End of the School Year

Preschool graduation

Kiwi's last day was at a bouncy house and she looked forward to it for weeks.  I think she started asking in April when we were going to go to Super Jump for preschool.  They bounced, sang some songs, ate pizza and cake, and bounced some more.  I wish I had a good picture of her doing her ABC's with the sign language.  She was hardly singing she was concentrating so hard on getting the signs right.   Sometimes I catch her practicing all of them in her car seat.  We will be driving somewhere and I will hear this intense little whisper "A" and then a pause while she makes the a sign until she goes through the whole alphabet.  

They had one of those push cars there (I always think of Fred Flinestone) which Mason found amazing.  He didn't even go anywhere in it, he was just happy to hold onto the steering wheel and sit in something his size.  

And when big sister started pushing it and he was actually moving? I'm pretty sure it was the most exciting moment of his life.  Top five for sure.  

Kiwi and Miss Cindy.  We LOVE Miss Cindy around here.  She was a perfect fit for our little miss.  I'm not sure if we would have done preschool with Kiwi as a three year old if it wasn't for Miss Cindy.  

Little Man's last day of kindergarten

Little Man's last day of kindergarten was yesterday and it consisted of a field trip to the zoo.  Kiwi and I were able to come along to help chaperone and it was a lot of fun.  Little Man was so excited that he was up for the day at 6:30.  

Here is the group we spent most of the day with pretending to be eaten by a shark.  

Little Man and his teacher.  She is not the warm, fuzzy, cheery voiced kindergarten teacher you would expect, but I really liked her.  She is fair, organized, and calm and I think she really does care for the kids.  Little Man had a great first year and I know he is going to miss her.  

With some kindergarten friends.  

These two cute girls are some of Little Man's favorite people.  They are all three in the same class at church and were all in the same kindergarten class this year.  He told my mom, "Emma, Natalie, and I are all going to grow up together."  He also wants to marry one of them when he grows up.  They are both sweet girls with wonderful families so we would be thrilled if either one of those worked out.   

My baby boy and me.   Friday night when I was tucking Little Man in, he told me that he felt a little sad.  When I questioned why, he answered that he was sad about school ending.   He then got really quiet and I heard sniffles coming from the top bunk.  I climbed up there and laid down with him and he started sobbing, 

"I'm just thinking about all the things I did this year and how I will never get to do them again.  And I just miss kindergarten so much!"

And so I rubbed his little heaving back and told him all the great things about first grade and how he would still see all his friends at recess, how fun it will be to eat lunch at school, and how nice his new teacher will be, etc.  Although a big part of me just wanted to cry with him at the bitter sweetness of how old he is getting.  After he calmed down, I went to put Mason to bed and Kiwi was so sweet.  She climbed up on to the top bunk to keep him company.  Later, when I went to check on them and found Little Man still awake I let him come into bed with me (Mike worked late and then met his brother for dinner so he missed all the dramatics).    

Saturday morning, when Little Man showed Mike the book of all his hand prints throughout the year with this  poem that had to have been written with the sole purpose making parents cry, Mike got all choked up.   

And this is kindergarten, folks.  Just think of what a train wreck this family will be when we have to start dropping kids off at college.