"I'm A School-Ager Now!"

This past Tuesday Will graduated from pre-school and the ceremony was fun for both the kids and their families.

It was a nice way to say goodbye to the pre-school years and hello to the next phase of Will's life - one that will last for the next 13 years! Here's a glimpse at the evening's events.

A shy smile up on the stage.
These little cuties signed their A,B,Cs. It was adorable!
Receiving his "diploma" from Ms. Chrissy
A quick look at the ceremony.

Admiring his tassel.

Patiently waiting for the balloon release

There they go! Love that Ms. Chrissy! The three mischief makers Amigos!
(Taylor, Will & Gabe) Still working on attention spans. Will presented each of his teachers
with a bouquet of roses. Love that Ms. Tabatha! She tried to sneak in a smooch! Proud big sister! After the ceremony we went to dinner with his buddy Gabe's family and enjoyed a fabulous homemade cake - thanks Darla!

From now until kindergarten, which begins in July, Will gets to be in the "school-agers" room, which means a whole new world of toys, no mandatory nap time, and fun-filled field trips 3-4 days a week. 

As you can imagine, he's very excited!

Tears & Laughter & Holding Hands

Last Friday, Will's preschool class had their Christmas sing and holiday party. Unlike his sister, Will does not exactly enjoy being in the spotlight.

As soon as the teachers asked the kids to stand up to sing, he immediately burst into tears. Miss Chrissie, bless her sweet heart (and I mean that!) spent a good 5 minutes trying to comfort him. She told him that she, Mommy & Daddy and Jesus all love him and Jesus did not give him a heart of fear.

Wiping away that last tear and trying to be brave

And when that did not work, she conceded and let him stand next to his best buddy Gabe - typically not allowed in these situations as they tend to get a little a rowdy together :)

And all is well now that he got to hold Gabe's hand
for support - thank goodness for good friends!

I love these kinds of things because the kids are all so unpredictable and adorable, even the ones like mine that go from nervous tears to holding his buddy's hand for comfort to vigorously scratching his bottom right there in front of everyone to giving shout outs to friends in the audience to dancing and generally being silly.

Obviously he survived and finished with a smile.

Heros & Villains of Preschool

The pre-Halloween day parade.
The post-parade nap. Even bad guys need to take a rest every now and then.

Four Year Olds Are a Trip

I helped chaperon Will's school field trip to the pumpkin patch.

It was definitely a trip.

It is hard to believe these not-so-little munchkins will be heading to kindergarten next year. Will has been with some of these kids since he was 18 months old!

I am taking every opportunity to enjoy these last months of having a pre-schooler.

Out of the bus and ready to hit the hay slide

The whole gang

Good buddies!
(Will is a big time hugger so when I told him to
get closer to Taylor here, he really got close!)

And with Gabe :)
Getting silly

Ok, Will, give me back the camera.
Although, that is a pretty cool picture!

Ah, picked the perfect one!

Today I am an Explorer!

So Long Ladybugs!

Last Friday, Will transitioned from the Ladybugs to the Explorers class in preschool.

This is a big deal because this is the last class he will be in until he starts Kindergarten in July 2011!

After touring and interviewing 8 different centers, we chose to send Will to Kids R Kids of Cary (KrK) when he was 18 months old, which coincided with when Eliza Grace started Kindergarten.

It was a difficult decision for me, as I had many times espoused how I would not send my children to daycare. I had a definite bias against the traditional day care environment. Which explains why I called his daycare "school" from the first day. I think it made me feel better.

However, we have had a wonderful experience with KrK. We love the Moye's who own and operate the center, we love the teachers and we love the environment. And I really love the in-room and playground cameras that I can watch from my computer. It has given me great peace of mind and allowed me to peek in on my boy throughout the work day.

For the past 3 years, Will has changed classrooms about every six months, moving with his peers into age appropriate classes. Now he will end his tenure at KrK in the Explorers class.

He has been a little weepy over not being with Ms. Stephanie and Ms. Amanda everyday but he is also excited about the change. He is particularly thrilled about having a new block center and home center in which to play. And today, as he got dressed he reminded me that, "today I am an Explorer!"

So goodbye Ladybugs, hello Explorers. Next stop (in just over 12 months): Kindergarten!

The bat cave!

Blocks! I must build!

Oooo! New home center, complete with workbench and tools!