saying Goodbye

 Saying goodbye is never easy.

Every time i put the goodbye book together i always read the poem from me to the child and in the back of my brain i say "this is for them... make it happy and DON'T CRY!"

But, when you watch a child grow up and go through so many of those early years challenges, it's really hard knowing that you are no longer going to be a special person IN their lives.... just a special memory OF their lives. For them, graduating from daycare was such a long time ago, but for me it's like yesterday.

This fall we said goodbye to my friend Ethan and Evelyn , who are both starting kindergarten.

To my friend Ethan,

I will really miss your energy, laughter and your soft little voice.

You are so much fun to play with (even playing trains for the millionth time), you are an awesome friend with all the little people who looked up to you (even when they wrecked your track) and a great playmate for your peers who worked with you to make fun games. I know for me, nap time just isn't the same without tucking you in with your blue blankie and monkey and listening to the slurping noise you made while falling asleep with your thumb half in/out of your mouth! Mostly i will miss your contagious laughter and awesome hugs! good luck Ethan, and come visit us soon!

To my friend Evelyn,

This one is even harder! I have known you since you were a little baby!

I have seen you through learning to walk, talk, toilet train, making friends, growing your hair.... cutting your own hair, from being the youngest to the oldest! You hold a very special place in my heart young lady!

Some of the things that i will miss about you are your kind nature, your yearning to learn new things, your dress up adventures, your gentleness with the little ones, your awesome pictures that are plastered all over my fridge, playing the memory game and you kicking my but, your imagination in the way you set up games for everyone to play, your love of bugs, your policing of what everyone is doing when I'm busy, your help, reading books with you, singing and dancing, cuddling, but i have to say.... i will mostly miss your giggle!

I hope you have an awesome experience in your new school Evelyn! I look forward to catching up with you when you come back to play with us!

growing up

 Sometimes i feel that parts of my job are so bitter sweet.

For instance watching a baby/toddler learn, grow and change.... once they 'get' something, there is no going back. That moment in time when they are too small to 'get it' never comes back. Up until last week Ben only came to the art table for the social aspect of it.... you know, to be in the same room as all his friends. Yes he would paint and make creations like everyone else, but it was always about the process.... not the product. 

This week, everything changed....

Even after all the other children left the table he sat focused on dipping hie paint brush into the paint to get just the right amount on his brush, make little tiny circular brush stokes on his apple painting before holding it up to show me with a huge "look what i did" expression on his face!

The look of concentration on his face was wonderful... I'm surprised he wasn't drooling!

Part of me was just so proud for him of the amount of creativity, effort and time that he put into his work, but the other part of me sat back and said.... wow, that little baby is gone!

In its place is this little toddler who sits at a big boy chair and doesn't eat the paint!

Still summer!

 This September feels like summer will last forever!

It's kinda like mother nature is waiting for the teacher strike to end, so the kids can go back to school, so she can move onto the next season.

I'm definitely not complaining thought! I love fun in the sprinkler weather too.... 

almost as much as Ben and Wesley!

Our friend Lila on the other hand wanted NOTHING to do with the water fun!

So glad to see our new friend Oliver enjoys the water as much as his other friends!

Cherrios

This was one of those moments as an adult who is suppose to be teaching young minds manners etc... i could not, for the life of me, not giggle along with them and make them stop!

Today Sam and Ben discovered that if you blow really hard into your small curved bowl of Cheerios, that your quick breath sends the Cheerios flying across the table!

They sat side by side taking turns blowing , watching the cereal fly across the table, laugh themselves silly, gather the Cheerios back up and try again!

I know that its my job to say " that's not how we eat our cereal", but those giggles....

it's contagious!