Saying goddbye...

I am a complete mess right now. A complete hormonal mess.

This week marks the last week of JD's first year at The Lamb School. Today and Thursday are his last official Mother's Day Out classes for this school year. It's gotten me so worked up this morning. True, I'll miss MDO for personal reasons (no more quiet days at home, no more hair appointments on TTH, no more 5-1/2 hours of me-time twice a week), but I'll mostly miss it for JD. He loves school and he LOVES his teachers, especially Mrs. Kitchen, or Kitchen, as he calls her.

It's just a huge reminder that time flies. It seems like only a few days ago Jimmy and I were walking him into that big church building for his first day of MDO. It was already a very hard time for our family because it was only 2 days after Jim had passed away. I was a mess when we dropped him off and in complete disbelief that my sweet boy was old enough for "school". He did fine the first day and seemed perfectly content to play. Of course, the next three weeks were very hard as he cried every time we left. But those days quickly disappeared and he began to love school. He really impressed me one morning when he remembered his teachers names and a few of the boys and girls in his class as well. It's amazing how they grow and learn without you even realizing it.

Today when I told JD he had school, he got the biggest smile on his face and was ready to get dressed. As we drove to school he asked from the backseat, "I go play?" He's grown up so much, but yet he's still got so much more growing to do.

When we got to his classroom he knocked on the door and waited for his teachers to come. As soon as Mrs. Behrend opened the door he handed her his backpack and lunchbox and then ran inside. I had to call him back to the door for a kiss. I also received his end of the year art book today, and this is what really sent me over the edge. I tried looking at it as I walked through the parking lot and then realized I was going to be a huge ball of tears if I didn't stop. It is the most precious thing. I called my mom and cried to her. How can this be? How can JD already be done with his first year of Lamb School? Mom and I talked a while. It's a big year all around. The end of the school year will also be the start of Shannon's senior year. This time next year we will be preparing for her graduation. I can still remember her kindergarten graduation like it was yesterday. She was the most precious thing I'd ever seen. The close of this school year also means Matt is now a junior high student. This isn't so much sad as it is weird. He's still just a bratty brother and doesn't seem old enough (or mature enough for that matter) for junior high!

So there's a good chance that today will be a tough one. I've already looked at JD's art book several times and cried. It's just precious!!! Here are a few pictures from his first year of MDO:


JD's School Picture - Fall


Spring Picture


Class Picture


And a few pages from his book...


The Cover








A few pictures the teachers took over the past school year...


My favorite...JD asleep on his nap mat at school. How precious is this?