goodbye "pretty school"

Hope's very first day of "pretty school"

Today is Hope's last day of preschool, aka "pretty school."  When Hope first started attending school, she had just turned two.  Since she was my baby, sending her off to school was a very, very hard transition for me!  For the two years preceding, it had just been me and her when Mike left for work and the bigs went to school.  Needless to say, when Hope started school, I was "that mom."  The one tearing up at her baby walking into school and the one looking for the nearest exit so I could finally let the tears fall without anyone seeing.  I'm the last one to drop her off each morning and one of the first ones there to pick her up in the afternoon.

This post is for every person that has touched her life while at school.  Every teacher, aide, substitute, the administration, and each and every person that has loved her.

Thank you for welcoming us into your school family.

Thank you for teaching her about Jesus and for creating a prayer warrior.

Thank you for kissing boo boos.

Thank you for letting her act silly!

Thank you for the awesome chapel lessons that she loved to come home and share with us.

Thank you for teaching her numbers, letters, the days of the week and the months of the year.

Thank you for understanding that we were going to be late.

Thank you for teaching her to give thanks.

Thank you for showing her it's ok to be yourself!

Thank you for teaching her songs that she sings for all to hear.

Thank you for fostering her imagination.

Thank you for wiping her nose and reminding her to wash her hands.

Thank you for keeping up with all her hair bows! ;)

Thank you for teaching her that she loves being on stage!

Thank you for understanding that we skip school on rainy days.

Thank you for teaching her how to be a friend.

Thank you for all the countless diaper changes and trips to the bathroom.

Thank you for teaching her to celebrate (and that it's ok to eat just the icing!).

Thank you for teaching her to share.

Thank you for teaching her how to swing without being pushed.

Thank you for teaching her to use scissors (even when she was "too tired"!)

Thank you for teaching her to be brave.

Thank you for teaching her how fun it is to move in Creative Movement.

Thank you for understanding she can be a bit of a drama queen!

Thank you for fun dress up days!

Thank you for Big Messy Fun Days!

Thank you for keeping her safe.

Thank you for teaching her the importance of holding hands and keeping your friends close.

Thank you for holding her when she needed holding.

Thank you for teaching her to color and to stay inside the lines.

Thank you for teaching her the colors of the rainbow and all her shapes.

Thank you for teaching her it's ok to get dirty. ;)

Thank you for teaching her that the friends she made here are for a lifetime.

Thank you for teaching her to have dreams.

Thank you for teaching her how to read.

Thank you for being her #1 fan!

And, thank you for all the things that I am forgetting!

Ms. Krystal & Ms. Amy

Ms. Amy & Ms. Amy

Ms. Collin & Ms. Candice

Ms. Kristin & Ms. Sylvia

And a special thank you to the above women who loved not only Hope but me as well. Thank you for loving "that mom."  Thank you for understanding she's my baby and some days are just hard.  Thank you for always being there for a hug or just "you've got this, mama."  Thank you for loving me and understanding my extreme fear of vomit. Thank you for texting me saying, "maybe Hope doesn't want to come to school today" when someone in her class came down with the dreaded bug.  Thank you for never judging my lack of lunch box skills.  Thank you for always keeping her clean even though I never asked you to.  Thank you for your patience, your leadership, your kindness.  Thank you for loving us!  And please understand that I probably won't make eye contact with you today when I'm picking her up because I don't like goodbyes and I'm one swallow away from the waterworks starting and once they start, I'm afraid they won't stop.  But, from the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING!

Oh, and you may be wondering why "pretty school."  When Hope first started preschool, she didn't talk.  Not that she couldn't, just that she didn't.  I taught her sign language so anything she wanted or needed, she could sign to us.  Months went by at school and little by little, words were starting to pop up that we could understand.  While her school is called PREschool, she thought we were saying "pretty school" and, well, that was just too cute to correct!

She's come a long way and grown so much in the past four years.  Pretty School, you'll be missed.  Thank you for loving my baby like she was your own.  I'm forever grateful for each and every one of you that has touched our lives.  You will always hold a special place in our hearts.

Yours truly,
Holly

P.S.  I'm totally prepared that I'm going to be "that mom" again next year when I walk her into big school!

First day - September 2012

First day - September 2013

First day - September 2014

First day - September 2015

Last day - May 2016