtleback Elementary’s Field Day while she helped out. Connor, Gavin, and the rest of the school kids all seemed to really enjoy all the various activities. The teachers looked like they had a blast as well!

Gavin and his 2nd grade classmates put on an excellent program. You could really tell how hard they practiced their songs, the choreography they performed while singing, and small speaking parts in between each song.

Gavin was center in the 2nd row, in front of so many parents that it was difficult to even get photos of the event above everyone’s heads. I asked him if he was nervous up in front of so many people, and he said he wasn’t, not even a little bit. He definitely doesn’t get that from me, maybe he is a natural performer?

The evening turned a little sad for a moment, when it was announced that Mrs. Hiel, Gavin’s beloved 2nd grade teacher, would be leaving Turtleback at the end of the school year. She is going to be teaching at nearby Design39Campus. She had spent her entire teaching career, all 18 years, at Turtleback, so there were lots of former students and parents who were sad to see her go.

A video of one of the songs they sang:

I was on-hand to take some photos of Gavin’s 2nd grade class celebration. All the kids had a blast playing the various games and then enjoying root beer floats afterwards. Connor tagged along with me and got to partake in the fun as well.

We were up bright and early for the first day of school. Connor was super excited to start his day in Mrs. Flinn’s class. Gavin was also excited to see all his friends and start 3rd grade in Ms. Namdar’s class. I have a feeling we are going to have a great school year!

Connor got awarded a “Trustworthiness Character Counts Pillar” award during the monthly school assembly. Way to go Connor!

I had the day off, so I got to enjoy the Halloween parade at school, as well as the class parties for Connor and Gavin. The kids looked so cute in their costumes.

This year Connor was Optimus Prime and Gavin was a banana. Connor’s teacher, Mrs. Flinn, was Poppy from Trolls, and Gavin’s teacher, Ms. Namdar, was a bucket filler.

Connor and the rest of the kindergarten kiddos did a great job singing at their holiday performance. Afterwards, they headed back to class to enjoy hot chocolate and build some fun crafts.

The kindergarten kids singing their hearts out:

Fun and chaos at the after performance party:

I was lucky enough to get to take in the crafting chaos during Connor’s Valentine’s Day party, before having to head to work. The kiddos spread around a lot of love.

Craft stations:

Spreading the love: