Last Day of School...

It finally happened. I had my last day of work. April 3rd seemed so far away when my principal & I penciled it into our calendars many months ago, but now it has come and gone, and here I am, free of classroom obligations for the remainder of the school year. It was a bittersweet day. Bitter because I was leaving the class & coworkers that have grown to mean so much to me, yet sweet because the closing of this chapter of my life means that I will be starting a new one in a few short weeks (or days?).

My class had a very lovely baby shower/good-bye party for me to commemorate the occasion. They wrote notes to baby Wiebe, took pictures, ate cake, and brought me many presents. I received many books, a number of sweet little onesies, and other newborn odds & ends. On their way out the door I performed the requisite desk food check (to ensure that no food molds over Spring Break. Only one discovery. An orange...from Christmas. yuck ;) I received many a hug on the way out the door and even a spirited cheer from the 5th & 6th grade lunch crowd that gathered around me as I walked out the gate to load my gifts in my car. Kids sure can make you feel special sometimes...

I allowed 2 girls to use my camera to take pictures of the shower activities. The picture below is of me with the handmade card the class made. It says "We will miss you Mrs. Wiebe". Unfortunately though, along with the top of my head, the bottom of the card didn't quite make it into the picture. Not too bad for 5th grade photographers though...

Rosedale Shower...

The Fast family threw a shower for me yesterday. Both my aunts & John's aunts have me pretty well figured out...my showers were nothing short of perfect for me. Lots of vintage, lots of books, and lots of great food. Here's a few pictures. (I learned my lesson last shower, and did not allow a certain sister camera privileges... :) So, thanks to Kelly for being the paparazzi for a day...

Dick & Jane theme...the blocks & Jack-in-the-box were used as decorations, but then given to me by my Aunt Debbie...I love them.

The table decorations...in the foreground of the picture you can see the remnants of a strawberry yogurt parfait...pretty perfect for me, I'd say.

Kelly, former college roommate/paparazzi extraordinaire, Denise, and me

Pictures of this gift to come in another post

My mom's friends even showered her with baby necessities

I had a little helper for awhile...

A cute little outfit from Grandma Sharon & Auntie Jill...they also gave me a boy outfit too, so we'll see which one I get to keep :) (outfits found here)

A knitted basketball blanket for baby...which will be perfect come next year's basketball season. I'm pretty sure this is John's favorite gift. My Aunt Lori has a few rows left to complete, but when she does it will be an instant favorite in this house.

The 2 new great-grandbabies (in utero, obviously) for Grandma Net.

Somehow Denise got her hands on the camera...and this is what I found when I loaded my pictures this morning...

I think I tend to forget how incredibly special showers are for the recipient (whether wedding or baby) when I attend them as a guest myself. But, now that I all of my baby showers have come and gone, I am left with fond memories of wonderfully supportive women in my life. Sure they helped us financially by giving us gifts (both practical, fun, and sometimes just plain cute) but more than that, they offer wisdom & advice that is just priceless. I can have all of the baby gear in the world, but without special people in our lives, all of that stuff would be completely meaningless. So, thanks to all the lovely ladies who both planned & attended my showers, your presence was indeed a present in itself.