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."