Saying Goodbye is So Hard

Aleaha's last day at her daycare center (aka "school") was this week, and it was a very emotional time. She's been going there since she was 3-and-a-half months old, and that's nearly 5 years! She is the longest-attending child in recent memory, per their staff.

We had to find ways to celebrate the transition to kindergarten (pizza), and we took pictures at the school.... (this is a form of a memory book, so I'm going to get detailed here, for her future ability to look back)...


The girls that morning, in Miri's classroom.


This is Aleaha with Cherish -- she was one of Aleaha's Wobbler room teachers in 2007, and she later became the site director.


Aleaha with Teacher Amanda, who has gobs of patience and is a great role model for Aleaha.

Aleaha showing off her beautiful card that the teachers made her, while next to her Nap Chart, documenting her earning of stickers for having good behavior during naptime. She was very worried that she wouldn't reach the midpoint before leaving the school. This was a threshhold at which the kids are allowed to pick out something from a grab-bag of toys. And what did she pick? She chose the red object hanging from her arm in this photo -- a Fart Balloon.

Next to the Pre-K bulletin board and the place where her Sunshine Report (sort of a daily report card) would hang.

Next to her naptime cubby, which held her blanket and sheet for her sleeping mat. (Can you see that she's becoming more emotional? The heavy sobbing was setting in.)

With classmate and friend Noah, who has been with her since 2007.

With Lucero, a friend since the Pre-School class.

With Nigel, another friend since the Wobbler Room of 2007.


We cleaned out her cubby, which was emotional for Mommy and Aleaha alike. "Mom, I'm going to miss my cubby too. I know it's not a person, it's a thing, but we can miss things too!"

Ready to say good-bye. This blanket was at the school for 5 years - it's weird to have it home now.

"I wish I never had to leave my friends and this school. It's like all the happy things in my life just blew away in the wind."

Poolside

Chilly water feels brisk and refreshing in the hot afternoon. Poor Miri was shivering.


Aleaha strikes a pose.


Aleaha thought Mom had a tremendously novel idea to put the little slide into the pool. (Uh, yes, my child. I was a kid too, once!)

Miri makes a nice splash.

The Zoo

It was high time for the annual Miller Zoo Trek. (You know, were you spend more time in the car than at the zoo, and no matter how you time your leaving of the house, you will arrive during someone's naptime.)

The Fates were on our side this trip, fortunately. Miri slept on the way up, we had just the right amount of snacks to keep our own animals from getting too growly, and Mommy enjoyed NOT pushing a stroller -- for the first time in 5 years. :)


The girls had darling giraffe-print dresses. Don't you just want to lock them up??


And they were under pretty good voice command that day, so they were let off the leashes.


Seeing a giant polar bear on other side of glass from my cubs is always just a little fear-inducing to this mamma bear...

Quick snapshot of Aleaha by elephants. Each animal stop was pretty short.

Must-get shot with giraffes in background and their mastcot in foreground.

Silly girls on the train.

Miss Miri, Miss Miri

She does great work with a fork (and loves to write with pens - hide the Sharpies!).


And when it's time to sleep, she can own her environment.

Can-do!

After a day of helping with some exhausting errands (getting groceries is one, but putting up the first ton of hay together is REAL work!), Aleaha helped Mommy make lemonade. With this cool kitchen appliance.

Mommy has a lot of gadgets, and it seems each week Aleaha gets bigger and bigger and gets to use more of them.

Kids will be kids

The previous post picture was crisp, but this one definitely reflects their current personalities and habits quite well.

Aspirations

Mommy to 5-year-old: "What do you want to be when you grow up?"
5-year old: "A princess!!!!"

Mommy to 2-year-old: "What do you want to be when you grow up?"
2-year old: "Big."

Picnicking

The girls wanted to have a picnic. Who doesn't love dining al fresco on a lovely summer day? Mommy helped them assemble some things.


Aleaha spread the blanket and set out the eats.


They had a fun time. (And Mommy had a minute to herself, which she used to steam-vacuum the car. Sigh....)

Naturally, things were left out in the yard a while that afternoon. Zinky the Curious had to inspect. But there were no yummy leftovers to snag.