Adios Preschool

Preschool has taken R from this . . . (a photo and a self-portrait from her first day of school)

to this . . .

It has been a great year for her.  She loved, loved, loved attending preschool.  She is confident in her ability to make friends.  She tells me how great she is at this all the time.  And demonstrates that skill whenever we go anywhere.  She only got in trouble a few times for being too silly or running away when recess was over instead of lining up or for daaaaaaaawwwwdling instead of writing her letters.

One of my very favorite things from this particular preschool is the art scrapbook that they put together at the end of the year.  I love being able to flip through the book and see so many of the highlights from the year.  Not to mention the quotables they include.

How can this girl ever go wrong in life with such a delightful imagination? 

It reminds me of the time we were driving home from preschool and she was telling me all about her day and how they played baseball in class . . . underwater.  I remarked, "Hmmm.  I'm not sure if you're telling the truth."  To which she promptly replied, "I'm NOT telling the truth!  I'm telling YOU!"

Why should she let reality get in the way, after all?

Here she is proudly walking to the stage, grinning radiantly at her Daddy.

She knew some of the words to all of the songs.  And did her best to sing and do the motions . . . in between all her yawning.  Yep, that's her in the back row in the middle itching her forehead and yawning.  Shaggy and I were cracking up because she was yawning over and over and over again during the performance.  I swear, we put her to bed on time.  But lately she has decided to retest the bedtime limits.  She does this periodically just to see what she can get away with.  How many times will we bring her a drink?  How many times will we respond to her calls for Mooommmmeeee! or Daaaaadddddeeee!?  How many questions will we answer?  How long will we linger in her room when she says she has to ummmm, ummmm, tell us somethin'?  So she wakes up tired.

But at least she's not always grouchy as well.  She was just thrilled that she had Mom and Dad all to herself for this little ceremony.  We probably should have brought the whole family to celebrate this milestone with her, but the idea of just sitting to watch without managing, chasing, shushing, disciplining, threatening any children was just too enticing.  Our babysitting duo was already done with school, so they got to hold down the fort at home.

R is pretty proud of herself and how smart she has become.  She knows she is terribly smart because, as she says, "I am SO smart that I can see bee bee balls!  Bee bee balls!  Can you believe that?!"  Apparently, vision is inextricably linked to intelligence.

I am proud of my girl.  Not because she has learned how to read.  (She hasn't.)  Not because she knows every one of her letters and their sounds.  (She doesn't.)   But because she is happy and good and kind.  Because she isn't afraid to reach out with friendship and imagination to draw others into her beautiful world.  A world made all the more beautiful simply because she is in it.

And she is lucky enough to have a Daddy who completely adores her.

I think this girl is ready for Kindergarten, even if it is 3000 miles away from here.