The End of Preschool (for a while . . .)

Miss E had her preschool graduation this week.  It was a fun little ceremony, watching the group of five-year-olds walk up onto the stage in their cute paper hats with their alternating serious and shy smiling little faces.   There were many happy/sad tears while the teachers did a last circle time.  Mostly on the adults' faces because the little ones were just enjoying the fact that their families were there and there was cake!

This preschool has been such a wonderful part of our family life and we will miss it!  At first (five years ago when Mia started in Toddler Class as an 18 month old) we just went by the recommendation of others to give this school in a large bright room of a church basement a try.  We were struck by the bright and cozy feeling of the room, the open and creative atmosphere and the fact that some of the big sturdy wooden toys were over 30 years old.  And we soon learned that M and E were very lucky to have such a loving environment in which to take their first stabs at playing with others, making friends and forging their own relationships with children and adults outside of their family.  The teachers provided not only a fun learning experience.  They also looked after our girls' little hearts.   We have made some good friends, and we have learned a lot about our own children while we were doing our twice monthly "duty days".  We will be glad to return with the Pipsqueak!

I secretly walked around with a lump in my throat for the whole week leading up to the girls' graduations from Preschool and Kindergarden.  I was surprised by the intensity of it - watching my girls grow up and the start of full-time school for both M and E in the fall is the change of an era.  They are changing from "little kids" into "kids".  In the past I have done very well with my motto of looking ahead rather than behind and welcoming and greeting new experiences rather than pining away for the past.  Having children  has apparently turned my excellent coping skills upside down and has just generally left me a soggy mess of emotions which were previously very well controlled thank you very much.   Somewhere along the way I have turned into a person who is not embarrassed by some tears at her daughter's preschool graduation party.  Scandalous!

Now to some pictures of the graduate receiving her yearbook and a family photo:





These are the cards she made for her teachers - you can tell the girl is seriously into hearts ...





The party was followed by a group picnic on the beach at which E had fun hanging out with her friends ....



Pipsqueak found some other babies to play with ....



.... and Miss M played lots of beach volleyball and practiced her "jumping off a log" skills.









We stayed chatting and playing with the girls' friends and their parents until the sun was on its way down and we were some of the last to leave the party, along with a few other stragglers.  By that time, we had shared good food and conversation, had looked out for each other's kids while they spread out on the beach and the grass, and had dug-up some band-aids from the bottom of our purses and diaper bags to assist with those inevitable scratches and scrapes.  Kisses were blown and hugs were given all around as we set back off for home with our stroller, picnic basket, assorted beach toys and three little girls.  And the whole evening somehow dissolved that lump in my throat.   What a fabulous end to preschool!