The Ferstle Family of Four: June 2021

Welcome summer!

We kicked off summer with a fun weekend! We went to Verity's 2nd birthday party in Grosse Pointe Shores. It was such a beautiful venue and the boys really enjoyed swimming in the pool and looking at all the boats.

We had Evan's first communion party the following day (which got it's own post).

I took the boys strawberry picking, as tradition, Monday morning on our first official day of summer vacation. We made strawberry cobbler and strawberry jam. We had a good batch this year!

We enjoyed a dinner with Matt, Mindy, and baby Luka. We did pasta night this time instead of taco Tuesday. Still tasty!

We did a bike ride at Kensington with my parents to celebrate Father's Day and a lunch out at Hermann's where we picked up Luna to join us. It was a beautiful morning and a hot lunch!

And before you knew it, it was time to pack and hit the road on our big summer vacation to Washington, DC and the Outer Banks in North Carolina! I just love summer vacation together! One of the few perks of Scott and I both being teachers.

Evan's 1st Communion Party

Evan celebrated his first communion back in January, but since no one had been vaccinated, COVID was still running rampant, and it was freezing cold outside, we decided to wait to celebrate until things improved. Once school let out, we knew it was time. I planned an outdoor celebration at our house with family and Evan's godparents and their families.

We had a beautiful Sunday evening at our house with family and friends. We picked up fried chicken from Lee's along with biscuits and potato wedges. I made crockpot mac and cheese and a veggie platter. My mom brought baked beans and coleslaw. Jackie brought fixings for a garden salad. Mindy brought fruit and we were ready to go.

It was a really nice evening celebrating Evan! I enjoyed catching up with Trisha and her family and Amy and her family. It's been so long since we've seen them. The kids all had a blast playing in the bounce house and in the play room inside.

School's out for summer 2021!

I don't think there's ever been a more anticipated end of the school year as this one. Between remote learning/teaching for all four of us in the fall to hybrid for the boys to being back in our buildings for the second half of the school year, it was a journey. And that's putting it lightly.

Evan finished 2nd grade with Mrs. Barlow and did amazing all year! He really rolled with all the punches this year threw at him. He finished with all 4's (the equivalent of all A's on the traditional grading scale). He rocked his NWEA tests and wowed Mrs. Barlow all year long with his writing and math skills. We're so proud of his progress!

Sean finished strong with 4th grade and Mrs. Nicklay. It was definitely a tough start to the year for him as remote learning was not a good situation for him. He's a hands on learner and needs that face-to-face instruction, but he did his very best. Social studies is his strong suit and he enjoyed learning the states and capitals this year. They did a "Shark Tank" project to end the year and he made a food allergy caddy. We're so proud of how hard he worked this year and how much he became an advocate for himself and for his learning!

I finished one of the hardest years of my career, #15. So, so glad that's over. I had celebrated with my department earlier in the week out at Las Palapas for our annual department dinner. The staff thanked our administration in our last staff meeting zoom meeting by making thank you signs for them and we brought them to tears. What a year!

We celebrated as a family by grabbing beers at Liberty Street Brewing in old downtown Plymouth even though Scott's wasn't officially done until the following Tuesday. The kids swam at Jameson's house. It was a good night and a great way to kick off the summer!