Teacher gifts are fun to give

It didn't occur to me until last week at 5AM that I failed to organized the teacher gifts far enough in advance. Last year we collected money towards gift cards for the teachers. I asked parents if they wanted to contribute $5-10. It felt good to be able to give the cards to the teachers that work so hard for our children. Sadly, I did not make that happen this year. I just didn't have enough time to get it organized. Last year I made small scrapbooks for the teachers too. That I have begun and will finish this week for the last day of school. Four and I went to take pictures today of the kids. We took a class picture and then paired the children up for individuals. I will put the picture of the pair on their own page. I had squares of paper cut out and had the kids write a message to the teacher. What a difference between the grades! First graders wrote their names and drew a picture. Some wrote a sentence to the teacher, but most just wrote their names. Second graders wrote little paragraphs to the teacher. They were really sweet too. It shows a lot to see the kids write such thoughtful things about the teacher. I've been really happy with both teachers this year and hope Six will have the same teacher Eight had for second grade. It was sort of a challenge balancing a baby and taking pictures of 23+ kids in each grade. The kids were excited to be a part of making a scrapbook. I plan to bring it to the school on the last day, but in time for the kids to look at what we've created. Last year some parents were able to see the books I made, but they were the ones to help me plan it. This year, it was more kid involvement than anything else. After this morning, I wish I could have gotten the gift cards together. I can only do so much. Four has been a big help lately. We've enjoyed our last few days home alone together with Baby Girl. After this week the boys will be home with us and we'll have to start a routine. Earlier today: Four was holding Baby Girl for me. When Baby Girl started to fuss, I asked "Do you want me to take her?" "No, I'm Okay with a crying baby."