Moving on up

Yesterday was a big day for my boys… it was Jack’s last day in the little kid’s building at daycare. He’s been in this classroom since last fall and I adore his teachers – but I’ve always adored my kids’ daycare teachers because they care for my children and teach them in my absence.

We love Lisa (left) and Sue, even if Jack adamantly refused to participate in the picture-taking. I will be forever grateful to the people who taught Jack to use the potty (though he still refuses to use it regularly at home) but more importantly, helped shepherd his mind and heart through the terrible twos.

And yesterday was Liam’s last day of kindergarten. He’s officially a first grader, though he was quick to correct me when I said that as he’s doing the school-age program at our daycare and he apparently thinks that is a grade onto itself. “Mom, I’m not a first grader yet, I’m going to school age this summer!” [Gosh mom, he should have added, based on the tone of voice he used.]

Above is Liam on his first day of school, below is him in the same spot on his last day. Hard to believe a whole school year has passed between these photos.

During the past year he has fallen for his kindergarten teacher – I used to be the only one he drew pictures for but countless times he worked on a drawing, only to tuck it away in his backpack for Mrs. A. Not the first time I’ll play second fiddle to another woman in his life. Alas.

I feel so blessed to have had such a wonderful, uneventful year of school for Liam. No big challenges or dramas to deal with and [fingers crossed/knock on wood/prayers lifted high] hopefully the coming years will bring the same joyful bliss of school ease (the realist in me realizes this is complete unrealistic to hope for, but the optimist hopes just the same).

I’ve got nothing but good things to say about school and daycare at this juncture. Not even a witty, sarcastic comment. Happiness abounds and the summer stretches out in front of us (though, as noted previously, the boys’ schedule is pretty much the same, just in new places so I don’t have that all-too-common, frantic look in my eyes like many of my stay-at-home mom friends tend to wear these days – just another reason I like working and daycare, it works for me just fine and I don’t sport crazy eyes – at least not about summer vacation).

And in case we aren’t friends on Facebook, here’s a little gem Liam said in the car on the way to school yesterday:
Liam: I can’t remember if “F*ck in Black” is by AC/DC.
Me: I think you mean “Back in Black, not what you just said.
Liam: Oh, I guess I just heard him un-correctly.
[I’m just thankful he didn’t say it while we were discussing music with Jack’s daycare teachers. Pretty sure that might get him banned from the school-age program.]