On the Eve of 5...

Dear Lily,

Tomorrow morning you are going to be five. FIVE! A whole hand. On Father's Day, five years ago, I went into labor with you. I had to stop eating my dinner, my delicious dinner, because my labor got so strong that I knew, quite certainly, that we would be headed to the hospital. The next morning, at 6:09 am you were born, you made me a mama.

Lily Bean, this year has been an insane year of growth for you. You started writing so many new words, identifying how to spell things by sounding things out, and started to read. You are a whiz with numbers {you did not get that from your mama} and you can count things so quickly just by glancing at them. You loved Pre-K, and, while I know you are more than ready for Kindergarten, you are very anxious to start at a new school. You are so ready for school, though, and I think once you get started you will love it.

You are a little social butterfly. You love your friends and have so much fun playing with them. Your favorite things to do are play with dolls, build villages with Little People, and play outside with your neighborhood friends. You love Barbies, American Girl dolls, and baby dolls of any kind. You re-discovered a love of swimming this summer when you jumped into a pool at your friend's party. You are kind and sensitive and inquisitive. You are also impatient and quick to a temper {the good news is, that temper only comes out at home, and you are a sweetheart at school}.

My Lily girl, I hope you will always be confident, loving, and strong. Five feels like the big time. Kindergarten--real school--is about to happen and the world will start to feel more complicated. I want you to know that your intelligence, confidence, and strength will get you through anything. I love you so much and I cannot wait to see where five takes you!

Love, Mama

Lily Graduates!

Almost a week ago Lily graduated from Pre-K. I am insanely proud of my girl and everything she has accomplished this year. She has grown leaps and bounds with her writing, spelling, and word recognition. She is a whiz at math and anything with numbers comes easily to her. Her teachers say she is very sweet and kind to her classmates, which makes my heart proud. She is truly ready for kindergarten!

The graduation itself was adorable. Each family had a table with a balloon, a class picture, a collage the teachers made for each child, a dog to get signatures from classmates, and a graduation picture. The kids processed in and stood on stage to sing graduation songs. Afterward, each child received a certificate. The school did a luncheon for all of the families, which was also fantastic.

We are sad to say goodbye to Lily's preschool. She loved it, and her teachers, so much! I am so pleased with how prepared she is for kindergarten, but saying farewell to her friends will be hard. She does have a summer session to attend, so she can hang on to preschool for a bit longer. I am sure as summer comes to a close she will be sad and worried as her days at her new school come closer, but we will cross that bridge when it comes.