Wednesday, May 24, 2017

One Last OOVOTO

The end of the school year brings OOVOTO day at Wilmore Elementary School.  (Our Own Version Of The Olympics)  Everyone looks forward to OOVOTO day.   The day starts with the procession of nations, just like the real Olympics.  
Finally, it's Chloe's turn to carry the Ethiopian flag. 






Chloe with her friend Phoebe

Chloe playing in the bucket bounce contest

 Abby & Essie











Chloe & her crazy classmates


Graduation Season

It was a busy graduation week in the Kinnell family - first A.J. graduated from West Jessamine Middle School, then Essie & Chloe graduated from Wilmore Elementary.  It'll be off to new experiences in the Fall, but first we celebrate and honor their achievements so far.

A.J.'s Middle School Graduation

A.J. receives his 8th grade diploma.


A.J. with some of his soccer teammates.

Family photo - in front of some stranger's truck

In addition to his promotion, A.J. was recognized with awards in Social Studies, Math, and Science.

Essie & Chloe's Elementary Graduation

The graduation speaker was Essie's teacher's brother - former University of Kentucky basketball player (and Wilmore Elementary School alum) Jarrod Polson.

Chloe (blue dress at left) and Essie (pink dress at right) were both one of fifteen female nominees for the Citizenship Award.

Essie receives her diploma from her teacher, Mrs. Richardson.


Chloe receives her diploma from her teacher, Mr. V.


At the end of the program, there was a slideshow that included baby pictures and current pictures for each of the graduating 5th graders.


Essie and Chloe with Chloe's teacher, Mr. V.  Chloe really blossomed this year in Mr. V's class, putting more effort into her schoolwork than ever before, and it showed!

Family photo

Chloe with two of her other teachers - Ms. Wilson and Ms. White

Essie and Mrs. Burnight

Aaaand...summer has arrived.

Tuesday, May 23, 2017

A Soccer Four-Peat


On Monday night, AJ's West Jessamine Middle School soccer team won their 4th consecutive conference championship.  AJ scored two goals in a 4-1 win over Mercer County.

AJ has been playing for the middle school since he was in the 4th Grade, and they won their conference in all four seasons he participated.  (He skipped 6th Grade.)  This great run also includes two straight undefeated seasons and only one loss is three years.  It will be on to high school varsity in the Fall, something for which AJ has been waiting a long time.  (In Kentucky, you cannot play varsity soccer until you are enrolled in the 9th Grade.)

Congratulations, AJ!

AJ and Mason - the only players to be on all four conference champion teams.

Friday, May 19, 2017

Last Day of School Drop-Off!


Today, as I dropped my 5th graders off at elementary school for the last time, I shed tears of joy…that I never have to go through the car rider drop-off lane at school ever again. I have endured a lot of foolishness from other parents over the last six years. Here are some of my nemeses:

1. The “Expert” Parker Parent – This parent believes they can save so much time by backing into a parking space. The rest of the car line backs up clear around the circle while this person stops, slowly backs in, pulls forward to straighten out, backs in again, pulls forward one more time, backs in again…
2. The Lipstick Smudge Parent – This parent (usually a mom…but not always) has a PDA routine that rivals a superstitious Major League Baseball player coming up to bat. Before their child (or God forbid, children) can exit the car, there is the extended hug and backrub, followed by a minimum of two kisses on each cheek and one on the forehead.
3. The Red Carpet Parent – This parent will only let their child out of the car when they can park directly in the crosswalk in front of the school doors. Never mind that there are a dozen cars behind them and 30 feet of open curb beyond the crosswalk. Their child is just more important than yours.
4. The Secret Service Agent Parent – This parent will not move their car until they have seen their child pass through the doors of the school. If your child cannot make the 20-foot journey from the curb to the doors safely, maybe park and walk them in.
5. The “Procrastinators Breed Procrastinators” Parent – This parent’s child is putting the finishing touches on the homework they didn’t do the night before, and now that mom or dad has got the car in park, it’s time for them to sign all the assignment books, returned tests, behavior charts, report cards, and permission slips (after we take a few moments to read them for the first time, of course).
6. The Paratrooper Parent – Otherwise known as the awesome parent, this person (who bears a striking resemblance to me) slides the van door open as he comes to a rolling stop, shouting GO! GO! GO! as his children clutch their bags and execute a textbook drop and roll onto the curb. “Have a great day at school kids! Knowledge is power!” he says, as he accelerates away (providing he is not behind any of Parents #1-5 above).

Wednesday, May 3, 2017

Happy 15th, A.J.!

Today A.J. turns 15 years old!  We celebrated his birthday over the weekend with a family party.

Dad's magazine cover cake design


Anthony Davis t-shirt from Grandpa & Grandma Kinnell

UK pullover from Mom & Dad

Socks and a Dicks gift card from Aunt Buffy

A.J.'s very own tub of peppermints!

All the boy really wanted for his birthday was Dick's gift cards, so he got those from Mom & Dad and Meemaw Neild.

Hard to believe this kid will be in high school in the Fall!