The End of "Preschool Three's"....

With your oldest, everything seems odd because it's the "first time" you are going through any experience as a parent. With the youngest, it is all bitter sweet because you realize you will "never be back there" again. Some of the things I was HAPPY to say goodbye to were diapers, pacifiers, cribs, strollers and wet wipes.

One of the things I am sad to say "goodbye for good" to is the Preschool 3's class at Children's Workshop. Such a sweet program for such sweet, innocent kids. Now that I have an almost first grader in a competitive public school program, it is interesting how I now notice how little is expected from these little three and four year olds. How times will change for them in the next two years. How big and independent they will grow to be!

For now, Tommy is wrapping up his Preschool Three's year with Miss Deb and Miss Karen. I think he grew in his socialization with other kids his age. Definitely grew in the area of listening to the teacher, following a routine, learning a system, eating lunch with friends next to him, and dealing with a longer school day. Academically, he can now draw an entire person (including eyelashes, hands, feet and earrings!), write his name (and a few other words as well), write any letter you ask him to without any help, and can count, easily, up to twenty (he doesn't miss a "teen!"). He is a smarty pants for his age, that is for sure. I am excited to see his academic progress grow next year, as he gets ready for...gulp....Kindergarten.

I am happy we had the schedule we had this year (two longer days). It worked well for our family and the Kindergarten schedule. This year that I dreaded ("I am losing my babies! Too much change!") turned into a year where both kids thrived and grew in ways I didn't realize they would. I am so proud of them and the people they are becoming.

Tommy has his whole world ahead of him and I am so excited for the little boy...to see what he does with it all and that brain of his. So we'll say goodbye to Preschool three's class on Thursday.

But as with all my passages of life...it was a year to remember, it was right where we were supposed to be at the time, and now it's really just time to move on to the next adventure.