Last Day for a Preschooler!

Always like to do fun things for first and last day of school!

Last day sign a must!

Last day breakfast.  She wanted waffles.....easy enough!

Drawing pictures on her thank you notes to the teaches and Vicki at the front office

Last walk into school

Mom made her pose for just one last picture!

.....or maybe just one more because best friend Brenley walked up!

Last quick play before school

last time waiting to wash her hands so the day can begin

last preschool ice cream social

one last skip around the gym

last time in the class room

one last quick play time

last hug goodbye to Mrs. Peloquin

One last picture with two wonderful teachers

These are the type of lasts that kind of tug at your heart strings.  The kind of days that you try not to think about it too much or you just keep tearing up.  Didn't help that the teachers even read a book to all of us called "Remembering Your Lasts".  Total tear jerker.....I remember when they read it to Kaylee's class too.  Crazy that my Alexa is the one to now have graduated from Preschool.  I still in my delusional head think that Kaylee should be the one in preschool and Alexa still my baby....along with still having Nolan of course.  :)  The years are definitely short.  I do have to say though, that out of all of the LASTS I have experienced, this was the easiest.  After much prayer from both Ryan and I the last year, and going back and forth for several months.....mostly on my part, in April Ryan and I decided to start homeschooling all of the kids next fall.  CRAZY life change I know!!  Ryan has played a huge role in convincing me that I CAN do this as I was going back and forth for so long.  He was for it from the start.  Not that I was not for it, I just struggled with the usual questions of: How am I actually going to teach my kids?  What if I screw them up?  How will I get them to listen?  Will my kids have enough socialization? Will I ever have time to get anything done around the house or for myself?  What will I do with Nolan while I am trying to have school time??  And I am sure many more questions that went through my head.  I prayed for a long time that if this is the path we should take that God will give me peace about this decision and no longer be subjected to the "what ifs??".  Well last April He gave me that peace and I knew this was the right decision for us.  I also prayed for Kaylee that if this was meant to be that the Lord would have her 100% for this as well.  Already being in the public school system I did not want to traumatize her by taking her out of school, or to ever have her resent us for this.  She was never totally un-for it, but kind of like me had a hard time deciding at first if that was what she really wanted to do.  Well, around the same time God gave me peace about this decision He also gave it to her.  He has been so faithful in showing us people to talk with at church who are also homeschooling, amazing home school blogs to read full of info and guidance to the knew homeschoolers all the way from good advice on curriculum choices and how to manage and schedule your day even with other little ones.  I attended my first homeschool conference a few weeks ago that had an afternoon just for people that are new to or considering homeschool.  So I have not started yet, we will start after Labor Day, other then this summer continuing Alexa's reading curriculum that I started last March and Kaylee's summer cursive curriculum, but I at least have peace that this is the right decision for us and for the first time I did not feel so upset as the girls were ending school thinking how can they be done with another year already!?!?  Nor do I have the heartache that Alexa would be starting Kindergarten in public school in the fall, and that now both she and Kaylee would have to spend 6 1/2 hours away from us during the day.  I have heard the first year can be tough adjusting to the new homeschool schedule, but I am doing everything I can to prepare so hopefully it won't be too chaotic. :)

"And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.  You shall teach them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up." (Deut. 6:6-7)
I figure no other way to better fulfill this command is to have our children home with us for school, rather then to send them to a school where God is taken out all day.