Happy Friday, friends! Is November flying for anyone else? I feel like I am going to blink, and it is going to be December.

Each year, the Friday before Thanksgiving Break, our sweet school has Grandparents’ Day! We hold it at a local church, and it is a sweet time when all students perform for family and friends, as well as show off their fall semester projects. These projects are meant to be done with family, and use this bonding time to learn a new skill.

This year, Grandparents’ Day will be looking a little different. We are doing a virtual event in the wake of Covid, but the projects are still being presented.

My kids have mixed emotions about Grandparents’ Day. They aren’t big fans of getting up and performing in front of hundreds of people, but they do love showing off their projects and seeing the projects of their friends. AND, their FAVORITE thing about Grandparents’ Day is that it signifies the start of Thanksgiving Break. Woohoo!

Now that Harlan is in the 7th Grade, he is off the hook for his big semester project. But, today is the day that Jackson’s project is due.

Over the years, we have made Shutterfly photo albums of each of our projects. It has been such a fun thing to keep, and look back on from time to time.

Here is a look back at all of our projects over the years . . .

2014: Harlan – 1st Grade . . . “How to Take Care of Your Best Friends”

Oh, sweet Duke and Tahoe. My first babies. They were so old by this point, and basically let Harlan do whatever he needed for the project. This project was a step by step guide as to how to be a pet owner. Precious

2015: Harlan – 2nd Grade . . . . “The Birthday Project”

The Birthday Project is an AMAZING organization that puts together birthday parties for children in shelters that may not have anyone to help celebrate their big days. This was a wonderful opportunity to serve in the community, and this project was all about the organization and how we were able to help. Definitely an eye-opening experience. Such a great organization!

2016: Harlan – 3rd Grade . . . “Lego Texas Star”

Y’all. Making a star out of Legos is HARD! 3rd Grade is a big Texas history year at our school. Harlan loved legos, so he put the two together. This was such a cool project, but it was a TON of work. Loved the finished project.

2017: Harlan – 4th Grade . . . “Best Roller Coasters”

Harlan and I built this roller coaster for his project, and had so much fun. Funny thing is that Harlan hates roller coasters. So does Reid! Jackson and I have never met one that we didn’t like. Ha!

2017: Jackson – 1st Grade . . . “All About Dinosaurs”

Jackson was SUPER into dinosaurs at this age, and we went all in. Built dinosaur Lego sets. Colored dinosaur pictures. Researched dinosaurs. All of the things!

2018: Harlan – 5th Grade . . . “Bird Project”

In 5th grade, your project has to revolve around a bird. This is when I realized that Harlan was more talented in art than his mother. Isn’t this ceramic bird awesome? I literally helped zero, and was thankful that an art teacher nearby offered her services!

2018: Jackson – 2nd Grade . . . “How to Take Care of Your Best Friends”

Yes, we went back to the well and recycled Harlan’s project from a few years ago. Don’t judge me! Ha! This time Jackson did the “how to” guide with the second generation of puppies: Tank and Coal. These two are crazy, but still made for a super, sweet project.

2019: Jackson – 3rd Grade . . . “Best Cheeseburgers in Dallas”

Totally in the running for my favorite semester project of all time. I mean, who doesn’t like eating cheeseburgers all over town and then ranking them?!? Jackson named Hopdoddy as the #1 burger. Check that out if you have one in your town.

2020: Jackson – 4th Grade . . . “Best Things To Do in Vail”

Okay, friends. This year’s semester project was a slam dunk for my Jackson man. It was easy. It was fun. And, it was done during the strangest year in his little life so far! He went back and forth over what he wanted to do this year. His ideas ranged from Best Root Beers (another taste-testing project) all the way to building a model of some sort. Instead, he decided to be a travel agent/blogger of sorts and discuss his love of Vail in Travel Guide for Kids. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!

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Next year, Jackson will do a bird project, and then we will be done with this sweet fall project tradition. BOO!

But, I do love that Grandparents’ Day is coming and that means THANKGIVING BREAK! Woohoo!!! Which usually leads to a lunch at our local Mi Cocina where the goofiness begins. Here is proof from last year . . .

Have a great weekend! XOXO