The end of preschool

Today was bittersweet. Elijah officially finished preschool! Holy cr** (oops, I said that word we are not supposed to say)! I think back to the time when he turned three and we were putting him on a bus for the first time. I was so close to pulling him out because I thought he was just too young and too small and too much my baby who I wanted to protect forever. But we let him go, and he got onto that "big yellow bus" and he loved it! 

And now, over two years later, I can tell you that preschool has been a HUGE part of why Elijah is the awesome little person that he is. He has been blessed with the absolute best teachers and friends and therapists and I am extremely thankful for his preschool experience. Thank God I put him on that bus!

We were able to attend both end-of-the-year park parties since Elijah was in both "classes." Here are Elijah and Sammy yesterday, enjoying a cookie together..

Sammy was pretty shy, not surprisingly, and Elijah went about his business, socializing with his friends.

And in standard form, Elijah was drawn to the girls. :)

It was so cute how they sang their "good-bye" song at the end. 

I can't look at this photo without getting teary. This has been Elijah's wonderful teacher for the past two years. She has had such a genuine concern and love for our boy. She will always have a special place in my heart (and Elijah's, too, of course). Dan and I are so incredibly thankful for her! 

Here is the "good-bye" song on day #2.

I was able to capture a quick picture of Elijah and Laura "Woe-ya," the special friend he has talked about so much this year. Although, they didn't interact once during our park visits and I failed to see any connection! They acted like they didn't even know each other!

Toward the end of our park visit today, Sammy got accidentally knocked over by a teacher who was playing with the kids and trying to pop a bubble. I heard the crack of his head hitting the pavement, and it has been haunting me all day. :( I turned around to find my sweet little Sammy lying on the pavement not crying, not making a single sound. It was terrible.

I picked him up and held him close to me. Elijah's teachers were on their toes and I quickly had a cold pack pressed against the back of his head. After about 10 minutes, he started talking and finding his spunk again. He has a nice bump on the back of his head, but he seemed to be acting normally for the rest of the day. I kept an eye on his eyes and behavior and things seemed fine. I checked him a thousand times during his nap today.

I was a little bit extra thankful for my boys today. I found out that a little girl whose blog I have been following for over a year has cancer back in her body. She won't be around for much longer. I cannot imagine.

The pants-pooping? Not such a big deal. I am THANKFUL. I love my life and my boys more than I can explain.

Elijah?? I am SO PROUD of you and how far you have come in sooooo many ways during your preschool career! Daddy, Sammy and I love you to pieces!

Onto Kindergarten!