Trust me. I do this all the time.: Preschool Graduation!

Preschool Graduation. How did we get here? Of course I’d be lying if I said that the past five years have flown by, there have been some very long days and weeks as Sam and I have grown together. But that doesn’t make it any easier to believe that my boy has reached this particular milestone in his life.

Sam is an elementary schooler! In three short months my little boy will walk in the door of his kindergarten classroom, walk through the lunch line and maybe even ride the bus home. Without me.

I remember listening to a dear friend detail her preparations for taking her eldest son to college. My eyes filled with tears as I imagined what he heart might be feeling, imagining the day that I would leave my (then 2-year-old) son at his dorm. She wisely explained that while there are certainly emotions with the process, it didn’t feel to her the way I imagined it. “Lindsay, you can see him there and it feels big and scary. But John is ready, and its ok.” And now I get it. There are emotions as I prepare to send Sam to elementary school, but they are not fear, anxiety, dread or even sadness. Instead my heart is full of nostalgia and excitement, because he is ready. And he is over-the-moon excited!

Yesterday Maria and I (room moms) executed the End Of The Year Party. Pizza, Pinata and Party Games. The kids loved the piñata and no one got wacked with the bat! Annabelle was perfectly behaved through the whole thing, standing to the side holding her baby while Mommy ran the show, but she was super excited to be offered a turn at the games as things were winding down.

We hung around a bit as things were dying down and I enjoyed talking to Sam’s teachers a bit. Ms. Jackie is actually a neighbor and was giving me the low down on ballet schools. Ms. Erin, who’s daughter is 6 months older than Annabelle and is pregnant with her second, chatted with me about potty training and all things two-year-old. It was clear that we’d made a shift – they weren’t really Sam’s teachers anymore.

Today we all watched as our five-year-olds paraded into the sanctuary to Pomp and Circumstance. They recited the Pledge of Allegiance, Pledge to the Texas Flag, Pledge to the Christian Flag, Pledge to the Bible and The Lord’s Prayer. I’m pretty sure that Sam was mouthing random words to several of those items. They sang us several very silly songs and Sam did really well with the songs and the motions, a real area of growth for him over the course of his preschool career! He smiled and made eye contact with us several times throughout the performance, he was thrilled that all three of us were there. We watched a slideshow with baby pictures from each graduate. The kids thought it was hysterical to see their friends’ baby pictures! And then they walked across the stage one by one as Ms. Heather read their names (Sam INSISTED she use his middle name). They got hugs from both their teachers and a diploma all rolled up.

We were invited to “clown around” at the reception afterwards – clown noses and cupcakes for all the kiddos. Sam ran around a bit with his friends, and then it was time to go. He walked out the doors no longer a preschooler. It is Annabelle’s school now.