Taylor says buh-bye to preschool

After all of the fun end-of-year events we had been attending in previous weeks, we finally came down to the biggest celebration of all:  Preschool Graduation. That’s right, folks. After two super successful and memorable years at NAP, Miss Taylor Elizabeth Amys is officially done with preschool.

The party was held at a classmate’s house, with all the kids and parents gathering to take pictures, celebrate and commemorate the awesome year. Seriously... I grew so close to each and everyone of these little kids and their parents. And I am thrilled that our paths will be crossing in the coming years, whether it be in the kindergarten halls or at Club events or at special play dates and birthday parties. Those little precious people formed some solid friendships. They all loved each other.

The ceremony was short and sweet. Here is my proud daughter accepting her diploma as Ms Leigh tells everyone what Taylor wants to be when she grows up:

My goodness. I now have a kindergartener on my hands. How in the world did that go so fast?

And the classmate that hosted had a pool, which made the day that much more exciting.

And while we are thrilled to be reaching this point and heading into a wonderful school this fall, it was bittersweet to say Goodbye to NAP. Especially to Taylor’s teach, Ms Leigh. She is an amazing woman who possesses more energy, creativity and patience than anyone else I know. And she took such good care of my baby girl, so I am forever indebted to her.

Oh, Sweet Taylor. I love you to the moon and back time a million. And I hope you always want to be a ballerina.

Papa and Yaya come to town

As I mentioned previously, my parents came to town for a visit during Taylor’s end-of-year preschool festivities. It had been nearly five months since they had seen their grandbabies, and they were eager to spend some quality time with all of us.

It was a wonderful visit, and it made my heart smile to watch my kids interact so lovingly with my parents. And vice versa. That’s a special bond, and even though they don’t see each other as often as they would want, in my mind it’s all about the quality of the moments shared, not the frequency. And this gathering was truly special.

She blinded me with science

Another end-of-year event at NAP is the Pre-K Science Fair. For the past few weeks, Taylor would come home from school squealing, MOM! I have to show you an experiment. I need a bag full of water and a pencil.

Yeah. That’s one of the many reasons why I L-O-V-E preschool. They make the messes away from our house.

So after a weekend of playing with YaYa and Papa, we all gathered back at Taylor’s classroom and were entertained and amazed as each little kid showed us their science experiments.

Taylor partnered with her buddy, Chloe, and they proudly taught us about surface tension, each taking turns shaking pepper and then squeezing dishsoap into a bowl of water.

We had so much fun watching the other kids perform their experiment and sing songs. Who knew science could be that adorable?

In which we set the rule that her brother will always accompany her to prom

One of the more adorable traditions at North Asheville Preschool is the annual Pre-K Prom. They have a DJ come and play music and the director, Ms Madeline, makes her famous punch and parents bring snacks. They even have a grand entrance:

They followed with a little hokey pokey action. That’s Taylor teacher, Ms Leigh, next to her.

Watching Taylor and her little friends run around, dancing and squealing, was awesome enough to begin with, but it was even more special because my parents were visiting and able to take it all in as well.

Luke had a hard time adjusting to the dark and loud music, so my Dad was in charge of keeping him happy. And he did a very good job of filling his full of snacks and finding the kid’s lounge.

But after the sugar found his blood stream, Luke became a lot more fun.

Dance music, snacks and friends. Pure happiness.

My dancing queen

Taylor started her first year of dance last fall through her preschool. Every Thursday morning, I send her to school in her leotard and tights, where she begins her day with an hour-long class that teaches her both ballet and tap. It is her favorite day of the week, and I always enjoy watching her show me her new moves from that day’s class.

And because we are nearing the end of the school year, everyone was invited to come watch the girls in a dance performance to see how much they’ve learned during the year.

First Ms Quantella led the girls through a normal class, explaining how they stretched and worked on their positions. It was adorable.

Luke was super impressed with their skills.

And then we switched to tap, where they shuffled and ball chained and then put on a very very cute performance.

Afterwards, Ms Quantella gave each tiny dancer an award. And then the proud parents showered their littles with flowers. And because it was Taylor’s very first performance, we went a tad overboard with the bouquets. Oh well.

I mean, how could you NOT buy half the flower section for that precious girl? She deserved every stem. Good job, Sweetheart.