Today is T’s last day of Kindergarten. Actually, it’s our family’s last day of Kindergarten. This day won’t come to our lives ever again.

First day of Kindergarten (Sept. 4, 2013).

Last day of Kindergarten (June 12, 2014). All the kids were invited to wear a Hawaiian print shirt or dress to help say a collective Aloha to the school year.

Today is bittersweet. A bit of sadness for the passing of such a magical year, coupled with the happiness of knowing just how much T has grown and thrived during these last 180 days of school.

T’s letters, numbers, and punctuation (September 2013).

A story that T wrote after the spring field trip (April 2014).

Today before the kids all went inside, they sat down and one at a time recited their favorite part of Kindergarten. T’s favorite part? “When we read the book, ‘You can do anything.'” Yes, you can, T. Yes. You. Can.

T with Mrs. K on his birthday (October 2013).

T and Mrs. K at Open House (May 2014).

T and Mrs. K on Kindergration Day (June 11, 2014). T got her the Scrabble ring you see her wearing in this photo as her end-of-year gift.

Today we will say goodbye to T’s beloved, irreplaceable, and kind Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. K, at the doors of the school for the last time as a Kindergarten family. Truth be told, I don’t think there’s ever been nor will there ever be a teacher more aptly named. And T said it best when he gave her his gift: “Thank you for being such a great teacher to me this year.”

T and other Kindergarteners singing, “What a Wonderful World,” holding up illustrated pictures they drew to coordinate with different lines in the song. Sniff.

Today I cried, and T laughed.

Today T tried on the “grader” playground equipment. You can do anything, T.

Today is T’s last day of Kindergarten, but it’s the start of so much more.

Aloha and enjoy your summer, RMT’ers! I’ll be away from the blog for a bit, but to help you kick things off, don’t forget about these great online resources for a few fantastic, and favorite go-to, last-minute summertime ideas for when the kids (and you, let’s face it) wake up with, “What are we going to do today?!”: 100 Days of Summer Long Beach (CA); Cinemark’s Summer Movie Clubhouse and Regal’s Summer Movie Express; Long Beach (CA) Public Library’s summer reading program and FREE summer entertainment calendar for all 12 branches; Barnes and Noble’s Summer Reading Program; Scholastic’s Summer Reading Challenge; Lakewood’s (CA) wading pools; Splash Pad; Atlantis Playground; Huntington Beach’s Adventure Playground; Kidsguide’s Summer Concerts and Movie Guide; Kidsguide’s Day-by-Day Calendar for Summer 2014; and PlanADayOut.com. Go out, explore, discover, and most of all, have fun!