My Boy....JACO!

(Jaco with his AMAZING teacher whom we love, Mrs McDonald)

It is so humbling to be a mother. Then throw in a child like Jaco and the humilty is extreme! I could not be more proud of my boy. He is now officially done with elementary school and he completed 5th grade with a bang!(Jaco messing around with Josh and Ian)

Jaco has participated in our districts strings program for the last two years. Not only has he learned how to play the violin very well, but he now can read music and has learned quite a bit of theory. In fact, he and one other student are the only two who completed the theory book his class was working in this year. Being a musician myself, it brings me so much joy to have my son appreciate good music and love playing it!
The 5th graders at our school, get to go on a great field trip to mark their completion of elementary school. Both Justin and I were able to go with Jaco on a jet boat ride on Monday June 14th.

The weather forecast for the day was sunny and warm but it was quite chilly on the boat because it was going quite fast, and the driver seemed to LOVE doing everything in his power to soak his passengers! I think Jaco had fun in between shivering and huddling in his sweatshirt. I know Justin and I had a lot of fun!

After the boat ride, we all went to a nearby park for a barbecue and field games. By then the forecast came true and we all warmed up and even got a little sunburned.(Jaco and Ian aka David and Goliath except these two really like each other...I Promise they do!)

(The entire 5th grade class)

Tuesday the 15th, was the school talent show. Jaco and his Rubik's buddy Anson put together a routine where they solved their cubes together while dancing, joking, and throwing the cubes around. It was definitely an original act and they both did a fantastic job.

Wednesday June 16th was the last day of school. They had the school award assembly and the 5th grade graduation. (receiving his diploma from Mrs McDonald)

This is where my boy cleaned house! I think the only award he did not earn was for perfect or near perfect attendance. Jaco was so happy because he was given a trophy for his win in the school spelling bee. Plus he received a certificate for his work in the strings class and on it was a special seal because he completed the theory book. He also walked away with the Presidential Outstanding Academic Excellence award for scoring above average in the state testing of math, reading, and science. Jaco loves to read. He received a certificate for the most Accelerated Reader points earned. Most kids earned up to 100 points. Jaco earned 408 AR points! And then of course he got a certificate for graduating from 5th grade.I think the highlight of the week for Jaco was being asked out by a girl. I remember those "young" crushes and it has been pretty cute to see him so excited. Of course he knows he is not allowed to date until he is 16. I think it is funny to hear the phrase "Will you go out with me?" even though you can't really go out. Brings back so many memories! For instance, I really liked a boy from my neighborhood in 4th grade. I asked him out and he said he would "go out with me" if I could beat him in a race. Just so you know, his legs were twice as long as mine and there was really no hope for me! He was nice and let me try 3 times to beat him but I guess it was not meant to be.(Reilly is the lucky lady)

I am so proud of Jaco. He can be a trial sometimes, like when his meds (he takes medication for ADHD and it works like a charm!) wear off but really, he is a great kid. He doesn't fight me on homework or reading, he loves to learn, he is so handsome, and I just LOVE him!